MEMORIES OF CLARK ELEMENTARY

 When I went to Clark Elementary,  it was a safe, simple two block walk from home. The street crosswalk to cross Lincoln with a light was on our block then. For some reason now, they moved it further over to the next block. All the kids from our neighborhood would walk together,  laughing and enjoying ourselves. There was a house whose backyard we passed walking to school with a white fence and they had a dachshund named Freddie.  All of us kids loved him and always made sure to pet and talk to him whenever we went by. I remember the students of the Patrol Guard took their jobs very seriously--holding the stop signs and blowing whistles to alert if there was a problem. We knew the name of all the teachers even if we weren't in their class. Miss Ball was the principal, and when she retired,  Mr Burns took over. Mrs Dorland was the school secretary. I remember getting to spend time in the library, I love to read. I remember going into the halls and sitting Indian style on the floor with our backs to the walls and covering our heads for tornado drills. I remember Mr Martin the school janitor was a nice man who would refill our balls with air when they were going flat.(back then we could still play Dodge Ball). The playground was fun at recess, the monkey bars, jungle gym, merry-go-round, swings and playing tether ball. When the weather was bad and we couldn't play outside, we would push all the desks against the walls and we would dance the Minuet, or the Virginia Reel. Or we'd have mats and do tumbling. Back then they still allowed God in school and a lady with a camper would come and we would go in and hear a Bible lesson and sing hymns. It didn't bother anybody. We would have open house night where the parents could meet the teachers and see how their kids were progressing. When one of the First grade teachers died in an accident, everyone was upset. We were all like an extended family. The school would have fun nights where we could all go to Joyland free and ride all the rides. It was wonderful.  Now they're closing the school due to the budget.  They've already closed the high school my brother, sister and I went to, and built a "bigger " one further out not too long ago. It's already overcrowded.  What about the extra budget for busing the kids somewhere else? Goodbye Clark, you were great.