Comments:
After 9th grade, my family moved to Richmond where I was accepted into St. Christopher's School, an all-boys private prep school. The first year was the toughest. I had to adjust to the very high academic standards, get used to a completely new set of peers ie. deal with a bunch of geeky, rich, smart dudes with no girls on campus, and I had to ditch the old hairstyle (you know, the part down the middle- feathered back on the sides with a hairdryer.) This part was crucial to my survival... I had been quietly dubbed "Danny Disco" around school. Yes- Life as I knew it in comfortable old Roanoke had changed forever. The endless summer days spent at the Penn Forest pool were gone, no more Friday night football games at the Jr High, gone were the wholesome party games we played of "spin the bottle" and "3 Minutes in Heaven", no more were the threats of "whacks" from Mr. Akers and his hole riddled paddle. Nor would I ever see again Mr. Tucker frown upon the woodwind section for coming in too late on their parts the day before the big concert. Never again would I endure Mr Phillips leaning back in his chair against the gym wall during PE, a milisecond from napping, tapping a big stick against the floor while we ran laps. Only a memory would be: Jeff Connor cracking his corny jokes and being the only guy I knew that could get away with saying "Oh Damn" to his mom without getting in trouble, George Canale dialing for dates from the Hidden Valley Jr High directory and getting firm yeses on each try, Ben "Gentle Giant" Smith protecting Todd Baldacci (and the rest of us for that matter) from the Starkey Prevos, Whitney Smith, Debbie Myers, and Tina Hudson always being picked first for slow dances at Boy/Girl Parties in 6th grade, Hope Daggett being the foxiest chick in the student body to never put on a cheerleading uniform, Vickie Lankford and Brook Emory dating/breaking up/ dating/ breaking up...., Rod Compton or "Axle" as his former football coach called him being tauted as the next best football prospect, Rick Mutzabaugh and I waking up at 5am, and slugging down raw eggs before running 3 miles so we could be as tough as "Rocky"....yes it was an end to an era for me. And I wouldn't be there to see it blossom into full life at Cave Spring High School. What memories I have of those crazy times in Roanoke and at Cave Spring Jr High....Thanks to Rob for setting up this website!
