A GIANT STEP TO JUNIOR HIGH

This next chapter in my life deserves its' own title, with the words underlined, as I look back on those three years with such great pleasure. Perhaps there were snags along the way in my early teen years, from time to time, but I can only recall the happy times. I had a special girlfriend, named Anita; academics proved to be easy for me, so my grades were no problem; I loved sports, so physical education classes were the highlight of each day; I took dancing and acrobatic lessons once a week which I loved; Joined the Campfire Girls, and the group turned out to be so congenial that we stayed together for years, going on camp outs to the mountains or beach, thanks to a wonderful woman and leader who stuck with us. She was "an old maid school teacher" and looking back now, I realize we must have been the family she never had, for how else could that good woman put up with that rowdy bunch of girls for so long?
Boys became a "minor" interest during those years, but formal dates were unheard of, except among the few girls who were considered to be "kind of fast". Occasionally a boy might walk home with you, and quite often they;d show up on Saturday if they just happened to be in the neighborhood! notice that I said they because they usually appeared in pairs; courage in numbers, I guess. We'd moved out of the apartment, and now lived just around the corner on Gibbs Street in a small frame house which had a cement porch just perfect for Anita and I to practice our tap dances on.
When I started ninth grade my homemaking teacher had been mistakenly assigned both a sewing and a cooking class during the same period and I was asked to teach the seventh grade class sewing. They just made aprons and potholders, but I was so proud of that assignment. That year I was elected President of the Girls' league which consisted of all the girls in the school, nd besides coordinating various events we held a girls' assembly in the auditorium once a week. It gave me a little public speaking experience which is definitely helpful. Our physical education teacher had all the girls compete in a series of elimination races to see who was the fastest runner. On the last day of the races it had come down to myself and another girl named Kathryn Tomlinson. One look at Kathryn's long muscular legs adn few gave me even a slim chance of winning. Our teacher had been boasting to the boys' coach about how fast her girls could run, so he showed up with his stopwatch, along with about half the school. We ran a fifty yard sprint, and doggone if I didn't nose out Kathryn with a time of 6.0 seconds flat!
Near the completion of the ninth grade some of us were chosen to take dramtic roles in the Ninth Grade Play. I don't recall the name of it, or what role I had in it, so it must have been a minor part, but I remember that Anita had the feminine starring role. She was the girlfriend of a bot who was a pilot in the play. One day, as I stood below the stage, watching our drama teacher giving instructions to Anita, and the pilot, she stopped instructing for a moment to say, "my, you make a nice looking couple!" And, I thought, they certainly do. Little did I know that at that moment I was looking at my future husband!! Walter was in another homeroom, and since the three ninth grade homerooms were rather competitive we seldom intermingled, so that was really the first time I gave him a second look. About a week before the ninth grade graduation I was called out of class to report to the Principal's Office, and as that usually meant TROUBLE, it must have been a very scared little girl who showed up at his door, because when he looked at me he hastened to assure me that nothing was wrong. He just wanted to let me know that I had been chosen to receive the American Legion Award during the graduation ceremonies! One boy, and one girl, plus two runnersup, were honored each year, and we were informed early enough to have our pictures taken for the account which would be in the local paper, but we were instructed to tell no one except our parents. What a proud and happy little gal flew back to the classroom, in marked contrast to the one who earlier went dragging down the hall, trembling from head to toe, wondering what awful fate awaited in the Principal's Office. I still have the bronze medal that was presented to me on graduation day by the head of The American Legions. On one side is embossed a lady holding the flag surrounded in large letters FOR GOD AND COUNTRY. On the other side is embossed an eagle with wings spread wide, and underneath, the words AMERICAN LEGION SCHOOL AWARD. Under those words it says: COURAGE CHARACTER SERVICE COMPANIONSHIP SCHOLARSHIP with the American Legion insignia on the bottom. To this day part of what thrilling day returns every time I think about it!