School Days

Dear Diary,

When I visited the Vermont Country Store I was delighted to find my old lunch box, circa 1955, for sale!   The Aladdin red plaid tin lunch box was exactly as I remembered it and when I opened it up the inside lid brought back a flood of memories.  Printed on the lid was a poem about school safety.  The little figure reminded me that in Grade Six I was chosen to be one of the crossing guards and got to wear the white belt, proud moment for me.  Children who lived near the school got to go home for lunch but those of us who took the bus brought ours and ate in our classroom.

In Grade Five I helped deliver the little milk bottles to each class before lunch time.  They were glass back then and they were stored in the cooler under the water fountain.  Each class would leave out their "order"...7 white, 9 chocolate...and we would deposit them by the door and pick them up later. 

I remember all my teachers names too: Miss Murphy, grade one, Miss McNiff, grade two, Miss Finnerty, grade three, Miss Worsnip, grade four, Miss Hubert, grade five, and also the principal, and finally Miss Roberts, grade six.  There was no Kindergarten in my town at the time.  They were all "Miss", married women didn't teach in my days.

My extra picture was one I took of my friends on the playground of Broad Street School.  It was picture day in 1959 and we were in our best dresses.  No pants allowed for girls!  My camera was a Browne Hawkeye.  I would bring the film to Wheeler's Pharmacy to be developed.  I wish I could find that camera now.  I probably could on Ebay, the wonder of the internet, but I am very content to just have my lunch box, so full of memories.  How the world has changed!