Since Megan and I are the only ones who have song preferences--let's try another conversation starter.

What Junior High did you attend and who was your favorite teacher or other memory?

I attended Miller.....I had 2 favorite teachers....Mr. Bruce and Mr. Wooster.  Can remember going to the school dances in the cafeteria.....girls on one side, boys on the other.  Also gym class with Mrs. Finders (she just retired about 6 years ago....looks just the same!)....Can remember picking out our suits and skull caps for swimming in the locker room and walking down the spiral staircase to the pool down below, walking to the field on 13th and Linn street for outdoor activities.  Attending track meets and football games at Franklin Field for the Bobkits....it was always such a treat to beat the Lenihan Lions!  Walking home after school and stopping at Bacino's market on 9th street.

I too attended Miller and remember all those things!  Mr. Bruce, may God rest his soul, tramatized me in 9th grade by saying: "Naylor spit out your gum--it looks like you are having an orgy with it!"  Yuck!  Remember Miss Garland, I think she taught Health?  She was SO cool!  I also remember reading Romeo and Juliet in 9th grade and one day Jeff Wallace and I read the Romeo and Juliet parts and we were GOING together!  I thought that was pretty cool too!  That was in Miss Kooser's room.  Since I live in Marshalltown, when I see the teachers I still call them Mrs. Finders, etc.  They always correct me and it just feels weird!  I work with Mr. Ott's wife and still call him Mr. Ott!

Speaking of Jeff--where are you?  I know many have reminded him on Facebook!

Here's one for you!  Rusty Hibbs and I were in the newspaper as we walked into MORP!  We were "GOING TOGETHER" at the time and that was the first time he saw me with my braces off!

Ok--that's a good one!  You win!

Due to nasty weather, we were in the gym at Miller after school having track practice.  Somebody puked, and Coach Bruce was told about it.  He came over to the area, holding a towel, with the intention to clean it up. 

But he couldn't find it on the floor.  After searching for a few moments, he did find it--with his feet.  His feet slid out from under him and he came crashing down right into it.  For a group of 13 and 14 year old boys, you can hardly beat that for entertainment. 

Here's another creepy track story.  We were down at the Franklin Elementary School track, practicing on a cold, early spring afternoon.  I had decided in the locker room that it was too cold to even bother with putting shorts on under my sweats--I would just practice in sweats the whole time. 

But after warm ups, I felt pretty good, and as the coach called us to the starting line for the first of several 660s, I unthinkingly pulled off my sweat pants as usual and got in line with the other guys.  Let's just say that I suddenly became aware of a cold breeze on my thighs . . .  in a way that seemed unusual!  I looked down in horror at my jock strap and white legs, just as a bunch of girls were walking by.  The visual memory I have from that moment was Marcia Mann looking at me with this big smile on her face.  She must have thought I was the most pathetic, pitiful person imaginable.  That is exactly how I felt.  Coach Wooster thought the whole thing was wonderfully amusing.

That 660 was probably my best time ever.  All I wanted to do was run away from everyone and everything at that point.  Looking back, I'm almost surprised I didn't just run out of the stadium.

I give up Mitch--there is No way I could top that!  And think, I was a "trackette" and I  missed that!  What kind of sexist group was that by the way?  All we did was the b$%ch work for the boys track team--and there were like tons of us!

Anyway, your posts are cracking me up--even if it is at your expense!

I suppose that I should clarify that I did put my sweats back on before I ran!  But the quicker I tried to get those sweats on, the harder it was, with my spikes digging in to the material.  All the while, I was sure people were staring at me.  The whole experience was quite unpleasant at the time, but I've laughed a lot about it since.

Oh I don't know Shannon - Remember Peri Woltjer's Slumber party when we were mooning cars down the alley from her house and a car stopped and we all started running and screaming and Sara Sudenga couldn't get her pants pulled up so she was running with them around her ankles until she fell and she was down on the ground with her bare butt up in the air.  Sara - I know it was upsetting to you at the time but it was the funniest thing I've ever seen...well close anyway. 

Oh my goodness Shawn!  I'm SO glad you found us!  While I remember many things about Peri's house--like when I was her campaign manager for the co-pres election and we had a party there:  I do not remember the Sara story!  I know I would NEVER  have mooned a car or anyone.  I was the pris that stayed home and read her Bible while everyone else went tee peeing  remember?  I did get a huge laugh out of that story though!  I also remember Peri's dad was pretty scary and Sara's dad was BIG fun!

Shawn--

   I remember that night!  I think we teepeed the Walljaspers, went mooning, and got chased.  I think I also ran into a post that night in the park between the Hutchesons and the Walljaspers and mangled my braces into my lips.  It wasn't a good night for my teeth or rear-end, but I have lots of memories of the good old Miller days...

    I also remember Mr. Wooster, Mr. Finch and Mr. Bruce (the coaches), but I have very fond memories of Mr. Statler and art.  Tim ?? and Mitch Maxted were in my art class, and made lots of paintings of Gene Simmons and the KISS band.  I also remember home ec and memu planning.  We had fun making pudding and other treats.  I don't think girls still take cooking and sewing--Sara

Sara, they still take those kind of classes here, in Le Mars, Iowa!  It's either 6th or 7th grade and it's cut in quarters.  Life Skills is cooking and sewing, was Home Ec, Shop is another quarter, something about volunteering is another so they start volunteering in their community and the fourth quarter is something about community government.  YUP Le Mars is a well-rounded place to raise kids!!  Carter graduates in May, can't wait to get the hell outta here!  ;}

Left a lengthy reply on memories but screwed it up and put it in a new file.  Don't know how to copy and paste and am too tired to retype it.  Wish the kids were still up they would know how to save Mom's goof up.  haha

Oh wow, I had forgotten all of those memorys.  Shannon, I thought I was going to die when we did the Romeo and Juliet reading.   You know, back in those days I was all twitterpatted (word from Bambi - you'll have to rewatch it.)  As far as Mr. Bruce, I actually dropped a shot put on his car during track practice one time.  Put a huge dent in his Pinto?  Might have been a gremlin.  So funny but he didn't think so.  My main memories where from band with Mr. Francis.  Used all our "open mod's" in the band room.  We used to have a key for the ceiling above the auditorium.  We had poker chips and donuts up there for fun.  Use to drop stuff from the ceiling during rehersals, meetings or assemblies.

Yes Jeff, I know what "twitterpated " means and I was too!

Jr. High girls:  Do you remember MORP, the dance at the Y in 9th grade?  We all asked so early that we had dates who weren't our boyfriends!  I remember going to Shady Oaks for dinner with Jeff, Tim Walljasper and I think Jenny or Angela (can't remember which one) and I had grape Crush at dinner.  Why I remember this stuff is beyond me!  Then I remember going to Sara's after for a party in their new 4 season room.  The Sudenga's always had the best parties! **By the way--that was a Y-teen event and I'm sorry to say after I left the Y (I was Bobbie Mead for 10 years) HS Y-Teens died--and Hi-Y too!  I actually killed Hi-Y for my own sanity but that's a whole other story!**

MORP was such a great time.  I went with Gary Buege does anyone remember him or know where he is at?

Hey Mitch,

It was Tim Harvey and you are right about his artistic abilities as his drawings were incredible!!  Who were the other 3 that used to dress up as KISS with him?  Also, you were asking if anyone had heard from him.  Amazingly, not more than 5 minutes after reading your post here I saw his profile on facebook!!!  Didn't have any information listed.....but he is there!!

Shannon, it was Jenny that asked me and I do remember going to that lovely restaurant!!!  At first I thought I went with Anne Duncan because I actually found a picture from some dance her and I went to in 9th grade......was there another one, maybe in the winter?  My god did I ever look like a geek in that photo!!!!  I also remember skipping one of Ms. Guttenberger's spanish classes and getting busted because one of my classmates said she saw me just a few minutes ago!!!!  Hmmmm........(LOL)

Jeff, my gosh....I had forgotten about that little hiding place we had in the auditorium.  I only went up there a couple of times but I remember thinking it was so cool to be there.  We also all had Mr. Francis's signature down and always signed our own mod sheets and hall passes and basically roamed the halls during our open mods!!!  How about them blue jackets we had to wear for jazz band concerts!!!!!!!

Such good times......

Tim, there was a 9th grade dance, Hi Y or whatever it was called.  It was in that room at the Y just off that kitchen area.  I was asked by, and went with, Taiwan Kim.  Probably none of you remember him cause the people that have been writing junior high memories all went to  Miller! 

There was a Lenihan dance that we all dressed up in 50's attire.  I was "going with" Shane Walgamuth at the time, and had braces!  I have some funny pictures from that dance in the Lenihan gym. 

Although it's great fun to read about all your wild and fun times!  But it makes Anson and Lenihan sound like we didn't have any fun!