20. Do you have a school experience that really stands out in your mind, either good or bad?

From: Connie Farrington

I had two very difficult years at Lake George Central School, but one event or series of events stand out. In my Sophomore year, 1954, most of the high school faculty had resigned in a heated debate about their unwillingness to "fix" the grades of one relative of the School Board Chairman. The resignations resulted in an influx of inexperienced teachers who had been jobless at that opportune time. One of these was Florence Randerson who had just graduated from Skidmore College at age 44. She began teaching high school English in September 1954, my Junior year. By her own statements, she had gone to college with her daughter, to protect her daughter from men.

Mrs. Randerson very quickly took a dislike to me and began giving me failing grades without reading my assignments. One morning in early October, I entered the classroom to find that a large message had been written in chalk on the homeroom board. It went something like: "I have just expelled the most indolent, impudent, insolent, obnoxious, incorrigible little snipnose that ever walked the face of this earth, Connie Harris. Signed Florence Tremper Anderson"

As I walked in she shouted: "Take your coat, your hat and your gloves, and GET OUT!" Of course, I didn't wear a hat and gloves, but that made no difference. I went to the office of the principal, Richard Chase, and explained what had happened. He went and talked to Mrs. Randerson and then returned to me. He asked me not to "rock the boat" since it had been very hard to find any teachers on such short notice. In order to get Mrs. Randerson's daughter as the music teacher, they had to hire Mrs. Randerson. He said I could sit in the Sophomore homeroom for the year and not take English. He would see that I got an A for the year if I would just be quiet about it all. I would need to take my study hall in the library since Mrs. Randerson would not have me in her study hall. And I needed to use a particular set of stairs that Mrs. Randerson didn't use. He then let Mrs.
Randerson speak to me privately in his office, in his absence. She told me that if I ever breathed a word of what had happened, she would have her husband, a lawyer, bring a suit against me for libel and slander. And who, she said, do you think they would believe, a 44 year old teacher, or a scrawny little kid?? And a suit like that, she said, "would cost your Dad his election in November because I would make up all kinds of things about you."

Every day of my last two years at that school was a sad and upsetting experience. She continued to be publicly critical of me, I continued to cower in the corridors, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. I received A's in English for my Junior and Senior years, but was not allowed to take the courses. Luckily I could pass the Regents exam. I was Valedictorian but they made me throw out my speech because it didn't meet Mrs. Randerson's approval. Finally I wrote a short innocuous speech and they allowed me to give it.

In retrospect, I can find no positive learning experience from these events. We should not underestimate the power of verbal abuse.

From: Lois Rotella

I really don't have any special moment in school that stands out. What I remember the most was my High School graduation. It was very special because I worked hard and my family was there.

From: Jenny McMurray

When I was in 4th grade I had a teacher named Mr. Kubanick. I was pretty shy in class and never wanted attention drawn to me. One day our class was walking down the hall and my teacher pulled me to the side and told me that I should probably go to the bathroom and check my dress. I went into the bathroom and looked to find that I was wearing my blue nightgown underneath my dress. Of course the night gown was longer than my dress so everyone saw that I had forgotten to take my night gown off before putting on my dress. I was very embarrassed that I had it on and that it was my teacher who was a guy tell it.

From: James Harris

My brother Randy and I helped start the wrestling team at Lake George High School. Our first matches were all scrimmages because we were not yet a legitimate team. One evening we got back to the school very late (about 7:00), it was cold, snowing and our late bus was not there yet. So we all sat in the foyer of the school. We were tired, doing homework, but not bothering anyone or anything. One of the janitors came and told us we couldn't wait there. He told us we had to go outside and wait. He locked the door behind us. I was really angry. I felt doing that putting us outside would be justified if we were causing problems, but we weren't.

I knew that the lock to the one of the windows in the boys locker room was broken. After the janitor left, I crawled through the window and let everyone back in the school. Meanwhile, Randy had made friends with a dog who was chasing snowballs and being quite friendly. Randy let the dog in the school and then opened the gymnasium door and let the dog in. There is a funny thing about dogs. When they are left alone in a strange place, they get nervous and when they get nervous they express it through their bodily functions. All of our gym classes were canceled the next morning while the janitors cleaned the gym.

From: Philip Harris

I have had good and bad school experiences. In Harrisena country school my teacher Mrs. Pulver promoted me from third grade to fifth grade. She said I was very smart and didn't need to go to forth grade. THAT WAS GOOD> In the Hicks Road Country school the teacher Mrs. Mc Keckren decided I wasn't as smart and made me repete fifth grade. THAT WAS BAD. In South Glens Falls Ferry Street School the school bully would come up behind the kids and push their heade into the snow. One day he did that to me . I got up and whooped him good. For all the kids THAT WAS GOOD. The next day, two of his brothers from High School whooped me THAT WAS BAD. I brought a big Indian Arrow Head collection for a display to South Glens Falls School. I had collected them following Art Harris when he was plowing at the Indian camp site. The teachers were happy. THAT WAS GOOD The collection was stolen. THAT WAS BAD. I had to leave high school in the 11th grade to help support my family. My father was sick. THAT WAS BAD. I did complete my high school and two college courses. THAT WAS GOOD

From: Connie Olson

The one event was at grade school that I remember well. I was about 7 or 8 years old it was around 1945. It was wintertime and was very cold outside. 20 below sticks in my mind for some odd reason. Every winter my mother would lecture us about things not to do when we were outside so we wouldn't get hurt. A list a mile long. I was at school on the playground with a group of my friends telling them about one of the things my mom had told us. It was "Not to touch anything metal with wet hands, that we would stick to it." Do you think we believed her? Nope!
We were talking and sitting on the snowbank that close to the teetherball pole that was in the middle of the playground. Several of us went into the school and ran our hands in very hot water leaving them still a bit wet so we could test my moms theory.

We all raced back to the playground taking our mittens off on the way. Running full speed ahead of the pack my best friend an I collided. Yes, right by the pole. We grabbed it to catch ourselves so we wouldn't fall. You guessed it. Both of us were stuck to it like glue. The others put thier gloves back on they wouldn't try it after they saw it was true. They tried to get us loose but to no avail
Well the bell rang for us to go back to class and there we two still stood. Everyone was yelling at us to hurry up and come in or we would be late. Trying to be non chalont or should I say trying not to feel stupid we told them we would be there in a minute.

The play ground emptied and there we still were. All alone with the pole, snowflakes falling right along side with the tears on our cheeks. It was so cold. We were tugging very hard to get loose. NO WAY. The tears on our face was now freezing too. She suggested that maybe if we blow our breath on our stuck hand to warm it up maybe that would break them loose. So there we stood blowing away, but she got to close to the pole and now her lip was stuck to the pole too. We both got scared then.

It seemed like an eternity to us, when I looked up towards our classroom I saw the teacher looking down at us along with some of the other kids in our class they must of told her what happened. She realized we were in trouble. It seemed like forever but here she comes with the school nurse carrying a container of warm water to free us from our cold prison. It took only a minute to free us. Boy were we happy.

They both giggled and had smiles on their faces when we told them how it happeded. We were both very happy to be free and to get back into the school where it was warm. The nurse then took us to her office where we sat on the radiator until we warmed up. Going back to the room was the hardest thing to do. The kids teased us at first but the teacher shushed them and used it as a lesson on what not to do outside at recess and to be careful.

From: Brenda Olszewski

Playing for the Senior Chorus was one of the best memories of school for me. As I have said I loved playing the piano and I was asked by Mr. Siano our music teacher if I would play. That in itself was a great honor.

From: Joyce Eggleston

I was in 1st grade when we went to South Glens Falls School. I didn't like school at all. Someone gave me a piece of charcoal gum, it was good! Gum was a treat, as we didn't get it at home. The teacher told me to put the gum in the waste basket and I made believe I did and kept chewing it. The teacher called me up to her desk and gave me a spanking with a ping pong paddle and put the gum on my nose. She sat me in the corner all day. At the end of the day I had to clean the black board. She was an old bat! I was always getting spanked in school, I guess I was a little shit.