My 8th grade class photo. Can you spot me in there?
I grew up just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio in a the small town of Loveland. And being Catholic my parents sent me to St. Columban which covered grades 2-8. I believe those are very impressionable years for children. I know it shaped me into who I am today. I made friendships during that time that i still cherish and keep alive today.
One thing I noticed was during my whole life and still today I have had vivid dreams where kids from my grade school play a major role in. And most I had not talked to in years, yet they still linger I my dreams. I remember almost all of their names. I was not one of the popular kids so I feel they may have made it easier for me to have more contact with more of them. I was not locked into one group so I could float around and hang out with all of them.
My memories are still very strong from that period. I still remember all my silly crushes I had, but not to be mentioned out of fear of embarrassment :) I remember playing four square, kickball and kill-the-man during recesses. I remember getting in trouble constantly for talking and getting “Is a source of disturbance” checked on my report cards, along with “Does not perform to potential” (which seems to be recurring theme even today!) I also remember doing pencil fights with Joe Dillon and Scott Doll, and how the Ticonderoga redwood pencils were the best to use and when holding the pencil you had to have your thumbs at least one inch apart. It is funny looking back and now undestanding the flavor of the week statement because it seemed the girls all picked a different guy to be the cutest in the class, one week it was Jeff Otten, then Tom Thiel the next and on to Chris Shimala, unfortunately it was never Randy Hamilton week :( But that’s okay, I got my moment in the sun later in life.
One event that happened to me I always remember because it sums my personality up. I was caught talking in Mr. Huth’s class and he put my name on the board, which meant if you were caught again that day you got detention. Well, something happened and he caught me talking again and put the dreaded check mark by my name. I was angry I felt he was unfair because I talked for a good reason (which i have since forgotten but am sure it WAS a good reason). I tried to plead my case but he wouldn’t hear me out and put another check in spite. That got me more angry, i tried again to argue my point, he cut me off and put another check. By now my head was going to pop off from anger! “Fine” i said, let’s just make it four!” He put another. “Might as well make it a week huh Mr. Huth?” I said sarcastically. Another check went up, then he was at his wits end and grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the room. I was now scared my mom was going to be called and i was in real trouble, so my attitude changed quickly. “Okay, okay. I’m done. You win, I got a week. I’ll keep quiet can we just move on?” I asked. Ready for a fight and not submission he just stared at me. “I know I was wrong. I’m sorry.” I said in a very straight forward tone. He still was angry as his face was red, but he took a deep breath and shoved me back into the classroom. It was silent. But he went on teaching. And during the first detention, I was good and didn’t say a word. He then did not make me do the other four days of detention. He just asked if I had learned my lesson. I answered “yes”. And tried ever since then to live by the rules, as long as I agreed with those rules :)
Well recently I have been able to put current faces to those old names in my head. I can see in them the young kids that I fully remember like it was yesterday, but just have inevitably aged a bit. It has been so nice reconnecting and finding out that they seem to be as eager to reunite with everyone like I was. I just feel something special happens at that school. Because many others who went to other schools thinks it is amazing I still remember all my grade school classmates and that I would like to see them all again.
They seem to have really bloomed as adults and most have kids of their own, right around the age we were when we all met. Even more cool is that some are even attending St. Columban. I can only hope they get to build bonds with their classmates as we did. It has been fun looking at their profiles and finding out what life had in store for them once they became adults. There are a few still out there I have not found again yet, but sure they will come on board Facebook at some point and we will find them. I only hope the best for all of them, and hope life has treated them well.