Slater Elementary School Friends · 3 October 2008
Colorado was a great place to grow up. My best friends were those at Slater Elementary School. We had fun together on the playground and in class. Lots of us played football together. And of course, we got in trouble together.
When viewed from above, Slater looked like a capital letter E with a small serif or protrusion out of the bottom of the upright. Each of the cross pieces of the E were wings and the front courtyard of the school was below the E. Between each of the wings was a grass courtyard where students were not supposed to play. (Why they had them I will never know.) The nice part about the design of the school was that each classroom had windows and a door to the outside. As a matter of fact, the whole outer wall of each classroom was windows. Even the door had a window. The bottom windows were about two or three feet from the ground and opened inward to about a 45 degree angle. The bottom of the window was the hinge and moved up slightly on the side rails. When opened, the windows were almost big enough for a third or fourth grader’s head to fit through. One of my friends found out just how close.
From the front of the school (or the bottom of the E), the wings were divided by grades – first and second graders in the first, third and fourth graders in the second, and fifth and sixth graders in the third wing. Each wing had three classrooms which meant that there was one classroom of each grade and a combination class in each wing. The kindergartners were in the serif at the bottom of the E and the front office was at the bottom of the upright. From there, going up the upright, was the cafeteria, the library, the music room, and finally, the gym.
I still remember not only what the school looked like but I remember many of the teachers as well. I remember that they taught us not only how to read and write and do arithmetic and art but many other lessons as well. I also remember that they were the ones who sent us to the principal’s office when we got into trouble. I remember the school and the teachers and many of the elementary school happenings like carnivals, concerts, and school plays. But mostly, I remember my friends. I remember the people with whom I attended Slater Elementary school.
© 2008 Michael T. Miyoshi
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From Long Walks Home or Pee on Poo, Potty on the Shoe, unpublished.
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