May is a busy month for students and teachers alike.
Elementary students get to go on field trips –– roller skating, visiting museums and zoos. Spring music programs are scheduled to show off the talents of said students. Gyms are decorated for prom. Final tests are given and seniors prepare for graduation.
I distinctly remember field trips when I was a kid. A couple of weeks before our field trip Mom took Carla and I shopping for our new outfits. Why we needed a new outfit for a field trip is beyond me, but a new pair of pedal pushers and a top in pastel spring colors, socks to match and sandals were generally the rave for our field trips. (Not sure if Carla and I were all that excited about the outfits –– especially me –– but we loved the field trips just the same.)
Lunches had to be made the day before. A sandwich, chips, an apple if we couldn't talk Mom out of it and, of course, a Twinkie — two if we could sneak an extra out of the house. Everything was arranged neatly in a brown paper bag with our name on it –– along with a can of pop –– and put in the cooler that was waiting at the back of the bus.
Everyone scrambled on the bus –– fighting for the best seat –– the ones clear in the back –– so we could save a place for our best friends. We were generally three to a seat –– scrunched together –– but we didn't mind because that allowed us to better sing our favorite songs, in perfect harmony, at the top of our lungs, all the way to our destination and back again –– much to our teachers' and bus drivers' chagrin.
My class never visited a zoo, but we had the opportunity to tour a number of museums. I tried hard not to touch the antiquated relics –– the dinosaur bones, Martha Washington's china or the carcass of the ugly, slimy-looking, extinct bugs with creepy feelers and bulging eyeballs.
Those field trips weren't my favorites, though. I liked the roller skating ones much, much better. We'd ride the bus to either Clarinda or Shenandoah, unload in a park where we got to play for a couple of hours, eat our lunch and then head to the skating rink.
It was in those skating rinks where many lasting relationships were created. The music would start and that's when the fun began. Racing around that circle, dodging our friends as they tried to pass us. It was great!
Now when the music slowed down, it was my cue to get out of the way –– that's when the boys would catch a girl's eye, grab her hand and they'd sway along to their favorite song, swooning and mooning as they rolled along.
Not me! There was no way I was going to risk my life to hold hands with some boy while I was trying to skate. I knew my limitations from a very young age and I valued my life –– at least my bones being in one piece!
Fast forward to prom time. As a junior at West Nodaway, we had the responsibility of decorating the gym or commons area for the big night. You'd think that would have been an arduous task for us young kids, but let me tell you –– those were fun-filled nights. Climbing ladders, hanging streamers in a variety of colors, eating pizza, drinking pop, laughing and talking into the wee hours of the night. Now that's my kind of labor.
My junior year, the prom theme was Neptune's Court. On the big night, as couples entered the building, it appeared as though we were walking onto the sea floor. It was magical. We even had King Neptune on his throne.
What a night that was for Roger and I. We danced until midnight, made a trip to the beach north of town, climbed the trees in my front yard and took in the after prom breakfast. And we weren't tired at the end –– we were ready to go all day. How'd we do that anyway?
I actually attended four proms –– two at West Nodaway and two at Nodaway-Holt. Each prom night was as long as the first.
For each prom, Roger showed up in his best suit and tie (in those days tuxes weren't the thing), toting a box that held a gorgeous corsage. He was always a bit shy as he pinned the flowers on my formal. Maybe shy isn't the right word –– scared might be more like it –– scared he was going to pin the corsage on my shoulder, not the dress. If I had known how bad he was at pinning corsages on, I might have had my mother do it!
Graduation –– a day every high school student looks forward to with either excitement or trepidation. I was excited. I was so ready to begin my adult life. I couldn't wait.
As I donned my gown and placed the mortar board on my head, I had no idea what adult life was going to entail. Maybe if I had known, I would have turned around and marched back down that aisle as fast as my feet would carry me.
Yes, spring when you're attending school is a great time. Now, after I finally reached the adult years, all there is to look forward to is gardening, making sure the lawn is mowed and wondering when the next spring storm will hit.
Sunday we will attend the graduation ceremony of our oldest grandson. We've watched as Matt has gone through all the stages of his school life. We've watched as he's grown up right before our eyes. We just hope he enjoyed every step of the way.
