Friday, June 29, 2007
Weird
When I talked to my family about the school, they thought the school rules were weird. Having a 9:30 lights out in the 7th grade. Not being able to study in your bedroom. Having no privacy in the dorms. Every day having to attend recreation time, even if you did not feel like being there. When I was in elementary school, at dinner the dorm parents made us take at least one bite of everything on our plate. I HATE spinach, brussell sprouts and cooked brocoli, at least twice a week I would have to try one of these foods at dinner time. I usually tried to choke it down with a drink of milk, sometimes it helped sometimes it did not help me eat the food.
Blind Camp
The highlight of my summer, was when my parents let me go, to the week long blind summer camp, where I got to spend a whole week with my friends from school at camp. My mom would take me to school, where I would wait with my friends, Jessica, Elizabeth, and Lisa for the bus to camp. We would all sit together on the bus ride to camp. When we got to camp, we would wait in the Activity Hall, to be assigned a cabin and counselor. Jessica, Elizabeth, Lisa and I always requested to be placed in the same cabin together. The last two summers we went to camp, we were in Cabin 7 with the same fun counselor. After we unpacked our bags and made our beds, we went down to the lake for a nice long swim. We took showers when we were done swimming, then we went to dinner in the camp caffeteria. After dinner, the whole camp met at the flag poles, to lower the flags, two cabins were selected to lower the camp flags and fold them for the night. Then we went to the camp amphatheatre to sing songs and tell stories. We went back to our cabins to get ready for bed and lights out. This was the first day of summer camp.
Day Students
When I was in second and third grades my family lived in Indianapolis, I was a day student for two years, traveling home daily to be with my family at home. The difference in being a day student is that I know that I will see my family that evening at home. As a residential student I had to wait until Friday evening to be with my family at home.
My mom would wake me up at 6:00 a.m. I would get up and get dressed then watch some television in the family room with my sisters. When mom says it is time to eat, my sisters and I go to the kitchen to have breakfast. After breakfast, I brush my teeth, my mom tells me to get my back pack and coat on, it is time to start watching for the school bus. When the bus arrives, I say good bye to my mom then get on the bus. I am the first pick up of the morning, Anna is picked up right after me. The students on my bus are all in high school. As the bus picks up more students, I stare out the window, watching the sky change colors, as the sun starts to rise, in the morning sky.
The bus arrives at school about ten minutes before the first bell of the day. I walked to my dorm, to talk to my friends before school. The bell rang, I went to school with my friends. The last bell of the day rang at 3:15 p.m, I said good bye to my friends, as they headed back to the dorm for the evening. I went to the gym to wait for a teacher to tell me my bus had arrived to take me home. The wait was never very long, I got on the bus to go home for the evening.
When the bus dropped me off at home, I went inside to tell my mom about my day at school. I went to play, outside on the hill with my sisters, until mom said it was time to eat dinner. After dinner, I brushed my teeth, watched television or played Barbie with my sisters. After a while, mom said that it was time to start getting ready for bed, I went to my bedroom, put on my pajama's, then turned off the light and went to sleep. As I drifted off to sleep, I felt very fortunate to be going to sleep in my own bed, instead of in the school dorm.
I wanted to stay connected to the girls in my dorm, my mom made the arraignments for me to stay at school one night per week. On the day that I stayed over night in the dorms, I would take an overnight bag with me to school. In the morning, when I got to the dorm, I would put my bag in my locker, go to school with my friends. After school, I returned to the dorm with my friends, to participate in all of the dorm activities that I missed out on as a day student. At bed time, I liked listening to my friends talk as we all got ready for bed. When I woke up in the morning, the dorm parent was waking me up instead of my mom. I got ready for school with my friends, instead of my sisters at home. I ate breakfast in the school cafeteria, not in the kitchen at home. When we went back to the dorm to brush our teeth and get my books for school. The bell rang, I went to school with my friends. The last bell of the day rang at 3:15 p.m, I said good bye to my friends, as they headed back to the dorm for the evening. I went to the gym to wait for a teacher to tell me my bus had arrived to take me home. The wait was never very long, I got on the bus to go home for the evening. When I arrived home, I told my mom about all of the fun things that I had done at school, I went outside to play with my sisters. I had fun staying the night at school.
My mom would wake me up at 6:00 a.m. I would get up and get dressed then watch some television in the family room with my sisters. When mom says it is time to eat, my sisters and I go to the kitchen to have breakfast. After breakfast, I brush my teeth, my mom tells me to get my back pack and coat on, it is time to start watching for the school bus. When the bus arrives, I say good bye to my mom then get on the bus. I am the first pick up of the morning, Anna is picked up right after me. The students on my bus are all in high school. As the bus picks up more students, I stare out the window, watching the sky change colors, as the sun starts to rise, in the morning sky.
The bus arrives at school about ten minutes before the first bell of the day. I walked to my dorm, to talk to my friends before school. The bell rang, I went to school with my friends. The last bell of the day rang at 3:15 p.m, I said good bye to my friends, as they headed back to the dorm for the evening. I went to the gym to wait for a teacher to tell me my bus had arrived to take me home. The wait was never very long, I got on the bus to go home for the evening.
When the bus dropped me off at home, I went inside to tell my mom about my day at school. I went to play, outside on the hill with my sisters, until mom said it was time to eat dinner. After dinner, I brushed my teeth, watched television or played Barbie with my sisters. After a while, mom said that it was time to start getting ready for bed, I went to my bedroom, put on my pajama's, then turned off the light and went to sleep. As I drifted off to sleep, I felt very fortunate to be going to sleep in my own bed, instead of in the school dorm.
I wanted to stay connected to the girls in my dorm, my mom made the arraignments for me to stay at school one night per week. On the day that I stayed over night in the dorms, I would take an overnight bag with me to school. In the morning, when I got to the dorm, I would put my bag in my locker, go to school with my friends. After school, I returned to the dorm with my friends, to participate in all of the dorm activities that I missed out on as a day student. At bed time, I liked listening to my friends talk as we all got ready for bed. When I woke up in the morning, the dorm parent was waking me up instead of my mom. I got ready for school with my friends, instead of my sisters at home. I ate breakfast in the school cafeteria, not in the kitchen at home. When we went back to the dorm to brush our teeth and get my books for school. The bell rang, I went to school with my friends. The last bell of the day rang at 3:15 p.m, I said good bye to my friends, as they headed back to the dorm for the evening. I went to the gym to wait for a teacher to tell me my bus had arrived to take me home. The wait was never very long, I got on the bus to go home for the evening. When I arrived home, I told my mom about all of the fun things that I had done at school, I went outside to play with my sisters. I had fun staying the night at school.
ISB Scare
The dorm, was usually a big happy family, until one night, an accident occurred, that turned the dorm dark and scary in the blink of an eye. In sixth grade, my friend Ester, cut her wrist and had to have several stitches. She was running down the stairs to the bathroom, without thinking she put her hands on a glass pane in the bathroom door, pushing on it and breaking the glass causing the glass to cut her wrist. The house parent came running from her office and my friends and I came from the study room when we heard Ester scream. "I just told you not to run in the dorm Ester! Nicole ran upstairs to the laundry room to get towels to try and stop the bleeding. HURRY!" "I'll never be able to use my arm again!" "Yes you will I am taking you to the hospital to let them fix your arm." The blood looked like bingo chips as it fell on the floor. "I can not believe this is happening, the bleeding is still not under control Lisa!" "It will be all right Jessica, Ester is on her way to the hospital." I just stood around, kind of in shock, unable to believe what had just happened to a close friend. The dorm parent lead Ester out of the dorm towards a waiting car that would take her to the hospital. One Ester left the dorm we all just stood around kind of in shock. Nicole got the mop from the downstairs bathroom and started to mop the blood up in the wash bucket. A few minutes later a dorm parent arrived from another dorm to tell us that we could go to REC if we wanted to. I did not feel like going to REC so I went back upstairs to my room to lay on my bed, I could not believe that this had happened in the dorm. I learned a few days later, that Ester had staples put in her arm. Ester almost lost enough blood to require a transfusion, she was going to be all right. I never looked at that glass door the same way again, even after they replaced the glass pane.
FIRE!!
In the middle of a cold January night, in Wilson Hall, dorm four, the dorm parent woke us up, saying we had to quickly leave the dorm, there was a fire in Wilson two dorm. We all got out of bed, left the dorm in single file, walked downstairs, out of the building, away from the school. We stood barefoot on the sidewalk, shivering, for what seemed like forever, my feet felt like they were going numb from the cold, before one of the dorm parents, had the idea to let us all pile into the staff cars, to get warm. All ten of the girls in my dorm fit in one car, Jessica and Laura sat on my lap. After a while, we were told to leave the car, walk across the parking lot, to the administration building, when I walked on the welcome mat, my feet were so cold that it felt like someone was putting knives in my feet. The dorm parents took us to a faculty lounge, where we sat for a while, waiting for word that we could go back to our dorm. When we finally went back to our dorm, it was time to start getting ready for school. We were very tired that day. We learned later, that the fire in dorm two, had actually been a microwave that had started smoking and shooting out sparks, in the middle of the night.
Stacey
There was a girl named Stacey, in Alder Hall, dorm 3/4, who had alot of problems, she would scream and hit the house parents. She slept, almost every night, in the dorms time out room, a room for kids who have misbehaved in the dorm. One day, in Lambert Hall, dorm 1, Stacey got a knife, chased us girls through the dorm, the house parent had to restrain her, told us girls, to go to the lobby and get some help. Shortly after this incident, Stacey left the school.
Celebrations At School
My birthday's were spent at school. Every month, during kendargarden and first grades, in Lambert Hall, the staff, would have a party, for everyone, celebrating a birthday that month. Stephanie and I, had our birthday's in May, four days apart. The party, would have cake, ice cream, and party hats. The entire dorm, would sing Happy Birthday. When I moved to Wilson Hall, in third grade, there were no more birthday parties, in the dorms, just a happy birthday call from home. Early in the morning, before I went to breakfast, my family, would call the dorm, to sing and wish me, Happy Birthday.
When I was in elementary school we would put on our Halloween costumes, walk to all of the older girls and boys dorms on campus to get candy, stickers and pencils. Then we would go back to our dorm and play games and eat candy.
When I was in fourth grade we went to the superintendents house to get candy, he jumped out in a warewolf costume and chased us around the yard, we all screamed and ran away, then he gave us candy. We all laughed and had a fun time after we got done being scared.
The week of Thanksgiving, school ended, on a Wednesday. On that day, my school, would have a huge Thanksgiving lunch, with all the trimmings, the food was really good. We would go home, after classes ended, to be with our families, for the holiday.
The week before Christmas vacation, all of the girls dorms, would have Christmas parties. Everyone in the girls and boys quads would attend the parties. You would talk to your friends, listen to music, eat the food and sing Christmas songs. The dorm hosting the party, would have some of their girls, act as hostesses, to make sure, the refreshment table stayed full of food, that everyone was having a good time, at the party.
The week before Christmas vacation, the piano department, gave a Christmas concert. The concert, was a VERY formal affair, everyone dressed up in there fanciest clothes. My hair, was done in, two long French Braides, I wore a long black dress, with a white collar. The dinning room, was completely transformed, the tables, were covered with linen table clothes, we were served and ate by candle light. The piano players, were allowed to bring, one guest to dinner, my mom, watched me play, Jingle Bells, in front of the whole school. The highlight, of the night, was being able to perform, in front of my mom. After the dinner, my mom left, we went to the gym, for the Christmas dance. My friends and I danced, until my legs were so tired, that I was barely able to stand. We talked, on the way, back to the dorm, about how exciting and fun, the night had been for everyone.
My dorm, would have a Secret Santa, Gift Exchange. You picked a name, out of the hat, then you bought that person a gift. ($10 price limit) I usually got books, since I LOVE to read.
In Wilson Hall, the Christmas dance, was held in the activity area. After the dinner, we went to the dance. My friends and I danced, talked to each other, listened to music, ate junk food, until it was time to go, back to the dorms.
When I was in elementary school we would put on our Halloween costumes, walk to all of the older girls and boys dorms on campus to get candy, stickers and pencils. Then we would go back to our dorm and play games and eat candy.
When I was in fourth grade we went to the superintendents house to get candy, he jumped out in a warewolf costume and chased us around the yard, we all screamed and ran away, then he gave us candy. We all laughed and had a fun time after we got done being scared.
The week of Thanksgiving, school ended, on a Wednesday. On that day, my school, would have a huge Thanksgiving lunch, with all the trimmings, the food was really good. We would go home, after classes ended, to be with our families, for the holiday.
The week before Christmas vacation, all of the girls dorms, would have Christmas parties. Everyone in the girls and boys quads would attend the parties. You would talk to your friends, listen to music, eat the food and sing Christmas songs. The dorm hosting the party, would have some of their girls, act as hostesses, to make sure, the refreshment table stayed full of food, that everyone was having a good time, at the party.
The week before Christmas vacation, the piano department, gave a Christmas concert. The concert, was a VERY formal affair, everyone dressed up in there fanciest clothes. My hair, was done in, two long French Braides, I wore a long black dress, with a white collar. The dinning room, was completely transformed, the tables, were covered with linen table clothes, we were served and ate by candle light. The piano players, were allowed to bring, one guest to dinner, my mom, watched me play, Jingle Bells, in front of the whole school. The highlight, of the night, was being able to perform, in front of my mom. After the dinner, my mom left, we went to the gym, for the Christmas dance. My friends and I danced, until my legs were so tired, that I was barely able to stand. We talked, on the way, back to the dorm, about how exciting and fun, the night had been for everyone.
My dorm, would have a Secret Santa, Gift Exchange. You picked a name, out of the hat, then you bought that person a gift. ($10 price limit) I usually got books, since I LOVE to read.
In Wilson Hall, the Christmas dance, was held in the activity area. After the dinner, we went to the dance. My friends and I danced, talked to each other, listened to music, ate junk food, until it was time to go, back to the dorms.
Away Games
In grade seven, you are elligable, to participate, in the schools athletic program. This is a big deal, the first year, you can compete, in away game athletic competitions, hosted at other state blind schools, over the weekend. Track meets, were held in the fall, cheerleading competitions, were held in the winter. For track and cheerleading, I stayed at school, for six weeks. The Tennessee School for the Blind, was a seven hour bus ride. The Illinious School for the Blind, was a five hour bus ride. The Kentucky School for the blind, was a three hour bus ride. The track meet championship, was held in Tennessee. The cheerleading championship, was held at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind, a sixteen hour bus ride.
The highlight of the track and cheerleading seasons, was to be selected to compete in away game competitions, hosted at other state blind schools, over the weekend. The day before the team left for the competition, the coaches would decide, which athletes would represent the school at the competition. All day I hoped that my name would be called to represent the school. After practice, the coaches announced who would be competing over the weekend. When my name was called, I was so surprised and excited, that I started running back towards the school to tell my friends. That night, I called home to tell my mom that I had made the away game team, would not be coming home that weekend.
The Friday that the athletic team left for the away game, started out like any other day at school. My alarm clock woke me up, I got dressed and made my bed. I walked down to breakfast in the dining room. After breakfast, I returned to the dorm to get my books for school. At 8 am I went to school, I attended Home room, Social Studies and Math class, part way through math class, my teacher told me to head to the gym. When I went to the gym, the coaches did a roll call to make sure everyone was there. We took our lugage out to the bus, the coaches made sure our names were on our bags, the bus driver loaded our bags in the bend under the bus. When we got on the bus, I got seats with my friend Jessica, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot at school. The bus was real neat, we had reclining seats, a foot rest, a reading light over the seat, there was even a bathroom at the back of the bus. I slept on the bus, then talked to Jessica on the way to the school. The bus stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. For lunch, I ordered an Extra Value meal with a Coke. Jessica and I found a table, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue traveling to the school.
The campus, looked different from my campus. The buildings were not all connected by tunnels. Every building was seperate, you went to the different buildings for different reasons. When we first arrived at the school, the coaches told the girls to get off the bus, we grabbed our lugage from under the bus, the female staff did roll call, lead us into the dormitory. We were lead upstairs to a long corridor, filled with girls from all over the midwest, every one was carrying lugage and being shown to a door. The staff kept telling us to stay together and to keep moving down the corridor. The staff finally stopped, towards the end of the corridor, at a section labeled Indiana, there were twelve doors in our section of the corridor. The staff told a high school girl and I to enter the fourth door on the left. The room I entered was a cheerful looking bedroom, the room had two beds, dressers, closets, benches, night stands and a desk in the corner of the room. There were two sliding doors that connected the bathroom to each bedroom. The first time I went to use the bathroom, I almost forgot to shut the second bedrooms sliding door. The bathroom had double sinks, a long counter, a bathtub and tiolet. At this school four girls shared the same bathroom. After I looked around the bedroom and bathroom, I started to unpack my bag, the locker was locked, so all of my clothes went in the dresser drawers. I barely had time to unpack, when the staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to dinner. We were towards the end of the corridor, we had to wait for everyone else to leave, before we were able to start moving down the corridor and downstairs, to our waiting bus outside. When we made it outside, roll call was taken once again, then we boarded the bus to dinner.
When we arrived at the caffeteria building, we went inside, were seated at a group of tables labeled Indiana. We had to wait for our school to be called, before we were able to get any food. For meals at this school, you took a tray, went though the food service line, our staff showed us our tables, where we could eat our dinner. The cooks at my school served us our meals at our tables. When we were done eating, we had to take our trays to the tray return window, where someone was waiting to take and clean the dirty trays.
After dinner, roll call was taken once again, we got back on the bus. I thought we were going back to our rooms for the night. The bus took us to a building, where even before I was off the bus, I could hear loud music playing. The coaches said the host school was having a welcome dance for all of the athletes. We went inside the activity building, the music was so loud that you could hardly hear yourself think. The inside was just a large open room full of people. People were dancing in the center of the room. Tables and chairs were placed around the perimeter of the room, if you wanted to talk or for when you got tired of dancing. A corner of the room had tables piled full of snack foods, cookies, chips, pops and candy bars. I did not feel like dancing, I just wondered around the room looking at everything that was happening around me. I found a corner that had a video game, unfortunately the machine was not pluggeed in. Another corner had pop machines and a water fountain. I got tired of wondering around, decided to get some food, a drink, sit down and listen to the music for a while. The dance was over before I knew what had happened, the music was shut off, the coaches were telling us that we had to head back to our rooms for the night. We went back on the bus, roll call was taken once again. By the time we were back in our section of the dorm, I was getting very tired, I went to my room and went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, someone knocked on our door to tell us that we had to get up, to start getting ready to leave the dorm for breakfast. The night before, after the dance, the staff gave us our track uniform and warm up clothes. The track unniform was a green shirt and shorts that said I.S.B, in white letters, across the the front. The warm-up suit was green with Indiana in white letters down the left leg I put my track uniform on and made my bed, when I went in to brush my teeth, there were two other girls at the counter putting on there make-up, it was really crowded in the bathroom. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to breakfast. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria building for breakfast. The routine is the same for all meals at this school, you take a tray, went though the food service line, when you were done eating, you take the tray to the tray return window, where someone was waiting to take and clean the dirty trays. When we were on the bus after breakfast, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the gym building.
We went inside the gym building, the coaches lead us in warm-up stretches, then said when our events were scheduled that day. My events were the Four-Forty yard dash, the Sixty yard dash and the Three jump. The coaches had us jog from the gym to the track and field area. When we got to the track, the coaches told us to line up in rows four across behind the Illinious team. There were two highschool students holding up a banner that said Indiana. When the music started playing we were to march once around the track and stop at the start line behind Illinious. I felt so proud marching around the track, representing my school in track and field. Someone spoke of how they hoped all of the athletes had a fun day of competition, everyone cheered and clapped, the track meet had officially started. The Four-Forty yard dash was the first running event of the day. The Four-Forty is a race where you run back and forth four times on the straight track, this is a very long and tiring event, since you have to stop running at each end of the track to turn around, before you can run back to the opposite end of the track. I was very excited and starting to get a little nervous about the race. A staff member took me to the track, where I started to do some warm-up stretches. My name was called, the staff said to go on the track, someone said which lane I would be in, then said to go to the starting line. A runner for Illinious and Ohio were on either side of me. My nerves were no longer bothering me, I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to turn around as fast as possible at the other end of the track. My legs started to feel real heavy halfway through lap three, I ignored my legs and kept on running, halfway through lap four my side started hurting, I kept thinking all I have to do is make this next turn around then I would be on the home stretch, the finish line was in sight, when I crossed the finish line I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in last place, I just felt good to have finished the race. A staff member congradulated me on running a good race, then I had a drink of water. I hardly had time to rest, before it was time for me to do the Sixty yard dash. My first thought was I cannot do another race, I can hardly walk after the Four-Forty. I knew that I had to race, so I slowly started walking back to the track. where I started to do some warm up stretches. My name was called, the staff said to go on the track, someone said which lane I would be in, then said to go to the starting line. A runner for Kentucky and Alabama were on either side of me. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My staff congradulated me on running a good race, then I had a drink of water. After my last event, I walked around the field for a I had some time before my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. My last event was the 440 yard dash. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited but no longer nervous about the race, I had already done one event on this track. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on a good race, then I had a drink of water. My staff said that it was almost time for lunch, I went back to the track, where the rest of my team was assembling, the coaches lead us to the bus. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria building for lunch. After competing all morning, it felt good to be able to sit down for a while to eat some food, I did not know how tird I was until I was eating my lunch. After eating for a while, I felt rested and ready to compete in my last event. When we were on the bus after lunch, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the athletic field. The Tripple jump was the first event of the afternoon, my last event of the day. The triple jump is an event where you hop forward three times on one leg, then you jump into a sand area. A staff member took me to the Tripple Jump, where I stood around for a while whatching people rake the sand clean. This event was easy, I was not nervous. My name was called, my staff said to go to the jump area, someone said to wait until they said it was all right to jump. I hopped three times then jumped into the sand area. My staff congradulated me, then I had a drink of water. After my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. The High jump was neat to watch, I could not figure out how they were able to jump so high up in the air. The people who did the Shot Put must have been very strong, it looked very heavy. The track and field events were coming to an end, my team assembled on the track. Someone spoke of how all of the athletes should be congradulated for representing there school in a fine day of competition, everyone cheered and clapped, the track meet had officially come to an end. The coaches lead us to the bus. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, the coaches said how proud they were of each and everyone of us, we did our very best today, then the bus went to the dorm.
The first thing I wanted to do when I went back to my room was take a shower, unfortunately I had to turn in my track uniform and warm-up suit first. When I went back to my room I was third in line for the shower, so I had to wait for what seemed like FOREVER before I could get my shower. When I got out, it felt so nice to be clean. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to dinner. When we made it outside, roll call was taken once again, then we boarded the bus to dinner. When we arrived at the caffeteria, it felt good to be able to sit down for a while to eat some food, I did not know how tird I was until I was eating my dinner.
After dinner, roll call was taken once again, we got back on the bus. I thought we were going back to our rooms for the night. The bus went to the activity building for another dance. I can not dance, I decided to dance tonight, since it was my last night at this school. I danced, until my legs were so tired, that I was barely able to stand. I went to get some food, a drink, sit down and listen to the music for a while. The dance was over before I knew what had happened, the music was shut off, the coaches were telling us that we had to head back to our rooms for the night. We went back on the bus, roll call was taken once again. By the time we were back in our section of the dorm, I was getting very tired, I went to my room and went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, someone knocked on our door to tell us that we had to get up, to start getting ready to leave the dorm for breakfast. I got dressed and made my bed. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to breakfast. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria for breakfast. When we were on the bus after breakfast, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went back to the dorm. When we were in our door section, the staff told us to take the sheets off our bed, put them in the basket at the end of the hallway. We were told to pack our bags, double check our rooms to make sure we did not forget anything. I cleaned out all of my belongings from the dresser I was using for the weekend, placed them in my bag, I went to the bathroom to make sure there was nothing in there that belonged to me. The staff came to our room to make sure we did not forget anything. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to get our bags and leave this school.
We took our lugage out to the bus, the coaches made sure our names were on our bags, the bus driver loaded our bags in the bend under the bus. When we got on the bus, I got seats with my friend Jessica, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the school. I slept on the bus, then we talked on the way to the school for the blind. The bus stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. For lunch, I ordered an Extra Value meal with a Coke. Jessica and I found a table, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue traveling back to our school. When we arrived back at our school, the bus driver unloaded our bags from under the bus, the coaches sent us back to our dorms.
The highlight of the track and cheerleading seasons, was to be selected to compete in away game competitions, hosted at other state blind schools, over the weekend. The day before the team left for the competition, the coaches would decide, which athletes would represent the school at the competition. All day I hoped that my name would be called to represent the school. After practice, the coaches announced who would be competing over the weekend. When my name was called, I was so surprised and excited, that I started running back towards the school to tell my friends. That night, I called home to tell my mom that I had made the away game team, would not be coming home that weekend.
The Friday that the athletic team left for the away game, started out like any other day at school. My alarm clock woke me up, I got dressed and made my bed. I walked down to breakfast in the dining room. After breakfast, I returned to the dorm to get my books for school. At 8 am I went to school, I attended Home room, Social Studies and Math class, part way through math class, my teacher told me to head to the gym. When I went to the gym, the coaches did a roll call to make sure everyone was there. We took our lugage out to the bus, the coaches made sure our names were on our bags, the bus driver loaded our bags in the bend under the bus. When we got on the bus, I got seats with my friend Jessica, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot at school. The bus was real neat, we had reclining seats, a foot rest, a reading light over the seat, there was even a bathroom at the back of the bus. I slept on the bus, then talked to Jessica on the way to the school. The bus stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. For lunch, I ordered an Extra Value meal with a Coke. Jessica and I found a table, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue traveling to the school.
The campus, looked different from my campus. The buildings were not all connected by tunnels. Every building was seperate, you went to the different buildings for different reasons. When we first arrived at the school, the coaches told the girls to get off the bus, we grabbed our lugage from under the bus, the female staff did roll call, lead us into the dormitory. We were lead upstairs to a long corridor, filled with girls from all over the midwest, every one was carrying lugage and being shown to a door. The staff kept telling us to stay together and to keep moving down the corridor. The staff finally stopped, towards the end of the corridor, at a section labeled Indiana, there were twelve doors in our section of the corridor. The staff told a high school girl and I to enter the fourth door on the left. The room I entered was a cheerful looking bedroom, the room had two beds, dressers, closets, benches, night stands and a desk in the corner of the room. There were two sliding doors that connected the bathroom to each bedroom. The first time I went to use the bathroom, I almost forgot to shut the second bedrooms sliding door. The bathroom had double sinks, a long counter, a bathtub and tiolet. At this school four girls shared the same bathroom. After I looked around the bedroom and bathroom, I started to unpack my bag, the locker was locked, so all of my clothes went in the dresser drawers. I barely had time to unpack, when the staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to dinner. We were towards the end of the corridor, we had to wait for everyone else to leave, before we were able to start moving down the corridor and downstairs, to our waiting bus outside. When we made it outside, roll call was taken once again, then we boarded the bus to dinner.
When we arrived at the caffeteria building, we went inside, were seated at a group of tables labeled Indiana. We had to wait for our school to be called, before we were able to get any food. For meals at this school, you took a tray, went though the food service line, our staff showed us our tables, where we could eat our dinner. The cooks at my school served us our meals at our tables. When we were done eating, we had to take our trays to the tray return window, where someone was waiting to take and clean the dirty trays.
After dinner, roll call was taken once again, we got back on the bus. I thought we were going back to our rooms for the night. The bus took us to a building, where even before I was off the bus, I could hear loud music playing. The coaches said the host school was having a welcome dance for all of the athletes. We went inside the activity building, the music was so loud that you could hardly hear yourself think. The inside was just a large open room full of people. People were dancing in the center of the room. Tables and chairs were placed around the perimeter of the room, if you wanted to talk or for when you got tired of dancing. A corner of the room had tables piled full of snack foods, cookies, chips, pops and candy bars. I did not feel like dancing, I just wondered around the room looking at everything that was happening around me. I found a corner that had a video game, unfortunately the machine was not pluggeed in. Another corner had pop machines and a water fountain. I got tired of wondering around, decided to get some food, a drink, sit down and listen to the music for a while. The dance was over before I knew what had happened, the music was shut off, the coaches were telling us that we had to head back to our rooms for the night. We went back on the bus, roll call was taken once again. By the time we were back in our section of the dorm, I was getting very tired, I went to my room and went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, someone knocked on our door to tell us that we had to get up, to start getting ready to leave the dorm for breakfast. The night before, after the dance, the staff gave us our track uniform and warm up clothes. The track unniform was a green shirt and shorts that said I.S.B, in white letters, across the the front. The warm-up suit was green with Indiana in white letters down the left leg I put my track uniform on and made my bed, when I went in to brush my teeth, there were two other girls at the counter putting on there make-up, it was really crowded in the bathroom. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to breakfast. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria building for breakfast. The routine is the same for all meals at this school, you take a tray, went though the food service line, when you were done eating, you take the tray to the tray return window, where someone was waiting to take and clean the dirty trays. When we were on the bus after breakfast, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the gym building.
We went inside the gym building, the coaches lead us in warm-up stretches, then said when our events were scheduled that day. My events were the Four-Forty yard dash, the Sixty yard dash and the Three jump. The coaches had us jog from the gym to the track and field area. When we got to the track, the coaches told us to line up in rows four across behind the Illinious team. There were two highschool students holding up a banner that said Indiana. When the music started playing we were to march once around the track and stop at the start line behind Illinious. I felt so proud marching around the track, representing my school in track and field. Someone spoke of how they hoped all of the athletes had a fun day of competition, everyone cheered and clapped, the track meet had officially started. The Four-Forty yard dash was the first running event of the day. The Four-Forty is a race where you run back and forth four times on the straight track, this is a very long and tiring event, since you have to stop running at each end of the track to turn around, before you can run back to the opposite end of the track. I was very excited and starting to get a little nervous about the race. A staff member took me to the track, where I started to do some warm-up stretches. My name was called, the staff said to go on the track, someone said which lane I would be in, then said to go to the starting line. A runner for Illinious and Ohio were on either side of me. My nerves were no longer bothering me, I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to turn around as fast as possible at the other end of the track. My legs started to feel real heavy halfway through lap three, I ignored my legs and kept on running, halfway through lap four my side started hurting, I kept thinking all I have to do is make this next turn around then I would be on the home stretch, the finish line was in sight, when I crossed the finish line I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in last place, I just felt good to have finished the race. A staff member congradulated me on running a good race, then I had a drink of water. I hardly had time to rest, before it was time for me to do the Sixty yard dash. My first thought was I cannot do another race, I can hardly walk after the Four-Forty. I knew that I had to race, so I slowly started walking back to the track. where I started to do some warm up stretches. My name was called, the staff said to go on the track, someone said which lane I would be in, then said to go to the starting line. A runner for Kentucky and Alabama were on either side of me. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My staff congradulated me on running a good race, then I had a drink of water. After my last event, I walked around the field for a I had some time before my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. My last event was the 440 yard dash. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited but no longer nervous about the race, I had already done one event on this track. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on a good race, then I had a drink of water. My staff said that it was almost time for lunch, I went back to the track, where the rest of my team was assembling, the coaches lead us to the bus. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria building for lunch. After competing all morning, it felt good to be able to sit down for a while to eat some food, I did not know how tird I was until I was eating my lunch. After eating for a while, I felt rested and ready to compete in my last event. When we were on the bus after lunch, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the athletic field. The Tripple jump was the first event of the afternoon, my last event of the day. The triple jump is an event where you hop forward three times on one leg, then you jump into a sand area. A staff member took me to the Tripple Jump, where I stood around for a while whatching people rake the sand clean. This event was easy, I was not nervous. My name was called, my staff said to go to the jump area, someone said to wait until they said it was all right to jump. I hopped three times then jumped into the sand area. My staff congradulated me, then I had a drink of water. After my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. The High jump was neat to watch, I could not figure out how they were able to jump so high up in the air. The people who did the Shot Put must have been very strong, it looked very heavy. The track and field events were coming to an end, my team assembled on the track. Someone spoke of how all of the athletes should be congradulated for representing there school in a fine day of competition, everyone cheered and clapped, the track meet had officially come to an end. The coaches lead us to the bus. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, the coaches said how proud they were of each and everyone of us, we did our very best today, then the bus went to the dorm.
The first thing I wanted to do when I went back to my room was take a shower, unfortunately I had to turn in my track uniform and warm-up suit first. When I went back to my room I was third in line for the shower, so I had to wait for what seemed like FOREVER before I could get my shower. When I got out, it felt so nice to be clean. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to dinner. When we made it outside, roll call was taken once again, then we boarded the bus to dinner. When we arrived at the caffeteria, it felt good to be able to sit down for a while to eat some food, I did not know how tird I was until I was eating my dinner.
After dinner, roll call was taken once again, we got back on the bus. I thought we were going back to our rooms for the night. The bus went to the activity building for another dance. I can not dance, I decided to dance tonight, since it was my last night at this school. I danced, until my legs were so tired, that I was barely able to stand. I went to get some food, a drink, sit down and listen to the music for a while. The dance was over before I knew what had happened, the music was shut off, the coaches were telling us that we had to head back to our rooms for the night. We went back on the bus, roll call was taken once again. By the time we were back in our section of the dorm, I was getting very tired, I went to my room and went straight to bed.
Early the next morning, someone knocked on our door to tell us that we had to get up, to start getting ready to leave the dorm for breakfast. I got dressed and made my bed. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to head to breakfast. When we were on the bus roll call was taken once again, then the bus went to the caffeteria for breakfast. When we were on the bus after breakfast, roll call was taken once again, then the bus went back to the dorm. When we were in our door section, the staff told us to take the sheets off our bed, put them in the basket at the end of the hallway. We were told to pack our bags, double check our rooms to make sure we did not forget anything. I cleaned out all of my belongings from the dresser I was using for the weekend, placed them in my bag, I went to the bathroom to make sure there was nothing in there that belonged to me. The staff came to our room to make sure we did not forget anything. The staff started knocking on doors, telling us it was time to get our bags and leave this school.
We took our lugage out to the bus, the coaches made sure our names were on our bags, the bus driver loaded our bags in the bend under the bus. When we got on the bus, I got seats with my friend Jessica, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the school. I slept on the bus, then we talked on the way to the school for the blind. The bus stopped at a McDonald's for lunch. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. For lunch, I ordered an Extra Value meal with a Coke. Jessica and I found a table, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue traveling back to our school. When we arrived back at our school, the bus driver unloaded our bags from under the bus, the coaches sent us back to our dorms.
Track And Field Day
In third thru fifth grades, during October, my friends and I, would travel to the Kentucky School For The Blind, to compete in track and field events. The night befofe we left, the dorm would be filled to capacity with both the residential and day students spending the night at school.
The dorm parent woke us up at 4:30 in the morning to tell us to start getting ready for breakfast. The dorm was so full that it took longer to get dressed and make my bed. We went to breakfast at 5:15, it was weird being the only ones in the dining room. After breakfast, we went to the gym, the teachers did a roll call to make sure everyone was there, then we were split into groups, assigned a teacher to look after us for the day. When we went out to the bus, I got seats with my friends, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot at school. The bus was real neat, we had reclining seats, a foot rest, a reading light over the seat, there was even a bathroom at the back of the bus. The teachers handed out blankets, I slept on the bus for the first few hours, until it started to get light outside, then I woke up to talked to my friends the rest of the way to Kentucky.
The Kentucky School For The Blind, looked completely different from my school. The buildings were not all connected by tunnels. Every building was seperate, you went to the different buildings at different times of the day. When we first arrived at the school, our assigned teacher took roll call, then lead us to the caffeteria building to have lunch. For meals at this school you took a tray, went though the food service line, our teacher showed us a table where we could eat our lunch. The cooks at my school served us our meals at our tables.
After lunch, our teacher took us to the gym building, to tell us when our events were scheduled that day. My events were the 60 yard dash, the standing long jump and the 440 yard dash. The 60 yard dash was scheduled for right after lunch. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited and starting to get a little nervous about the race. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line looked very far away to me. My nerves were no longer bothering me, I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in last place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on running a good race, took me to get some water to drink. I hardly had time to rest, before it was time for me to do the Standing Long Jump. My teacher took me to the Standing Long Jump, where I stood around for a while whatching people rake the sand clean. This event was easy, I was not nervous. My name was called, my teacher told me to go to the jump area, someone told me to wait until they told me it was all right to jump. The first time I jumped, my foot steped backwards, so they measured from my back foot. The second time I jumped, my feet stayed together. I was very glad that I was able to keep my feet together. My teacher congradulated me, I got a fourth place ribbon, the ribbon was yellow and very pretty. I had some time before my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. My last event was the 440 yard dash. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited but no longer nervous about the race, I had already done one event on this track. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on running a good race, took me to get some water to drink. After my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams.
The track and field events were coming to an end. The school was once again all together. We all headed back to the bus, where roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot of the Kentucky School For The Blind. I got seats with my friends, we showed each other are medals, shared experiences from the day, talked about how much fun the whole day had been for everyone.
We stopped at a McDonald's for supper. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. My friends and I ordered Happy Meals, we found a table to eat at, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue heading back to school. I was getting really tired by now, luckily we did not have far left to go, in order to get back to school. When the bus got back to school, it was 8 pm at night. I was so tired, I went back to the dorm, went straight to bed. This was a very fun and exciting day for me.
The dorm parent woke us up at 4:30 in the morning to tell us to start getting ready for breakfast. The dorm was so full that it took longer to get dressed and make my bed. We went to breakfast at 5:15, it was weird being the only ones in the dining room. After breakfast, we went to the gym, the teachers did a roll call to make sure everyone was there, then we were split into groups, assigned a teacher to look after us for the day. When we went out to the bus, I got seats with my friends, roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot at school. The bus was real neat, we had reclining seats, a foot rest, a reading light over the seat, there was even a bathroom at the back of the bus. The teachers handed out blankets, I slept on the bus for the first few hours, until it started to get light outside, then I woke up to talked to my friends the rest of the way to Kentucky.
The Kentucky School For The Blind, looked completely different from my school. The buildings were not all connected by tunnels. Every building was seperate, you went to the different buildings at different times of the day. When we first arrived at the school, our assigned teacher took roll call, then lead us to the caffeteria building to have lunch. For meals at this school you took a tray, went though the food service line, our teacher showed us a table where we could eat our lunch. The cooks at my school served us our meals at our tables.
After lunch, our teacher took us to the gym building, to tell us when our events were scheduled that day. My events were the 60 yard dash, the standing long jump and the 440 yard dash. The 60 yard dash was scheduled for right after lunch. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited and starting to get a little nervous about the race. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line looked very far away to me. My nerves were no longer bothering me, I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in last place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on running a good race, took me to get some water to drink. I hardly had time to rest, before it was time for me to do the Standing Long Jump. My teacher took me to the Standing Long Jump, where I stood around for a while whatching people rake the sand clean. This event was easy, I was not nervous. My name was called, my teacher told me to go to the jump area, someone told me to wait until they told me it was all right to jump. The first time I jumped, my foot steped backwards, so they measured from my back foot. The second time I jumped, my feet stayed together. I was very glad that I was able to keep my feet together. My teacher congradulated me, I got a fourth place ribbon, the ribbon was yellow and very pretty. I had some time before my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams. My last event was the 440 yard dash. My teacher took me to the track, where I started to do some warm up stretches, I was very excited but no longer nervous about the race, I had already done one event on this track. My name was called, my teacher told me to go on the track, someone told me which lane I would be in, told me to go to the starting line. The finish line did not look very far away from me. I was just hoping that I did good in the race. The starting pistol fired and I took off, I was not concerned about how the other runners were doing in the race, I just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible. When I crossed the finish line, I felt so excited and proud, I did not even care that I came in fifth place, I just felt good to have finished the race. My teacher congradulated me on running a good race, took me to get some water to drink. After my last event, I walked around the field for a while, looking at all the different events and teams.
The track and field events were coming to an end. The school was once again all together. We all headed back to the bus, where roll call was taken once again, the bus finally started moving, left the parking lot of the Kentucky School For The Blind. I got seats with my friends, we showed each other are medals, shared experiences from the day, talked about how much fun the whole day had been for everyone.
We stopped at a McDonald's for supper. The bus stopped, we went inside and stood around for a while waiting to order our burgers and fries. There were so many of us that it took FOREVER to get any food. My friends and I ordered Happy Meals, we found a table to eat at, talked for a while in the restraunt. After we were through eating, we got back on the bus, to continue heading back to school. I was getting really tired by now, luckily we did not have far left to go, in order to get back to school. When the bus got back to school, it was 8 pm at night. I was so tired, I went back to the dorm, went straight to bed. This was a very fun and exciting day for me.
A Day In Elementary School
The days at school were very busy, from the time that I woke up, to the time that I went to bed, I was constantly on the move, in the classroom and in the dorm at night. The dorm parent would turn on the over head lights at 6:00 am, to wake us up in the morning. I would get out of bed, put on the clothes that I had laid out the night before on my bench, brush my hair then make my bed. By 6:30, I am in the living room, watching some television, waiting for the dorm parent to say that it is time to leave for breakfast. At 6:50, she tells us that it is time to leave for the dining room. We all line up to walk to breakfast together. The dinning room is across the hall from the elementary school dorms. We walk across the hall to the dinning room, we stand around in the hall waiting for them to let us in to eat breakfast. At 7:00, they let us in the dining room, My dorm walks to our assigned dorm table for breakfast. For breakfast there is a variety of cereals to choose from, juice, toast, bacon or sausage depending on what the menu said. When you were finished eating, you had to sit at the table until everyone was through with their food. When everyone was through eating, the dorm parent said it was time to leave the dining room. We all walked back to the dorm together. By 7:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for school. I went to my closet to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth I went back to my closet to get my books for school. Then I went to watch some television in the living room, until the dorm parent dismissed us to school for the day.
At 7:55 we leave for school, school starts at 8:00, as we leave the dorm, I say good bye to my dorm parent. In the elementary school, the classrooms are right above the dorms. My third and fourth grade teacher was Mrs. Hughes. The first 20 minutes of the day is spent turning in homework, then discussing any problems we had with the assignments. In Social Studies we learned about all the states and the levels of government. Mrs. Vorice was my Gym teacher, the gym was at the other end of the school. In Gym we learned volley ball, roller skating as a group, interpretive dance, we ran track and field down by the cub scout house and gymnastics. After gym we went back to the classroom for Science, we built a model of the solar system, out of foam balls and tissue paper. The last subject before lunch was Math. Math was my hardest subject, all the numbers got turned around in my head, I was in the fifth grade, with the Math skills of a third grader.
Lunch was at 11:00 am, I was glad, that Lunch was after Math, so that I got a break after a hard class. You were allowed to sit wherever you wanted to during lunch, my friends and I sat at a table towards the front of the dining room. As we ate our lunch we would make plans for after school. The food at school was good usually. The school made great lasagna, pizza and turkey sandwiches. After lunch we went to recess. In the play ground outside the elementary school dorms, there was a sandbox, slide, jungle gym, merry-go-round, and swings. In the center of the play ground was a tree house. To get in to the tree house, you climbed a tall ladder, through the floor of the room above, you stepped in to a room with windows, a door leading to the balcony, and slide to get down to the ground again. The swing was my favorite thing to play on at recess, I liked the thinking that I could touch the sky, if I could just go a little higher.
After a little while, the teachers said that it was time to go back to school. Reading was the first class after lunch. Reading was my favorite subject, I was the most advanced reader in my class. While my class was working on the third grade reader, I was working down the hall with Mrs. Romanos reading class, on the fourth grade reader. After reading I went back to my class to put my books away before we left for music class. The music room was at the other end of the school, on the third floor above the gym. Mrs. Olmsted was the music teacher, we spent most of the year learning how to read sheet music, learning songs to sing at the Christmas, Spring and graduation concerts. I am not a very good singer, I am tone deaf. The last class of the day was Art. The Art room was on the first floor in the stinky maintenance area. I made a clay cup, a paper mache tambourine and a line stitch pillow. The last bell of the school day rang at 3:15, I said bye to the teacher, then returned to my dorm.
When I returned to my dorm, I checked in with the dorm parent, went to my locker to put away my school books. At 3:30, it was time to leave for recreation hour. The recreation staff put out a list that listed what activity we would be doing each day after school. Some of the activities we participated in were: name that song, you win candy if you could name the song, swim in the school pool, bowl in the school bowling alley, roller skate in the school roller rink, play board games, win candy if you win the game, watch a movie in the auditorium and some days we just played on the play ground outside the dorms.
At 4:30, we returned to the dorm to wash our hands and brush our hair for dinner. At 4:50, the dorm parent tells us that it is time to leave for the dining room. We all line up to walk to dinner together. We walk across the hall to the dinning room, we stand around in the hall waiting for them to let us in to eat dinner. At 5:00, they let us in the dining room, My dorm walks to our assigned dorm table for dinner. When you were finished eating, you had to sit at the table until everyone was through with their food. When everyone was through eating, the dorm parent said it was time to leave the dining room. We all walked back to the dorm together. By 5:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for study hall. I went to my closet to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I went down stairs to check the list to see what my dorm job was for the week. A dorm job is a house keeping type job that you do every night for a week. Dorm jobs include: emptying the bathroom and kitchen trash, wiping down the study area tables, vacuuming the living room carpet and sweeping the kitchen floor.
After my dorm job was completed, I went back to my closet to get my school books for study hall. Study hall was for an hour and started at 6:00. Twice a week, high school students came to the dorm to help us with our homework, if we had any questions on an assignment we asked them for help. When you finished your homework you went to watch the news in the living room for the rest of the hour.
After study hall we had free time for a hour, At free time I liked to sit and talk to my friends, read a book or go play Nintendo in the spare room. At 8:00, the dorm parent said that it was time to start getting ready for bed. I went to my closet to get undressed and take my shampoo and towel to the bathroom. When I went to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open shower. After my shower, I went back to my closet to get dressed, put away my shampoo and towel. As my friends were coming back from the shower, I grabbed a book from my closet, to read until lights out. As I was reading, I listened to my friends getting ready for bed. At 9:00 pm, the dorm parent came to tell us that it was time to go to bed, she turned off the over head lights and closed the door. I said good night to my friends, closed my eyes and went to sleep. As I went to sleep, I felt comforted by the routine of school life.
At 7:55 we leave for school, school starts at 8:00, as we leave the dorm, I say good bye to my dorm parent. In the elementary school, the classrooms are right above the dorms. My third and fourth grade teacher was Mrs. Hughes. The first 20 minutes of the day is spent turning in homework, then discussing any problems we had with the assignments. In Social Studies we learned about all the states and the levels of government. Mrs. Vorice was my Gym teacher, the gym was at the other end of the school. In Gym we learned volley ball, roller skating as a group, interpretive dance, we ran track and field down by the cub scout house and gymnastics. After gym we went back to the classroom for Science, we built a model of the solar system, out of foam balls and tissue paper. The last subject before lunch was Math. Math was my hardest subject, all the numbers got turned around in my head, I was in the fifth grade, with the Math skills of a third grader.
Lunch was at 11:00 am, I was glad, that Lunch was after Math, so that I got a break after a hard class. You were allowed to sit wherever you wanted to during lunch, my friends and I sat at a table towards the front of the dining room. As we ate our lunch we would make plans for after school. The food at school was good usually. The school made great lasagna, pizza and turkey sandwiches. After lunch we went to recess. In the play ground outside the elementary school dorms, there was a sandbox, slide, jungle gym, merry-go-round, and swings. In the center of the play ground was a tree house. To get in to the tree house, you climbed a tall ladder, through the floor of the room above, you stepped in to a room with windows, a door leading to the balcony, and slide to get down to the ground again. The swing was my favorite thing to play on at recess, I liked the thinking that I could touch the sky, if I could just go a little higher.
After a little while, the teachers said that it was time to go back to school. Reading was the first class after lunch. Reading was my favorite subject, I was the most advanced reader in my class. While my class was working on the third grade reader, I was working down the hall with Mrs. Romanos reading class, on the fourth grade reader. After reading I went back to my class to put my books away before we left for music class. The music room was at the other end of the school, on the third floor above the gym. Mrs. Olmsted was the music teacher, we spent most of the year learning how to read sheet music, learning songs to sing at the Christmas, Spring and graduation concerts. I am not a very good singer, I am tone deaf. The last class of the day was Art. The Art room was on the first floor in the stinky maintenance area. I made a clay cup, a paper mache tambourine and a line stitch pillow. The last bell of the school day rang at 3:15, I said bye to the teacher, then returned to my dorm.
When I returned to my dorm, I checked in with the dorm parent, went to my locker to put away my school books. At 3:30, it was time to leave for recreation hour. The recreation staff put out a list that listed what activity we would be doing each day after school. Some of the activities we participated in were: name that song, you win candy if you could name the song, swim in the school pool, bowl in the school bowling alley, roller skate in the school roller rink, play board games, win candy if you win the game, watch a movie in the auditorium and some days we just played on the play ground outside the dorms.
At 4:30, we returned to the dorm to wash our hands and brush our hair for dinner. At 4:50, the dorm parent tells us that it is time to leave for the dining room. We all line up to walk to dinner together. We walk across the hall to the dinning room, we stand around in the hall waiting for them to let us in to eat dinner. At 5:00, they let us in the dining room, My dorm walks to our assigned dorm table for dinner. When you were finished eating, you had to sit at the table until everyone was through with their food. When everyone was through eating, the dorm parent said it was time to leave the dining room. We all walked back to the dorm together. By 5:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for study hall. I went to my closet to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I went down stairs to check the list to see what my dorm job was for the week. A dorm job is a house keeping type job that you do every night for a week. Dorm jobs include: emptying the bathroom and kitchen trash, wiping down the study area tables, vacuuming the living room carpet and sweeping the kitchen floor.
After my dorm job was completed, I went back to my closet to get my school books for study hall. Study hall was for an hour and started at 6:00. Twice a week, high school students came to the dorm to help us with our homework, if we had any questions on an assignment we asked them for help. When you finished your homework you went to watch the news in the living room for the rest of the hour.
After study hall we had free time for a hour, At free time I liked to sit and talk to my friends, read a book or go play Nintendo in the spare room. At 8:00, the dorm parent said that it was time to start getting ready for bed. I went to my closet to get undressed and take my shampoo and towel to the bathroom. When I went to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open shower. After my shower, I went back to my closet to get dressed, put away my shampoo and towel. As my friends were coming back from the shower, I grabbed a book from my closet, to read until lights out. As I was reading, I listened to my friends getting ready for bed. At 9:00 pm, the dorm parent came to tell us that it was time to go to bed, she turned off the over head lights and closed the door. I said good night to my friends, closed my eyes and went to sleep. As I went to sleep, I felt comforted by the routine of school life.
A Day In Middle School
The days at school were very busy, from the time that I woke up, to the time that I went to bed, I was constantly on the move, in the classroom and in the dorm at night. My alarm clock would wake me up at 6:00 a.m. I would get out of bed, put on the clothes that I had laid out the night before on my bench, brush my hair then make my bed. By 6:30, I am downstairs in the living room, watching some television, waiting for the dorm parent to say that it is time to leave for breakfast. At 6:45, she tells us that it is time to leave for the dining room. We all walk to breakfast together. The dinning room is at the other end of the school, across the hall from the elementary school dorms. When we arrive at the dinning room, we stand around in the hall waiting for them to let us in to eat breakfast. At 7:00, they let us in the dining room, my dorm walks to our assigned dorm table. For breakfast there is a variety of cereals to choose from, juice, toast, bacon or sausage depending on what the menu said. When you were finished eating, you had to sit at the table until everyone was through with their food. When everyone was through eating, the dorm parent said it was time to leave the dining room. We all walked back to the dorm together. By 7:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for school. I went to my bedroom to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth I went back to my bedroom to get my books for school. Then I went downstairs to watch some television in the living room, until the dorm parent dismissed us to school for the day.
At 7:55 we leave for school, school starts at 8:00, as we leave the dorm, I say good bye to my dorm parent and friends. At my school you only have five minutes between classes, you practically have to sprint to the next class. The first 20 minutes of the day is spent in homeroom. My homeroom is at the other end of the school, in the elementary school. Mrs. Romono was my homeroom teacher. She monitors the progress in our other classes and helps us if we did not understand an assignment. Mr. Becker was my Social Studies teacher, his classroom was on the third floor in the high school. In Social Studies we learned about all the states and world geography. Mrs. Vorice was my Gym teacher, the gym was at the other end of the school. My class rotated between four weeks of gym and four weeks of Health class. In Gym we learned volley ball, roller skating as a group, interpretive dance, we ran track and field down by the cub scout house and gymnastics. In Health we learned about the circulatory system and the brain. Mrs. Romono was also my Science teacher. In class we studied weights, grams, kilograms and liters. We also studied measurements, millimeters, centimeters and yards. Mrs. Hughes was my Math teacher, the Math classroom was right above the Science classroom, in the elementary school. Math was my hardest subject, all the numbers got turned around in my head, I was in the seventh grade, with the Math skills of a fifth grader.
Lunch was at 11:00, I was glad, that lunch was after Math, so that I got a break after a hard class. You were allowed to sit wherever you wanted to during lunch, my friends and I sat at a table towards the front of the dining room. As we ate our lunch, we would make plans for after school and talk about our morning classes. The food at school was good usually. The school made great lasagna, pizza and turkey sandwiches. After lunch, the teachers told us we could go talk to our friends in the boys quad courtyard. This was really boring, just standing around talking with nothing else to do for fun.
The bell rang, telling us that it was time to go back to school. English was the first class after lunch. The English classroom was right next to my Math classroom, in the elementary school. Mrs. Harper was the English teacher, we read and did reports on the Mark Twain books, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In the fifth grade you are given the choice to study either piano or band. The piano room was at the other end of the school, on the second floor above the gym. Mrs. Francisco was the piano teacher. I played Jingle Bells at the Christmas concert and Swan Lake at the spring concert. The choir room was above the piano room on the third floor. Mrs. Olmsted was the music teacher, we spent most of the year learning songs to sing at the Christmas, Spring and graduation concerts. I am not a very good singer, I am tone deaf. The last bell of the school day rang at 3:15, I said bye to the teacher, then returned to my dorm.
When I returned to my dorm, I checked in with the dorm parent, went upstairs to my bedroom to put away my school books. I went back downstairs to tell my dorm parent that I was leaving for practice. In the fall, I had track practice, in the winter, I had cheer leading practice after school. The gym was right down the hall from my dorm, I went to the gym for track practice. At the gym attendance was taken then we paired up to jog down to the track and field area. I was a very slow runner, I usually fell behind the other runners and went at my own pace. When we arrived at the track, the team manager lead us in warm up stretches then the entire team ran a mile. When you were through running the mile, the coaches divided us up in to groups to work on our individual events. My events were the 440 race, the 60 yard dash and the standing long jump. The 440, is where you have to run up the straight track six times in a row. The 60 yard dash, is where you sprint down the straight track, to the finish line. The standing long jump, is when you jump into a pile of sand, the judges measure how far you have jumped. At the end of practice the team managers lead us in cool down stretches, then we jog up the hill to dinner. Dinner is at 5:00 The track team walks to our team table to eat dinner together. When I was finished eating, I went back to my dorm table, to wait for my dorm, to leave the dinning room.
We all walked back to the dorm together. If the whether was nice, the dorm parent would let us walk outside, to go back to the dorm. By 5:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for study hall. I went to my bedroom to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I went down stairs to check the list to see what my dorm job was for the week. A dorm job is a house keeping type job that you do every night for a week. Dorm jobs include: emptying the bathroom and kitchen trash, wiping down the study area tables, vacuuming the living room carpet, sweeping and moping the kitchen floor.
After my dorm job was completed, I went back to my bedroom, to get my school books for study hall. Study hall was for an hour and started at 6:00. If you made the A or B honor roll, you were awarded the privilege of studying independently, upstairs in your bedroom, otherwise you had to study in the downstairs study area. If you had a D or F on your report card, you went to another dorm for a two hour study hall, the teachers there helped you get caught up on your school work. When you finished your homework you went to watch the news in the living room for the rest of the hour.
After study hall was over, I went upstairs, to take my school books back to my bedroom. Recreation time starts at 7:00, when I came back downstairs it was time to leave for recreation time. I told my dorm parent which activity I would be doing that evening, then left the dorm. The recreation staff put out a list that listed what activities we would be doing each evening after study hall. Some of the activities we participated in were: swim in the school pool, bowl in the school bowling alley, roller skate in the school roller rink, play board games, win candy if you won the game, watch a movie in the auditorium and some days we chose our own activity in the gym. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, you could go to the student center, to buy candy, play pool or video games and listen to music on the juke box.
At 9:00, I had to be back at the dorm, to start getting ready for bed. I checked in with my dorm parent, went to my bedroom to get undressed and take my shampoo and towel to the bathroom. When I went to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open shower. After my shower, I went back to my bedroom to get dressed, put away my shampoo and towel. As my roommate was coming back from the shower, I grabbed a book from my closet, to read until lights out. As I was reading, I listened to my roommate getting ready for bed. At 9:30 pm, it was time to turn the bedroom light off. I said good night to my roommate, closed my eyes and went to sleep. As I went to sleep, I felt comforted by the routine of school life.
At 7:55 we leave for school, school starts at 8:00, as we leave the dorm, I say good bye to my dorm parent and friends. At my school you only have five minutes between classes, you practically have to sprint to the next class. The first 20 minutes of the day is spent in homeroom. My homeroom is at the other end of the school, in the elementary school. Mrs. Romono was my homeroom teacher. She monitors the progress in our other classes and helps us if we did not understand an assignment. Mr. Becker was my Social Studies teacher, his classroom was on the third floor in the high school. In Social Studies we learned about all the states and world geography. Mrs. Vorice was my Gym teacher, the gym was at the other end of the school. My class rotated between four weeks of gym and four weeks of Health class. In Gym we learned volley ball, roller skating as a group, interpretive dance, we ran track and field down by the cub scout house and gymnastics. In Health we learned about the circulatory system and the brain. Mrs. Romono was also my Science teacher. In class we studied weights, grams, kilograms and liters. We also studied measurements, millimeters, centimeters and yards. Mrs. Hughes was my Math teacher, the Math classroom was right above the Science classroom, in the elementary school. Math was my hardest subject, all the numbers got turned around in my head, I was in the seventh grade, with the Math skills of a fifth grader.
Lunch was at 11:00, I was glad, that lunch was after Math, so that I got a break after a hard class. You were allowed to sit wherever you wanted to during lunch, my friends and I sat at a table towards the front of the dining room. As we ate our lunch, we would make plans for after school and talk about our morning classes. The food at school was good usually. The school made great lasagna, pizza and turkey sandwiches. After lunch, the teachers told us we could go talk to our friends in the boys quad courtyard. This was really boring, just standing around talking with nothing else to do for fun.
The bell rang, telling us that it was time to go back to school. English was the first class after lunch. The English classroom was right next to my Math classroom, in the elementary school. Mrs. Harper was the English teacher, we read and did reports on the Mark Twain books, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In the fifth grade you are given the choice to study either piano or band. The piano room was at the other end of the school, on the second floor above the gym. Mrs. Francisco was the piano teacher. I played Jingle Bells at the Christmas concert and Swan Lake at the spring concert. The choir room was above the piano room on the third floor. Mrs. Olmsted was the music teacher, we spent most of the year learning songs to sing at the Christmas, Spring and graduation concerts. I am not a very good singer, I am tone deaf. The last bell of the school day rang at 3:15, I said bye to the teacher, then returned to my dorm.
When I returned to my dorm, I checked in with the dorm parent, went upstairs to my bedroom to put away my school books. I went back downstairs to tell my dorm parent that I was leaving for practice. In the fall, I had track practice, in the winter, I had cheer leading practice after school. The gym was right down the hall from my dorm, I went to the gym for track practice. At the gym attendance was taken then we paired up to jog down to the track and field area. I was a very slow runner, I usually fell behind the other runners and went at my own pace. When we arrived at the track, the team manager lead us in warm up stretches then the entire team ran a mile. When you were through running the mile, the coaches divided us up in to groups to work on our individual events. My events were the 440 race, the 60 yard dash and the standing long jump. The 440, is where you have to run up the straight track six times in a row. The 60 yard dash, is where you sprint down the straight track, to the finish line. The standing long jump, is when you jump into a pile of sand, the judges measure how far you have jumped. At the end of practice the team managers lead us in cool down stretches, then we jog up the hill to dinner. Dinner is at 5:00 The track team walks to our team table to eat dinner together. When I was finished eating, I went back to my dorm table, to wait for my dorm, to leave the dinning room.
We all walked back to the dorm together. If the whether was nice, the dorm parent would let us walk outside, to go back to the dorm. By 5:30, we were back in the dorm getting ready for study hall. I went to my bedroom to get my tooth brush and tooth paste. When I got to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open sink to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I went down stairs to check the list to see what my dorm job was for the week. A dorm job is a house keeping type job that you do every night for a week. Dorm jobs include: emptying the bathroom and kitchen trash, wiping down the study area tables, vacuuming the living room carpet, sweeping and moping the kitchen floor.
After my dorm job was completed, I went back to my bedroom, to get my school books for study hall. Study hall was for an hour and started at 6:00. If you made the A or B honor roll, you were awarded the privilege of studying independently, upstairs in your bedroom, otherwise you had to study in the downstairs study area. If you had a D or F on your report card, you went to another dorm for a two hour study hall, the teachers there helped you get caught up on your school work. When you finished your homework you went to watch the news in the living room for the rest of the hour.
After study hall was over, I went upstairs, to take my school books back to my bedroom. Recreation time starts at 7:00, when I came back downstairs it was time to leave for recreation time. I told my dorm parent which activity I would be doing that evening, then left the dorm. The recreation staff put out a list that listed what activities we would be doing each evening after study hall. Some of the activities we participated in were: swim in the school pool, bowl in the school bowling alley, roller skate in the school roller rink, play board games, win candy if you won the game, watch a movie in the auditorium and some days we chose our own activity in the gym. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, you could go to the student center, to buy candy, play pool or video games and listen to music on the juke box.
At 9:00, I had to be back at the dorm, to start getting ready for bed. I checked in with my dorm parent, went to my bedroom to get undressed and take my shampoo and towel to the bathroom. When I went to the bathroom, I talked to my friends while I waited in line for an open shower. After my shower, I went back to my bedroom to get dressed, put away my shampoo and towel. As my roommate was coming back from the shower, I grabbed a book from my closet, to read until lights out. As I was reading, I listened to my roommate getting ready for bed. At 9:30 pm, it was time to turn the bedroom light off. I said good night to my roommate, closed my eyes and went to sleep. As I went to sleep, I felt comforted by the routine of school life.
Dorms
While at school, I stayed in a variety of different dorms. All of the girls in my dorm were around my age. Now I will try to give an accurate description of each dorm.
When I began school at age four, I was in Alder Hall dorm 3/4. As you entered the dorm, you were in a living room, with a television, couches, chairs, and tables. To the left was a short hallway full of toys. At the beginning of the hallway was a sleeping room with five little beds, closets, chairs, an identical room was at the end of the hallway. The bathroom was across the hall from the sleeping room, the bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, two shower stalls and a large bathtub next to the showers. This was dorm 3/4 in Alder Hall.
At the age of five, I moved to Lambert Hall dorm 3. As you entered the dorm, you were in a living room with a television, couches, chairs, and tables and a pantry full of snacks. As you left the living room you entered a long hallway with a storage room, house parent office, and an extra bed room on the left side of the hallway. A large bathroom was on the right side of the hallway, the bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, two shower stalls and a large bathtub next to the showersThe end of the hallway was a large sleeping area that partitioned beds into sections of three each, for a total of sixteen beds, closets, and chairs, clothes drawers were attached to the end of each bed. The residential students slept in the front of the room, day students slept in the back of the room. This was dorm 3 in Lambert Hall.
At the age of eight, I moved to Wilson Hall dorm 4. As you entered the dorm, you were in a hallway with a television room on the right, a storage room and laundry room on the left. Then you entered a living room with a television, couches, a house parents office, and doors leading out to a screened in patio. Behind the living room was a kitchen with tables and chairs for doing homework, a pantry for students to store their snacks, and a stove for cooking Sunday dinners in the dorm. Their were two sleeping rooms off the kitchen with eight beds, benches and a row of lockers. One sleeping room was for residential students the other was for day students. The bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, four shower stalls and a bathtub next to the showers. This was dorm 4 in Wilson Hall.
At the age of eleven, I moved to Girls Quad dorm J. The dormitory was a large three story brick building that looked like an apartment building from the outside. The first floor of the dorm was storage and laundry rooms. As you went up the stairs to the second floor, you saw a large room with doors leading off to smaller rooms. If you turned to the left, you saw a kitchen, bathroom, activity room that had in it a piano, Nintendo, ping pong table, television, tables, and chairs. If you turned to your right, you saw a bedroom, lounge with couches, and a television, and a house parents office. The third floor had a bathroom and eight bedrooms. In each room there were two beds, dressers, closets, and study tables. At the start of each school year the house parent assigned each girl a room and roommate. My roommate Christina was bossy, always telling me what to do, lucky for me I got to switch roommates part way through the year and roomed with my friend Jessica the rest of the year. The bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, four shower stalls and a bathtub next to the showers. This was Girls Quad dorm J.
When I began school at age four, I was in Alder Hall dorm 3/4. As you entered the dorm, you were in a living room, with a television, couches, chairs, and tables. To the left was a short hallway full of toys. At the beginning of the hallway was a sleeping room with five little beds, closets, chairs, an identical room was at the end of the hallway. The bathroom was across the hall from the sleeping room, the bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, two shower stalls and a large bathtub next to the showers. This was dorm 3/4 in Alder Hall.
At the age of five, I moved to Lambert Hall dorm 3. As you entered the dorm, you were in a living room with a television, couches, chairs, and tables and a pantry full of snacks. As you left the living room you entered a long hallway with a storage room, house parent office, and an extra bed room on the left side of the hallway. A large bathroom was on the right side of the hallway, the bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, two shower stalls and a large bathtub next to the showersThe end of the hallway was a large sleeping area that partitioned beds into sections of three each, for a total of sixteen beds, closets, and chairs, clothes drawers were attached to the end of each bed. The residential students slept in the front of the room, day students slept in the back of the room. This was dorm 3 in Lambert Hall.
At the age of eight, I moved to Wilson Hall dorm 4. As you entered the dorm, you were in a hallway with a television room on the right, a storage room and laundry room on the left. Then you entered a living room with a television, couches, a house parents office, and doors leading out to a screened in patio. Behind the living room was a kitchen with tables and chairs for doing homework, a pantry for students to store their snacks, and a stove for cooking Sunday dinners in the dorm. Their were two sleeping rooms off the kitchen with eight beds, benches and a row of lockers. One sleeping room was for residential students the other was for day students. The bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, four shower stalls and a bathtub next to the showers. This was dorm 4 in Wilson Hall.
At the age of eleven, I moved to Girls Quad dorm J. The dormitory was a large three story brick building that looked like an apartment building from the outside. The first floor of the dorm was storage and laundry rooms. As you went up the stairs to the second floor, you saw a large room with doors leading off to smaller rooms. If you turned to the left, you saw a kitchen, bathroom, activity room that had in it a piano, Nintendo, ping pong table, television, tables, and chairs. If you turned to your right, you saw a bedroom, lounge with couches, and a television, and a house parents office. The third floor had a bathroom and eight bedrooms. In each room there were two beds, dressers, closets, and study tables. At the start of each school year the house parent assigned each girl a room and roommate. My roommate Christina was bossy, always telling me what to do, lucky for me I got to switch roommates part way through the year and roomed with my friend Jessica the rest of the year. The bathroom had three sinks, three toilets, four shower stalls and a bathtub next to the showers. This was Girls Quad dorm J.
Dorm Guide
ALDER HALL
Boys dorm 1/2 preschool ages 3,4
Girls dorm 3/4 preschool ages 3,4
LAMBERT HALL
Boys Dorm 2 kindergarten age 5
Girls Dorm 1 kindergarten age 5
Boys Dorm 4 1st, 2nd grades ages 6,7
Girls Dorm 3 1st, 2nd grades ages 6,7
WILSON HALL
Boys Dorm 1 3rd grade age 8
Girls Dorm 3 3rd grade age 8
Boys Dorm 2 4th, 5th grades ages 9, 10
Girls Dorm 4 4th, 5th grades ages 9, 10
BOYS QUAD
Dorm B 6th, 7th grades ages 11, 12
Dorm C 8th, 9th, 10th grades ages 13, 14, 15
Dorm A 11th, 12th grades ages 16, 17
Independent Living house 12th grade age 17
GIRLS QUAD
Dorm J 6th, 7th grades ages 11, 12
Dorm H 8th, 9th, 10th grades ages 13, 14, 15
Dorm I 11th, 12th grades ages 16, 17
Independent Living house 12th grade age 17.
Boys dorm 1/2 preschool ages 3,4
Girls dorm 3/4 preschool ages 3,4
LAMBERT HALL
Boys Dorm 2 kindergarten age 5
Girls Dorm 1 kindergarten age 5
Boys Dorm 4 1st, 2nd grades ages 6,7
Girls Dorm 3 1st, 2nd grades ages 6,7
WILSON HALL
Boys Dorm 1 3rd grade age 8
Girls Dorm 3 3rd grade age 8
Boys Dorm 2 4th, 5th grades ages 9, 10
Girls Dorm 4 4th, 5th grades ages 9, 10
BOYS QUAD
Dorm B 6th, 7th grades ages 11, 12
Dorm C 8th, 9th, 10th grades ages 13, 14, 15
Dorm A 11th, 12th grades ages 16, 17
Independent Living house 12th grade age 17
GIRLS QUAD
Dorm J 6th, 7th grades ages 11, 12
Dorm H 8th, 9th, 10th grades ages 13, 14, 15
Dorm I 11th, 12th grades ages 16, 17
Independent Living house 12th grade age 17.
Dorm Parents
My dorm parent's were like second moms, they would do anything for me. I could talk to them about things that I did not feel comfortable telling my friends. My favorite dorm parents were Mrs. Alice and Mrs. Lacy.
In Lambert Hall, my dorm parent was Mrs. Alice. She taught us a variety of games to play after school. Red light/Green light is when you walk if they say Green light and stop if they say Red light. The object of the game is to reach the front of the room first. You were eliminated if you did not stop walking. Simon Says was fun to play with friends. You have to do whatever the leader tells you to do. Another activity was to play house in the Play house in the activity room, cook on the stove and talk out the window to my friends. Roller skating down the hallway, was real fun. After shower time, she would do our hair in braids and curls. She always gave us healthy treats after school and on special occasions we got candy bars for a snack.
In Wilson Hall, the dorm parents were nice and friendly. I just never felt the close connection to them that I had with the other dorm parents. They did not have the personality, where I felt that I could open up to them and tell them personal things. They did not interact very well with the girls in the dorm. They mainly stayed in the dorm parents office doing paper work and only came out if there was a problem in the dorm.
Mrs. Lacy, was my dorm J dorm parent. She was very laid back, real easy to get to know. We switched bedrooms halfway through the school year. We went unsupervised to the different activities at recreation time. All you had to do was check in with her after school, then you could go to your afternoon activities or hang out with friends in the dorm.
In Lambert Hall, my dorm parent was Mrs. Alice. She taught us a variety of games to play after school. Red light/Green light is when you walk if they say Green light and stop if they say Red light. The object of the game is to reach the front of the room first. You were eliminated if you did not stop walking. Simon Says was fun to play with friends. You have to do whatever the leader tells you to do. Another activity was to play house in the Play house in the activity room, cook on the stove and talk out the window to my friends. Roller skating down the hallway, was real fun. After shower time, she would do our hair in braids and curls. She always gave us healthy treats after school and on special occasions we got candy bars for a snack.
In Wilson Hall, the dorm parents were nice and friendly. I just never felt the close connection to them that I had with the other dorm parents. They did not have the personality, where I felt that I could open up to them and tell them personal things. They did not interact very well with the girls in the dorm. They mainly stayed in the dorm parents office doing paper work and only came out if there was a problem in the dorm.
Mrs. Lacy, was my dorm J dorm parent. She was very laid back, real easy to get to know. We switched bedrooms halfway through the school year. We went unsupervised to the different activities at recreation time. All you had to do was check in with her after school, then you could go to your afternoon activities or hang out with friends in the dorm.
Friends
The girls in my dorm were family. Jessica was my best friend at school. She was like a ray of sunshine, always smiling. Her hair was the prettiest dstk red, with thick curls, that bounced when she walked. Jenny left the school in the second grade. Her parents, were unable to adjust to not having there daughter at home, so they took there daughter out of the blind school, put her in the local public school, where I hear she did quite well, with support from her family and the local school. Nicole had the straightest blonde hair, I have ever seen. She was like a butterfly, always changing her hair and makeup. She spent time every morning fixing her hair and make up, making sure it was just right, before we went to breakfast. Nicole's best friend was Elizabeth. Elizabeth, was a day girl, Nicole and Liz wore there hair the exact same way, hung out all the time together, when she stayed the night at school. Lisa had the prettiest smile. She was like an old teddy bear, you could pour your heart out to her, she wouldn't say a word. Lisa and Stephanie were best friends, they were together all the time. Stephanie had long brown hair and brown eyes, her hair was almost as long as mine. Laura was very artistic. She did all of the signs for the sixth grade play. Laura and I had physical therapy together twice a week in the gym. Chasity had a beautiful southern accent, she was a transfer student from the Kentucky School For The Blind. We first met on track and field day in the fourth grade. Sara was like a baby. She was always asking everyone for help with making her bed and getting dressed in the morning, would wine and complain to get out of doing her homework. She was very clingy, she did not want to be left alone for a minute by herself. She wanted assistance with every simple and little task in the dorm.
First Day of School
On the morning that I returned to school for the start of the new school year, my mom would go down the checklist provided by the school to make sure that I had all of the toiletries that I would need at school. I had really long hair, shampoo and conditioner were the items that my mom replaced the most for me. Then she made sure that all of my clothes were washed for the week at school. Now that my mom had all of my toiletries and clothes together and organized, the next step was for her to start packing my suitcase for school. While my mom was packing my suitcase, I was finding my stuffed animal and favorite soft blanket to take to school with me. The blanket and stuffed animal were a reminder of home for me at school. After my suitcase was packed, I placed everything by the door in a pile until it was time to leave for school. The remainder of the time was spent playing games with my sisters. In the afternoon, when my mom said it was time to leave for school, I would say good bye to my sisters, my mom would put my suitcase in the car, then we would pull out of the driveway to start the hour and a half drive to school.
When we arrived at school, my mom would park the car in front of the administration building, when we went inside I would have to wait in a long line to make sure I was in the correct grade and dorm. Then we would get back in the car and drive to my dorm. My mom would meet my dorm parent. I would be shown which bed and closet were mine, my mom would help me unpack my suitcase, put my things away in my closet and make my bed for me. We would say good bye in the entry way to the dorm, then she would leave the school to go back home.
I never really had a chance to be sad when my mom left, there was to much for me to do in the dorm, I immediately found my friends to haar stories of there summer. After all of the parents had left, our dorm parent made us dinner. After dinner, we continued to tell each other about our summer vacation, until it was time to go to the back to school dance. The dorm parent would take us to the gym for the dance, the music was so loud that you could hear it as soon as you left the dorm. The center of the gym was the dance floor. Tables and chairs were placed around the edge of the gym, if you wanted to talk or for when you got tired of dancing. A corner of the room had tables piled full of snack foods, cookies, chips, pops and candy bars. I danced most of the time we were there, I only stopped when I went to get a candy bar and drink of punch from the snack table. The music was so loud that you could not talk to the person next to you without shouting at them. I was sad when we had to head back to our dorms. My legs were so wobly and tired, that I could hardly walk. When I got back to the dorm, I took a shower and went straight to bed. I felt good to be back at school with all of my friends.
When we arrived at school, my mom would park the car in front of the administration building, when we went inside I would have to wait in a long line to make sure I was in the correct grade and dorm. Then we would get back in the car and drive to my dorm. My mom would meet my dorm parent. I would be shown which bed and closet were mine, my mom would help me unpack my suitcase, put my things away in my closet and make my bed for me. We would say good bye in the entry way to the dorm, then she would leave the school to go back home.
I never really had a chance to be sad when my mom left, there was to much for me to do in the dorm, I immediately found my friends to haar stories of there summer. After all of the parents had left, our dorm parent made us dinner. After dinner, we continued to tell each other about our summer vacation, until it was time to go to the back to school dance. The dorm parent would take us to the gym for the dance, the music was so loud that you could hear it as soon as you left the dorm. The center of the gym was the dance floor. Tables and chairs were placed around the edge of the gym, if you wanted to talk or for when you got tired of dancing. A corner of the room had tables piled full of snack foods, cookies, chips, pops and candy bars. I danced most of the time we were there, I only stopped when I went to get a candy bar and drink of punch from the snack table. The music was so loud that you could not talk to the person next to you without shouting at them. I was sad when we had to head back to our dorms. My legs were so wobly and tired, that I could hardly walk. When I got back to the dorm, I took a shower and went straight to bed. I felt good to be back at school with all of my friends.
The School
My name is Raeann, I am visually impaired. I attended the Indiana School for the Blind, a day and residential school, for blind and visually impaired children, ages three to nineteen years old, in Indianapolis, Indiana.
When I was four years old, I began attending the school. The local public school, lacked the facilities for me to attend there school, they did not have the adaptive technology that I needed to succeed in the classroom, an aide or a vision teacher, so my parents enrolled me in the blind school. The school considered me a residential student, during the week I stayed at school. A bus would take me to school on Sunday and not bring me home until Friday. My dormitory had eight other girls. Weekends, Christmas, spring, and summer vacations, were the only times I went home. The school was like my home away from home, the people in my dorm were like my family. On the weekends I had a nice visit with my family. Summer vacation was like a breathe of fresh air, three whole months with my family at home. The only time I remember going home during the week is when I was seven years old. My dad was taking classes, he would pick me up after school, take me home over night, bring me back early the next morning. Being able to go home during the week to see my family was like a rainbow. It only lasted a few weeks before it had to end, I was so tired at school that I started falling a sleep in class.
My school was a 5 day boarding school, where the whole school closed on the weekends and everyone went home. My family lived an hour and a half from the school. My best friends Jessica and Lisa, lived at the other end of the state, had to ride the bus for five hours twice a week, just to attend school.
When I was four years old, I began attending the school. The local public school, lacked the facilities for me to attend there school, they did not have the adaptive technology that I needed to succeed in the classroom, an aide or a vision teacher, so my parents enrolled me in the blind school. The school considered me a residential student, during the week I stayed at school. A bus would take me to school on Sunday and not bring me home until Friday. My dormitory had eight other girls. Weekends, Christmas, spring, and summer vacations, were the only times I went home. The school was like my home away from home, the people in my dorm were like my family. On the weekends I had a nice visit with my family. Summer vacation was like a breathe of fresh air, three whole months with my family at home. The only time I remember going home during the week is when I was seven years old. My dad was taking classes, he would pick me up after school, take me home over night, bring me back early the next morning. Being able to go home during the week to see my family was like a rainbow. It only lasted a few weeks before it had to end, I was so tired at school that I started falling a sleep in class.
My school was a 5 day boarding school, where the whole school closed on the weekends and everyone went home. My family lived an hour and a half from the school. My best friends Jessica and Lisa, lived at the other end of the state, had to ride the bus for five hours twice a week, just to attend school.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
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