May 19, 2022 at 6:51 p.m.
Memories Of The Old Hope School & Gym (Part 1)
I attended Lovett through eighth grade before entering the old Jennings County High School and then graduating from the new one in 1970. At Lovett, our gym was in the backyard on an asphalt court. Our games were always played at schools with small gyms, the largest one being at Vernon. One of my fondest memories was when Lovett won the County Championship at Jennings County High School while sitting on the eighth grade bench as a seventh grader under the superior coaching of Don Hearne. (One of my longest walks was escorting Kay Vance, with borrowed dress shoes from an uncle, as a seventh grader around that gym when she was named Queen for raising the most money for polio.)
Needless to state, I immediately fell in love with the unique character and charm of the old Hope school and gym when driving to Hope for an interview for a fifth grade position at the young age of 21 in 1974 and was there for fifteen years until moving into the new Hope Elementary in 1989. I had never been to Hope before my interview. Barney Halaschak, BCSC Personnel Director, had given my name to Bob Rowe, Superintendent of FRHC. (Barney's wife, Carol, eventually joined our dedicated staff.) When Bob called, I was not home. It was probably a good thing because my mom, Lida Webster, has one of the warmest hearts in this world and can carry on a conversation with ease, even at 93. She was making an apple pie at the time which only enhanced the discussion. I met Bob after speaking to Kathyrn Hoy, his Secretary, at Hauser. (I enjoyed working with Mrs. Hoy's son, Sam.) Two future fifth graders were standing outside, Joy Carmen Brown and Judy Wheeldon Wingham. Bob took me to meet Howard Epperson, Principal, and John Eudy, Custodian, while they were working side-by-side on the stairway of the old Hope School. That's where my interview started; I don't recall a very formal approach. (Yes, Mr. Epperson, a man highly respected in the community, was helping Mr. Eudy that day!) All were instrumental in me getting the position, but John always stressed he was the key when telling Mr. Epperson, “You better hire that guy!”
I still have my first contract, $7,400, plan and grade books, on a six week grading period schedule, as well as registration cards. Open house was always well attended. PTO was very active. (I fondly recall one major summer event sponsored by PTO with unique class opportunities, University of Hope, and a few parent names: Sharon Seim, Ranae Shoaf, and Nancy Treesh; the old building had a university feel; recently, I gave my shirt to Ken Seim, former student and friend, in honor of his mom.) I am proud to have served on a committee several years later that was instrumental in starting parent/teacher conferences and changing to a nine weeks grading period.
There were 32 students, 20 boys and 12 girls, in my first class as listed: Dale Barkdull, Chris Bates, Eric Berkshire whose Dad did a magic show for the entire school, Tony Blair, Glenda Butler who was my acting partner several years ago in “Dearly Departed,” Larry Clary who with his brother, Lonnie, pulled my troublesome riding mower out of a flood area, Gordon Cox, Brent Coy, Patricia Creech, Paul Douglas who has helped at “HSJ Online” fundraisers with his music talents, Troy Embry, Jill Fletcher, Evelyn Frady who sent me some outstanding poetry and whose parents, Cliff and Georgia, spent many hours as Custodians for FRHC, Tony Gibson, Ty Herron whose tears I still see when accidentally breaking a window and who later, in her early twenties, won the most beautiful eye contest sponsored by the Indiana Society to Prevent Blindness and Marsh, Gordon George, James Kappes, Angela Kelley, William Lambert, Timothy Law, Brian Lee, Deborah McCarty whose husband, Julian Smith, was my student teacher and a superior educator like Debbie, Marimicheelle McKinney who spoke kind words at my retirement celebration and who volunteers to write for “HSJ Online,” Becky Ramsey, Patricia Rhoades, John Schmitt, Amy Skurka, Jeff Smith who has been a neighbor for years, Timmy Smith, Steven Watkins, Judy Wheelden, and Kyle Zollman who has helped us with home electrical problems. Even though no student should ever be in that large of a class and no teacher should have that much responsibility, I think much was accomplished.
Helen McKinney was next door with another fifth grade homeroom, and she was a great example and mentor to me as well as to Barb Arnholt Sorgius who had a fifth/sixth grade split in the room next to me. Phyllis Baker and Jim Stultz had sixth grade classrooms at the other end of the hallway. Candy Taff Carr took Barb's place after one year, and Candy started a state recognized Little Hoosiers Club which Barb Johnson eventually took over, 100 members strong, and an excellent gifted and talented program. (Both Barb and Candy attended my retirement celebration.) Nearby was Patsy Harris, Library Assistant, who worked years in that capacity and who was always ready to help us supplement our subject areas and inspired many students to make books a part of their lives. Mrs. McKinney, whose husband Morris was instrumental in the creation of FRHC, stressed the importance of creating a foundation for greatness early which was so true then and thirty-five years afterward for my last class. I believed in keeping rules simple, and we focused on respect until I watched a episode of “Little House On The Prairie.” Then, I included compassion and understanding and eventually added empathy creating the acronym CURE which former students still remember and hopefully put into practice.
In the 70s, we did not have computers, just typewriters, smartphones, just one phone in the main office, xerox machines, just messy cranking duplicators, PBA (Public Based Accreditation) which a former marine from the State Education Department stressed in the late 80 we would do, and I still have the first large manual developed (250 pages) by our staff under the superior leadership of Debbie McIntyre, great teacher and colleague for years starting at the old school, the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Act which was never fully funded and consequently created all kinds of problems for too long, and the emphasis on standardized testing, tests that never can share the entire picture of students, teachers, schools, and communities yet continues to be given. At my retirement celebration, my sisters, Sally and Pam, did a song I wrote for the evening, “My Child Is More Than A Test,” which can be found if searching Google for Sally Webster's albums. (The album, “The Child-Start Smilin',” can also be found featuring Hope Elementary students and Sally on several CD Projects which students learned a lot about the music business. And the projects always generated extra funding for our music program.)
The old school certainly had many problems. I jokingly suggested attending a FRHC School Board meeting to request umbrellas for each student when my room upstairs had buckets placed strategically for several leaks with some water in each five-gallon bucket to keep the pinging sound to a minimum; sound traveled easily through certain walls, and the staff was very tolerant of my voice which likely carried the most; the old radiator heaters released a lot of heat, and my room directly above the boiler room would be hot enough that we would have to open the windows in winter time; the boiler was not the newest and almost exploded one day if it had not been for the quick thinking of our Custodian, Mark Miller; walls were crumbling in places.
Still, the old school had a special place in my heart. The building reminded me of Lovett, a school you can still see to some degree as part of it still stands; it was located centrally in town; for years; I had the large room with the fire escape, and students would now and then climb the steps, even though it was against the rules, to say “hello” when I was working late; the playground seemed spacious, spacious enough for the annual end-of-the-year softball game featuring the staff against the sixth graders, some sixth graders that one year picked up my Saab sports car; small tin ceiling tiles that would not be in a new school; the white water fountain in the center of the main entrance was inviting; the stairway on each end added magic; several rooms seemed to have unique character with one reason due the location of a gym within the building at one time; I would not be able to cut through the kitchen and always be greeted by cheerful cooks each morning on the way to my classroom: Cathy Burns, Judy Coy, Marjorie Herron, Ollie Snyder, and Frankie Ziegler; I proposed to my wife, Lisa Larch, a third grade teacher for only one year due to RIF, Reduction In Force, on the same steps we first met late one night. (I was granted permission by the staff of the Community Center to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary there while our daughters, Bethany and Haley, provided a special dinner.)
At that time, classroom teachers were asked to present Physical Education to their homerooms even though next to the gym we had a certified Music teacher, Ruby Walker, certified Band teacher, Charlie Biggs, and close to the boiler room in the basement a certified Art teacher, Darlene Neff. In the basement, we also had a lounge which PTO members made appealing and comfortable. Often, I was asked to present Physical Education to all the fifth graders as well as sixth graders while their teachers would present another subject to my homeroom. With my new career of taking care of our two grandchildren, Gibson and Rowan, while their parents teach, Bethany and Bryce Mize (two former students and Hauser graduates), I am convinced even more of the importance of these subject areas and strongly feel STEM should be STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) even though I also feel there should be caution when stressing any subject area over another.
Fortunately, Indiana State had a great physical education program and book for elementary teachers, and the PTO as well as Mr. Epperson and Mr. Rowe would always support my requests for equipment. (I also got much support when ordering lab material for Science and models of organs for Health with some of those items still in the new Hope Elementary. All my principals allowed me to present health standards with the science standards even though the standardized tests only asked science questions.) I recall the puzzled reaction when asking the PTO for a red and white parachute which was approved and purchased and enjoyed greatly by students in a variety of activities. In time, Mike Wilkerson and I put together a solid curriculum for K-6 using my ISU book “Teaching Physical Education to Elementary Students,” and FRHC actually started employing teacher assistants for that position which provided much needed planning time for teachers. (We were always quite fortunate with the quality of people willing to take that role for low pay and no benefits but who deeply cared about young people. Mike Asher, one of those assistants, gave me a character/sports poem from the office above the stage which I still have today. Mike shared how he would hold the long extension ladder for Mr. Miller as he changed light bulbs high above in the gym. Charisse Garwood held that position for eleven years at the new Hope Elementary!)
Leading the class down the ramp and into the gym always stirred good feelings. Classes were generally large, and it was a challenge to keep all students involved; however, a few minutes of time out on a bleacher was the only discipline technique needed due to the enjoyment of the planned activities, some from a book and some created by me. (Part 2 Coming Soon)
