First report card of first grade was at South Hill Elementary School starting January 15, 1954 with Mrs. Luticia Cathy where I was promoted to grade 2.1 May 22, 1954.  (This is, of course, after having attended "La Escuelita Blanca"  literally, the "little white school"  because it was painted all white outside.  Seems, I had to learn English better that I knew it.  All Spanish speaking kids were sent there, is what I heard.) 

2nd and 3rd grade report cards were from Flora Vista Elementary with Mrs. A Smith and Mrs. Billye Sue Abercrombie 1954, 1955, 1956.

4th grade was at Mark Howell Elementary with Charlotte Witt when our family bought our first house at 1710 Michigan, an address I still remember.  I think I lived across the street from Sammy Pettit and Jerry, a big ole football player during 1964.

Then we moved to Bakersfield, Ca. where my grades went up to A and B and my parents couldn't understand why.   It was 1957-1958, when we moved back to a house at 300 Frazier in Roswell, Mrs. Schuler was one of my 6th grade teachers.  Also, sometime during this bewildering set of moves, I remember living at 600 Sherman next to a big open lot.  It was a rental until we moved in to the new pastor's house on Pear St.  I don't remember exactly when, but I met Glenda Haas and girls were starting to be important.  All I know was I did attend Pecos Elementary first. After that, we moved to 127 E. Pear Street where I finished the school year at Edgewood Elementary on North Garden (just below the Glover Meat Packing Co.)  That's where I met Lydia Villescas and Janet Adams.  I think a Johnny Fowler  (or was it Bob Fowler) was in this class too.  I remember being a school crossing guard one week and how "exciting' it was to stop traffic and let kids go to the little store across the street where they would spend a penny or two to buy Bazooka Joe Bubble Gum 'cause everybody knew that Topps bubblegum with the baseball cards cost a dime and that gum was hard as a rock.  You could always buy 5 BJ bubblegums for a dime..Bill Fronterhouse knows....

After this, it was Jr. Hi at North, 1 year and East, 2 years.  No wonder I didn't get a very good education in math.....  I had to learn how to speak just to survive! 

When we first moved to Roswell, I went to Edgewood School.  Absolutely hated it!  I was afraid of the kids and the teachers.  I was in the 2nd grade.  Was always telling my Mom I was sick and couldn't go to school - she knew better but it finally got to be such a problem that my folks moved to house at 5th & Washington - just across the street from Washington Avenue.  A couple of years later they bought a home on South Union just up from Hobbs Street - I finished my elementary years at Valley View and then on to South Jr. High.

Mary Luck Starling

I was fortunate to have attended only 1 grade school. Parkview Elementary. We lived on W. Hendricks when I started school (mid-Novermber on my birthday after having been toutered by Mrs Swisher until I became  of legal age to attend public school) and we then moved to the corner of Sycamore and Alameda while in the 3rd grade. I rode my bicycle to and from almost every school day. Great memories. Hayes grocery across the street (Cheryl Hayes family) was my source for baseball cards and those giant 5 cent suckers (grape or strawberry) where you could sometimes find a prize tag inside for another sucker. Wonderful classmates..Kenneth Crow, David Vassar, Gary Mincher, Frank Sandry, Frank Bradley, Linda Pope, Glenda Popejoy, Linda Allensworth, Anna Lee Hayes, Henry Alanez, Bill Shell, Terry Luginbill, Lin Hall, Eric Simpson, Donnie Willard, Connie Stevens, Karen Bussy, and many many more that my brain is not allowing me to access right now. My "remember button" is the same as the "send button". As soon as I send this, I'll remember more.

I counted 5 if not 6 different elementary schools that I attended in Roswell.  Yet, I thought of my schooling as if it were the normal thing to do.  I never met an enemy and believe to this day that I am very fortunate because I met a lot kids before I got to High School and was not that nervous going from Jr High, as it was called back then, to Sr. High.  I am sure some of my classmates were really wondering:  what in the world is going on here? 

Question, is this a record or can anybody out there claim they went to more elementary schools than I?  I'd really like to know.  One thing for sure.  Roswell was very "stable" in my growing up years no matter where you went to school....

Sincerely, Paul Viera, c/o '65

Tommy, I don't know why I don't remember you at Parkview. We must have always been in different classes.  I didn't really know you in high school either, but of course I knew who you were, as did everyone!  Although I did not live in the "Tree Street" neighborhood, I went to Parkview all 6 grades as did my older brother Roger and two younger sisters, Judy and Mary. We lived west of town and had no neighbors, but I hung out a lot in the Parkview neighborhood with best friends Denese Ingham, Linda Pope, Barbara Lavely and others whose names escape me at the moment.  (Linda and her brother Joe ended up marrying two of my cousins.) Some of those friends were military kids who came and went.  In Miss Elmetta Devlin's first grade class with me were Terry Luginbill and Bryan Bost. I don't recall all my teacher's names, but do remember Miss Knowles (2nd grade maybe) and Mrs. Roberts (6th). My mother stopped at Hayes grocery every morning before school so we could go in and get our Hostess cupcake, etc for lunch boxes. Cheryl Hayes was also a friend and I thought it was so cool to hang out at her house with her, right next door to the store.  Funny how much you start remembering once you get started. But don't ask me what I had for lunch today.

Certainly you would remember the name of the Parkview music teacher who arranged the big Christmas programs where we would all sit in the hallways and sing carols. I can't sing, and I don't remember her name.

My best friend at North Jr High was Julie Rose.  In high school best friends were Carolyn Curtis (also my college roomie) and Cheryl Parker. Both of those seem to be "lost classmates" now, sadly.

Yes Jan, I remember you from Parkview and I agree that I think we were always in different classes. I mentioned my teachers in a previous post but they were Mrs Thompson, Mrs Carter, Mrs Rucker, Mrs Smith, Mrs Branch and Mrs Roberts. For the life of me I cannot remember the music teacher who organized the Christmas program but I do remember singing one year in a boys quartet at Christmas time. My first public engagement in a group. I had already established myself in the neighborhood as a solo artist at age 4 going door to door singing Christmas carols by myself for nickles and dimes. Not a lot has changed since then..ha!

Tommy, your memory is amazing. A couple more names have come to me. My 2nd grade teacher was Ms. Little and I think 3rd was, I think, Ms. French.  It seems to me the principal was Ms. Curry; does that ring a bell with you?  I also remember Ms. Swan being either the music or art teacher for the school; but pretty sure it was art. That music teacher's name may yet materialize in my head; we'll see. One year we were short on classrooms, and the library was my classroom. I still remember the layout of that school, as you entered the front door the principals' office and lower grade classrooms were to your left. The library was immediately to the right, and the upper grades on that side. Sound correct to you?

By the way, you and Dixie should receive an award for the greatest love story from the class of '65. And, you have a beautiful family.

You are correct about Mrs Curry. She was a kind lady. Also, the layout of the school. I always had a regular classroom and should have spent more time in the library. The south playground seemed to be the place where the lower grades hung out. We used to have races on the swings. A girl would jump into the swing, and a guy would grap the swing and we'd see which one could get the highest "swinger" up the fastest. The west playground for kickball, teather ball and on the northwest corner, a backstop for baseball. Bicycle racks on the northeast corner. As I recall, we had heaters in the rooms but no air conditioning..just open the windows..same in most all the schools at that time I think. Of course Hayes Grocery across the street on the north side. I remember as a 6th grader walking over to the store one day and humming the song "Hang Down Your Head Tom Dooly". Why I remember that I'll never know. I believe Mrs Swan was the art teacher. My favorite art project was in the fall. Get one of those giant oak leaves, a piece of screen and splatter all different colors of watercolors on that leaf. Of course, I spent most of my time on the baseall field.."ah..hem..how about those Cowboys"?

the music teacher was Mrs. Smith (see earlier posting)

My 4th grade classroom teacher was a Mrs Smith. She had some musical leanings but I don't think it was her that was the official music teacher. There may have been another Mrs Smith..or, I could be totally mistaken about all of it except for there being a Mrs. Smith as a 4th grade classroom teacher who's husband wrote for the Roswell Daily Record. Ahh, Parkview..it was grand.  

the Mrs. Smith i am thinking about went from class to class teaching music - never had her as a home room teacher.  she was straw colored blond with red complexion.  she is the one who made me dance. i will never forget her. 

No one has mentioned Mark Howell elementary---that's where I attended all six years.  I have posted some pictures on memory lane photos.  Wonderful teachers:  Miss Garner, Mrs. Buffington, Mrs. Coppock, Mrs. Whitney, Miss Murray, Mrs. Gerry Newcomb (later Gerry Griffin who helped with Rainbow Girls), Mrs. Beall, & Miss Fisher & our principal Miss Webb.  What a great foundation we had---we were well disciplined but loved---quite a contrast from today's schools.

How blessed we were to grow up during that time!!!

Yes, Sandra, Mark Howell was also a great elementary school! Dixie Holland, Karen Bradley, John Buffington, Drew Hamilton, Donna O'Bryant, Gary Emmett (where is he?), Karen Voll, Patty Jo Service, Cecil Arnold - I'm sure there are others but this is hurting my brain cells to just think of these!!!!

We had a great school and every boy was in love with Miss Murray, our art teacher.  I remember her long nails and she was so great!  Miss Webb and Miss Fisher were so dedicated to the students and at the time, I remember, we thought they were really old! Remember the square dancing classes! The boys would do anything to get out of it! So us girls all danced together.  We all rode bikes to school and tried to outdo everybody else. My bike always had squirrel tails hanging off the handles ( I think I was a real tomboy and went hunting with everyone for them) In our neighborhood on Ohio Street, the girls outdid the boys in getting the lawns to mow every summer so we could take horse back riding lessons.  We had a huge willow tree in the front yard and played tarzan in it.  They wanted me to be Jane but I wasn't going for that one!

I also remember Cecil Arnold (I think it was) stood up in the middle of class, ran to the window and said that's my house going down the street.  They were moving this big house from somewhere and moved it to the corner of Union and the street Mark Howell was on (can't remember - College)  Anyway, we all stood at the window and watched his house being moved down the middle of the street.

What wonderful school days and I'm sad for the kids today that don't seem to have these kind of great memories.  I know my kids don't even have with their high school friends and they definitely don't have the great reunions that we do!  Would love to do those years all over again!!!!

Also, I have some great video footage of birthday parties, football games, dances, & parties that my dad took with his old video camera, which I have along with his projector. Transferred them to VHS!  Guess I would be thrown out of the reunion if I brought them!

No Dee -  bring your videos!!!!!  I would love to see them - I do remember Mark Howell Elementary - I just never went there and guess I never knew anyone who did go there until we got into Jr. High or High School.

Take care  - looking forward to seeing you - it is just around the corner!!!

Mary

I remember Mark Howell Elementary, 4th grade with Mrs. Charlotte Witt.  I noticed nobody has mentioned her as one of their teachers, so far.  The best thing I remember during those days was the PE teacher who cracked me up one day (what was her name, Dee or Sandra?) when we were supposed to be listening to her and some of us were more interested in the little brown dog whose name was Queenie.  The PE teacher said something to the effect of, "If I get a hold of Queenie, she's gonna be turned into a Weenie".  I died laughing and could not concentrate on PE any more that day.

Another thing I remember while attending Mark Howell Elementary was the "I like Ike" presidential campaign that was going good and strong in those days.  Somehow, Dewey was not  mentioned as much as Ike on any radio or TV ads I heard or saw.  "I like Ike" was compelling and because of that one little phrase, we (our family) just knew he was going to win...

Speaking of PE teachers---does anyone remember Coach Janet(I think) Smith?  She couldn't tolerate those of us who were non-athletes & made us hate PE.  My husband had Miss Payne at Mark Howell who did not allow him to be left-handed by hitting his hand with a ruler.  Teachers could not get by with things like that today---But it didn't kill us!!!

Sandra:  Could this have been the same PE teacher I mentioned in my last post?  I was only there at MHES in 1954 but recall this PE teacher as being kind of "mean" rather than strict or a disciplinarian and even then it struck me that she did not like that kids were not real "coordinated" (for want of a better word).  My real problem was I could not see very well and it wasn't till 9th grade that I got my vision corrected.... ( I could never catch a ball coming directly at me - bad depth perception.)  Get hit enough with a "hard ball" and you start flinching....

Oh well.....

ONE, St Peters, Kindergarten through eight grade. When it comes to handing out punishment, the Nuns have it 10 to 1 over public school teachers.

Besides St Petes, I also had two aunts who were nuns. The younger of the two has told me stories that would curl your hair. I have even met a few of her former students who had first hand experience with her.

Joe:

I have heard that many times before - have always been glad I am a Baptist!  Religion wise, we had a lot of restrictions on us - not that I was good at following all of them - but at least they weren't my teachers!

Take care, Mary

Mrs. Smith was our wonderful 4th. grade teacher at Parkview: was this the start of Ken and Tommy's singing and dancing careers??

Dee, Gary Emmett is in Scottsdale.  Peggy Bussey is trying to contact him for us, but I have not heard back yet.

Jan Wooldridge...best slumber parties in elem. school!!! Going to the "country" was such a treat.