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!