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23 September 2014

Back To School Memory

In Florida, where I grew up, the school year starts relatively early compared to the rest of the country. Usually by mid-August school is up and running, Labor Day as a starting point means nothing. I don't have many vibrant back to school memories but going back to school certainly brought special things.

For elementary school it meant popcorn on Fridays, skating parties at the local rink, hours spent at the dance studio inhaling the smell of sweat, tights, and new ballet shoes (my sister danced for many many years, my mother volunteered a lot and I ran around like a hooligan learning every hiding spot- good times). In fifth grade I was beyond excited for the first day of school because my sister had finally handed down a shirt of hers that I had been coveting for years. Oh it was a great shirt- light blue on the bottom half and navy on the top with a stripe of footprints in alternating colors across the chest. I believe it was from something fantastic like PacSun.

Middle-School brought a whole new adventure, an influx of new students, changing classes- finally having a locker. The first day of 6th grade we had to go to the gym and sit with everyone and wait for our names to be individually called to get our schedules. #awfulsystem

High-school was whatever, our 9th grade building was at a separate campus so you already knew everyone and the deal. By the time you made it to the main campus you weren't the annoying young ninth graders so it didn't matter.

My best back to school memory/story is my senior year of high-school. School started mid-August, as usual, I think around the 12th or 13th of the month. We went to our first and second days, Thursday and Friday, and then over the weekend the state of Florida was hit by a massive hurricane, Charley. School was cancelled- for almost 2 weeks. My own home didn't have power for over 8 days- the streets were filled with trees, power lines down, puddles of water. Our neat backyard turned into a forest. Thankfully my best friend lived on the same powergrid as the fire station so we moved in with her, rented a ton of movies and just waited.

Then school started again, we had a few days of classes and then boom again, another hurricane, Frances. She wasn't as bad as Charley but again- no school for a week! Things clean up a little faster this time, not as many damages- but we are still working on assignments from the first day of school.


We go back, for about another week and it happens again! Hurricane #3, Ivan. Off from school for another week.

It was crazy, one of the worst seasons Florida has ever had. The students loved it- senior year was great. We missed basically the first month of school and then we all got out in early May because we were seniors. Definitely a year I will never forget!

Linking up with The SITS Girls for the Back to Blogging Challenge!
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10 comments:

  1. That sounds about like the start of the second semester of school for my boys, only it wasn't hurricanes it was snow. I was beginning to think they never would get out of my hair. LOL

    Really enjoyed your post. Looking forward to others from you.

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  2. Starts mid-August here in Indiana too. Way too early.

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  3. It really sucks you got hit back to back by three hurricanes but awesome you had off school for a month and didn't have to make it up!

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  4. I remember that year. My mom worked for FPL's catering company and she had to move into the area for that whole time to help feed the crews working on bringing the power back. If I would have been a senior, I would have been ecstatic too!

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  5. Yikes! I think I would have welcomed the snow during those hurricanes- no power in Florida in the middle of August is not that much fun... Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. I didn't mind it growing up and we got out around mid-May. It wasn't until I started college that I made that Labor Day switch.. the school days all work out in the end.

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  7. It was pretty cool- we did have to make up a bit of it, normally we got out of school an hour early on Wednesdays (from K-12 in my county) but after the hurricanes short-Wednesdays were cut to try and make up some of the time. We didn't have to do full extra days though, which was very nice!

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  8. My friends and I definitely enjoyed it, and took advantage wherever possible (large sleepovers, snacks and movies!)- great way to start the school year!

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  9. Miste Kehau Anders-ClemonsSeptember 24, 2014 at 12:08 AM

    I love how you sectioned elementary, high school ,etc.

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  10. Thank you! There are different memories/associations with each area of school so I figured- why not?

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