A Young Man's Art

I was one of about 900 other students who ventured off to school last Monday. But I am only one of 80 students, who are seniors and, in June, will walk across the stage to get my diploma.

This school year will be my last. At least in high school. No more eating food in the cafeteria under 10 minutes and trying to, at the same time, chat with friends. No more hanging out with the same friends or having the same instructors teach me.

Instead of voyaging the halls of Cameron County High School stopping people in the hall and saying "hi" or "hello", I will be going to different building instead. Probably next year I will be on my way to a college to major in journalism.

I am told to live up my days at the high school. But I am also told to enjoy my days in college when they get here. They are the last four years of hanging out with people in my age group, etc.

So with this in mind, I want to take this time to recall my days within the Cameron County School District, starting with kindergarten in Woodland Elementary School until my junior year at Cameron County High School

This week you can read my days at Woodland Elementary School. Next week you will find in "A Young Man's Art," a story about my high school memories.

Some of these fond memories may entertain you, some may not, but they will help me to remember what those days were like in grade school.

Kindergarten

- It was 1995. I was six. We were celebrating Thanksgiving. My classmates crumbled paper bags and made vests out of them. We were trying to recreate the famous feast by the Pilgrims and the Native Americans.

I remember my best friend Cory Johnson, at the time, and his parents, Kevin and Linda, eating ice cream. Sprinkled with chocolate, we chowed down the ice cream, jabbering like little six-year-olds do.

- I remember, not very well, dressing up for the Halloween parade at the school. For a few years during those events I wore a suit that matched what the green and white Power Ranger wore on that television show.

First grade

- For some reason, my friend, Karl Rinebolt, now named "Boltz," and I created a map of the tennis courts and playground at the school. We thought we were pretty sneaky, attempting to draft a plan of a hide out. But truthfully, I am not sure what the map was for.

Each time we made the map, another kid would tear it to shreds.

- Like many who passed through grade school, I had a crush on a girl. But it did not start with me and her hanging out and getting close. It started when me and another kid began arguing who she would fall for first.

The kid began tempting me to write love letters to her. I did. They were actually cards, folded and decorated by me. Man, how times have changed. I wouldn't think about doing that now.

Second grade

- Mrs. Laura Greene made us create our own children's books. I remember Jan Hampton helped us draft the books on paper. Then we turned those images into a book. My book was called "Tim and Jim," and it was about a dog that had puppies.

- Before I chose newspapers as my career, I actually was on television for a short time. I was chosen from the "Good Bin" and was lucky enough to be on the Woodland's school television show- WKID.

For those of you who are wondering students were selected for being kind and helping others. Besides being a television star, I ate macaroni from Jubilee with elementary principal Clyde Moate.

Third grade

- I worked on a project about the United State presidents with Kelly Bennett and we chose Grover Cleveland. I think we liked the name, but who really knows. This friendship we cultivated then still exists today.

- Do you know how to spell "taught"? Well, one kid didn't. I remember one of my favorite teachers, Mr. Brian Lovett, spelling taught this way: tot. He set the record straight. Maybe that is why I know how to spell it.

Fourth grade

- As I can remember someone called in that a bomb threat. I was among the majority that left the school early. Would you not think they would have closed down? I would hope, but they stayed open.

Fifth grade

- The Red Raider varsity football team defeated all of the other teams in the D9 division and almost made it to the state championship in Hershey.

We lost a close game to Bishop Carrol. Some say we actually won that game. If you look at the tape that was made back then, you can see for yourself. Did we really win that game?

Sixth grade

- One of the teachers would give us points if we got certain grades on our tests, if I remember correctly. With those points we could auction for items.

I recall winning a Scooby Doo race car. I put up quite a fight for that car, but won it. At one time I think I had around $300,000, give or take a few.

My how things have changed...