The Firsts Of First Grade

Day 13

C'mon Jeremy, show us some teeth!

Another look back at my school days at Bonneville Elementary (go Broncos!) Wait a minute! We had a mascot? Why? Did we have a football team? A soccer team? Hmm…

…Anyway, today’s entry is about my first grade year (1980-1981). My teacher was Mrs. Walker, a very nice, sweet woman. First grade was the year of some “firsts” for me. This was the first year that I had school all day (no more of that half-day, kindergarten kid’s stuff!). This was also the first year that I missed the first day of school! And I was really disappointed that I missed the first day (I’m not joking).

Here’s what happened: on the morning of my first day of first grade I was excited about the start of school (oh, to be that young and naïve…) and as I was eating my breakfast of Cheerios (I love, love, love cereal and consequently that is all I would eat…that’s another story, though) I got sick, and promptly threw up. And so I was stuck at home for the rest of the day. Missing my first day of first grade could have completely destroyed my scholastic achievement, because you learn EVERYTHING on the first day, right? Or at least that’s what I thought, but to my relief I was able to catch up with the rest of my class (which included one of my best friends/next door neighbor Shalayne Merrill - this is my shout out to ya!!)

I'm on the front row, 4th from the right, looking like I'm facing a firing squad!

Mrs. Walker is the teacher on the right side; on the left side is a

student teacher (don't remember her name, though)

Another “first” I experienced in first grade was winning a prize in school. For the life of me I cannot recall why I won this prize, but I was awarded these two comic books seen below, which I still have after all these years:

I would go on to collect tons of Archie comics

The most memorable “first” I experienced in first grade happened at the end of the school year. At Bonneville Elementary it was a tradition to have a special assembly in which students from various classes in all of the grades were presented a “Certificate of Scholarship” - a special recognition for their achievement in a particular school subject - by their teacher. The students did not know in advance if they were being recognized in the assembly, so with all of us gathered together in the cafeteria/auditorium we waited in the audience, waiting for our name to be called! Very exciting, very Academy Awards!

As each name would be read, along with the subject for which the person was being recognized, the student would climb up to the stadium and receive the certificate, followed by cheers and applause! Well, suffice it to say that I was one of the lucky ones in my class to be recognized. My subject: Art. Now, I say that I was one of the lucky ones because not everyone was recognized, a harsh reality I would experience in 2nd and 3rd grade. Sadly, I lost the first certificate I received at Bonneville…but fortunately this was the first of a number of certificates and recognitions I would receive at Bonneville!