As
you enter the front door of the school, the politically correct handrail
on the steps to the first
floor is an immediate introduction to the changes you can expect. Other
than this noticeable change, the entrance was very reminiscent of what
it was a half-century ago.
The famous bust of William
McKinley still graces the entrance. It was
difficult to tell if the ritual of rubbing the nose of the statue was still
in place since it still appeared to have the shine it had decades ago. |
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As you walk down the halls of the school, things
looked very much as they did back then. I think the recessed lighting represents
a change, but it was a rather subtle change.
Of course, the kids are different since the school is now a middle school
for gifted children who have to be in the top 15% in SAT scores with
above average IQ's.
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| The
classroom shown in the photo to the right is Room 101 where Miss
Becker taught Physics in the 50's. The "new
school" philosophy, with minimum structure, was the
first indication of a radical change from our days. Children were free
to move
about the
classroom and carry on conversations amongst each other – something
that would not
have flown in Miss Becker's class. |
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The student furniture
was vastly different and ultra-modern. There was not a desk to be found
that even closely resembled those that we used. Even the layout of
this classroom
seemed to be significantly different with the teacher's desk at the
rear of the room.
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| While the location of the cafeteria was the same from our days, the location
was the only characteristic that seemed at all familiar. With the ultra-modern
furniture, recessed lighting and a modern serving line, anyone from our
era would have to question if they were in the same building that we knew
so well. |
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While the seats of
the auditorium seemed the same, and the mural above the stage remained,
the high-tech computer projection system moves you
forward in time from a nostalgic view of the aud. The clamor of chatter
from the children as they were entering the aud was also a departure from
my memories of the times when we entered the aud for a session. |
| Miss
Grant's library is now a science classroom with the new library located
in the
southwest corner of the building. I didn't have the heart to show Coach
Blanke's boy's gym, which is now
a dance
studio,
complete
with
mirrors
on the wall. And of course, the new gym – regulation size and without
columns – had no nostalgic cache. Considered an exit problem in
event of a fire, the drafting rooms on the fourth floor are
now closed. With all the changes...it brought back some warm memories. |
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