I was the first. Well, at least one of them. In the fall of 1978, the local public school offered kindergarten for the first time. Since my sister was already attending the school, I'm sure it was a fairly easy decision for my parents to enroll me as one of the 24 or so students. Half of us attended in the morning and half in the afternoon. My teacher, Ms. Branscomb, came to our high school graduation. There were a handful of us who made it all 13 years together. We're all friends on Facebook today.
In 2008 my son started kindergarten at that same elementary school. By that time, kindergarten was full day and there were over 100 students split into 6 classes. In May 2013 he will be the last. Well, at least one of them. After more than 50 years, the county has decided that the school building has come to the end of its useful life. This summer, they will begin to tear down the school and build a huge, shiny new one in its place.
I'm sure it's a good decision. I've known for a year that this was in the works, but we got the official announcement at last week's PTA meeting. The principal of the school told us. He was one of the first, too. We attended all of elementary school together, kindergarten through 7th grade. He said all of the right things to put everyone at ease about the fact that we will be housed elsewhere for two years. Still, I teared up listening to him. It's just a building, but we grew up in that building, and, now, my kids are growing up there, too.
I don't like change, but with 3 kids, life changes daily. Mason will be off to middle school next year (yikes!), and the girls will spend 2 years in a temporary elementary school. We will be able to hear the construction on the new school from our house.
Here's a little shout out to Betty Rose Caldwell, my eccentric elementary school music teacher. She taught us lots of Carpenters' songs, and she wrote the following Alma Mater. The words once hung prominently at the back of the school cafeteria...
When all the years have passed us by, and we must live with memories
We know our hearts will always wander to the years we spent here.
Our praise goes to dear Fernbank School, we'll always love and know thee
For you have guided every step, directed towards excelling.
We praise your name, dear Fernbank School. Our first Alma Mater.
2 comments:
Crying...even though we only spent two years there, that school felt like home- to me, the boys, all of us. With you on not liking change...but I need to be more with you on accepting it anyway. Lots of changes in our life over the past year and I'm still reeling from it!
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