"Do You Remember?"

Remember, these are MY memories. If they don't coincide with your memories you are welcome to challenge mine with yours.

My father took me to S.H. because of a promise that he made to Sister Ermanelda when I was a baby. In 1931 Daddy owned a grocery store on the corner of Elm and Franklin streets, where the Delta Laundry and Cleaners now stands.

At that time nuns from S.H. would take a basket to the various businesses and ask for donations for the school. Soon after I was born Sr. Ermanelda made her usual stop at the store and Daddy took her back to the apartment to "show off" his bouncing baby girl. Sister (according to Daddy) told him that he should be sure to take me to her when I was old enough to go to school. He promised to do so.

Sure enough, when that time came he took me to SHA and straight to Sr. EM's classroom. I stayed there only one week. Unfortunately, Sr. Em's class was kindergarten and I was 6 years old. So I was off to Sr. Mary Lillian's 1^st grade. Some of my classmates were Edwin Key, Cherry Muffoletto, Jane Ann McCarty, Ruth White, Richard Hargraves, Larry Beisel, Peggy West, Joy Rose Saia and, I think, William Coolidge. The year was 1937.

Of all those classmates only 3, Cherry, Edwin, and Joy Rose, stayed on to graduate from Sacred Heart. Many new students joined our class over the years and only 4 of these stayed on to graduate. The others- old and new- left for various reasons. Some moved away, some got married, and some just left.

Sacred Heart Academy was an excellent school, both musically and academically. Students were expected to learn and we did. Everyone had to work hard to pass the course work, and even though we did work hard, as you surely must remember, some of us were somewhat on the mischievous side.

Our classrooms were usually very orderly with strong discipline, but we were high-spirited, normal kids and had begun to be a little daring by the 5^th and 6^th grades. Occasionally, we would get into trouble with sister Catherine Louis, but nothing really serious. We calmed down considerably in Sr. Claracena's class - but by the time we reached the 10^th grade, we had begun to get our courage back and soon were not above braving the wrath of Sr. Agatha (the principal) just to have a little fun.

I remember once in 6^th grade when Jane Ann passed a note to me and sister caught us. I had to take the note to her and, according to her policy, I should have had to read it aloud. After reading this important missal (which, as I remember, was all about "V.B." and "J.A.M." sister decided to be lenient and just reprimanded us and returned the note. I think she was thinking more of the potential for embarrassment to V.B. rather than to Jane Ann and me.

I remember the first time that I actually 'played hookey'. It wasn't deliberately planned but just sort of happened. It was a fine spring day and Cherry Muffoletto and I decided to walk up to my Dad's store during lunch break for a treat - Kelly's Market. We did that and then, for some inexplicable reason, decided not to go back to school. I don't remember exactly how we picked the Recreation Park as our 'hideout' but it was probably because we knew we would get caught if we went downtown. Mrs. Hale who, with her husband, managed the Paramount and Pastime picture shows, never missed seeing a truant Sacred Heart kid and was an immediate direct line to the principal.

As I remember it, we were pretty bored. After we had eaten all of our junk food there wasn't much to do. We just sort of hung out and told tales. We were standing by a big tree when I got tired and decided to sit on the ground. Just as I plopped down a SNAKE slithered off, brushing my leg in passing. I screamed and jumped up! Cherry and I took off in one direction, the snake in another. I don't know who was the scardest - Cherry, that snake, or me. We decided that maybe 'playing hooky' wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Do you remember all of those programs that we were in? Throughout each year there were celebrations and programs in honor of special events - such as Christmas, Halloween, May Day, the end of school, high school commencement, the Senior Class Play, etc. There was also a musical recital. All students were expected to participate in one way or another.

I remember that either in 1^st or 2^nd grade, we did a number as 'Little Maidens', all decked out in crepe paper sunbonnets and drawstring purses. In another early grade we danced a jig dressed as Irish washerwomen in green and white, silky, peasant dresses.

Each year the production numbers became more intricate and required more practice. This was especially true for those of us who were, perhaps, a little less talented than others. Sister Rose Carmel was usually the choreographer, assisted by Sr. Catherine Louise. The music teacher,, Sr. Alice Mary, was the producer. Mrs Lois Carter, who was a lay music teacher, also helped with some of the productions. I am not sure exactly when her talents were added.

One of the hardest routines for me was a 'ballet type', rainbow number that we did one year. It turned out okay, as I remember and it must have been lovely to look at since we wore butterfly wings made of rainbow colored silk fabric. Do any of you remember the year that we did "Sleeping Beauty"? For that production, in addition to the dance number, some of us actually had speaking parts. I was the 12^th "good" fairy. The one who gets to commute the death sentence handed down by the "bad" fairy, to a 100 year long nap. Our costumes were made of silk (or rayon), tulle and glitter. Mine was a pale green and gorgeous.

THE grandest of my performances was duet with Jane Ann McCarty. I think we were in the 6^th grade. The scene was set as an old chateau garden with flowers, trellises, fountain and two 'statues' on pedestals. One, a shepherdess (Jane Ann), the other a shepherd (me). Joe Van DeVere stood at the side of the curtain and sang the story as the ' statues' came alive at midnight, danced and then sorrowfully returned to their pedestals. The sone began:

Finding the right costumes proved to be a difficult task, so we wound up being rather well dressed for our roles - although in the correct era. I remember that Jane Ann's dress was a pretty rose color with lacy trim. I wore a bright blue satin "George Washington" suit, borrowed from Randy Tardy who had worn it in a play the year before. Jane Ann and I were supposed to sing the song as we enacted it but weren't able to dance and project at the same time. Having Joe sing was a real plus because he had a beautiful voice.

I don't remember much about the Christmas plays other than singing carols, at least until I started taking clarinet lessons and could play in the orchestra. I do remember that in one Christmas program (3^rd grade, perhaps) Eddie Key and I had to recite a poem together. I don't remember the poem but I do remember the new dress that I got for the occasion and that the two of us got a lot of teasing afterward.

The most enjoyable part of school from 6^th grade on was the music. I loved playing in the orchestra and singing in the Glee Club and student choir. Our symphony orchestra was wonderful and our chorus could sing anything and any kind of harmony. My all time favorite was "Southern Roses". We were all privileged to have had such talented, dedicated, and patient teachers as we had.

Do you remember the May Festivals? I think that these were my favorite celebrations. As I remember it, the weather was always just right and everything was green, in bloom and beautiful. (Do you remember those giant Magnolia trees on the front lawn and the pink sweetheart roses that grrew in such profusion along the back steps down past the kitchen and laundry?

At the May Festivals there would be tables full of home made goodies and crafts, and music performed by the children. One year we sang The Glow Worm - "Shine little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer..." - Remember?

The most absolutely beautiful event at the May Festival was the Maypole Dance! This rare and difficult production was really an achievement. During the many practice sessions we would blunder and stumble and then try it again. We would worry about the big performance and what Sister might do to us if we messed it up. And, then, miraculously, everything would fall together and we would be the hit of the day! The May Festival that I remember most vividly was 1944, on the front lawn of Sacred Heart. I remember it so well because it was just a few weeks before my baby sister, Carolyn, was born and mother came to the festival to see the Maypole Dance! On that day I introduced Mama to Sr. Eligius who gave her a "First Missal" so she could learn about the Mass. I still have that Missal.

Do you remember the Chili Dinners that were held in the auditorium? This also was an opportunity to buy homemade fudge, cookies and other good things. These dinners were sometime part of the Halloween parties and sometimes not. Often there was Bingo and other games and cake walks. I have always been totally unlucky at any game of chance and I have often told people that the only thing that I ever won was a can of peaches and bowl to put them in at one of the SHA's Bingo parties.

I know that you remember the Bazaars. St. Mary's Fall Bazaar was the church's most important secular event of the year. It was looked forward to by the entire community. Every year there was big, scrumptious turkey dinner and real Italian spaghetti dinner prepared and served by the women from the parish. Sometimes some of SHA high school girls would help serve and clear. I remember one yea when all of us helped out. Towards the end of the meal when there were just a few diners left and we were clearing the tables, some of us started to sing, 'In the Evening by the Moonlight'. Pretty soon that big room at the National Guard Armory was resounding with 4-part harmony. Whether it was the acoustics, or our voices, our enthusiasm or a combination thereof, I remember that we sounded pretty darned good. We even got complimented from some of the grown-ups who were there. That was a fund time.

Other special events during the bazaar, besides the Bingo games, roulette wheel, duck pond and good food were the raffles and the Marionette shows. On school day afternoons, during Bazaar week, the SHA grades would take turns, waling as a group, to wherever the bazaar was being held to see the puppet show. These enchanting little production - the dolls, the stage and the props, were all the creations of Sr. Ermanelda, the sweet little German nun who was the kindergarten teacher.

Every year there were raffles. The most popular was for a beautiful doll with an exquisite wardrobe, which was designed and sewn by Mrs. Mamie Archer. Another favorite was a 'hope chest' filled with linens and lingerie, some handsewn, donated by churchwomen and local businesses. Chances on the doll were 5 cents each; on the hope chest 10 cents.

On the last day before Christmas vacation we would have a party in our classroom. At first everyone would just bring gifts for anyone they chose, but later on we started the practice of drawing names as well as giving gifts to our special friends. Everyone would be assigned a food item to bring from home to share with the class. We would all have a great time, playing games and pigging out.

I remember once in Sr. Michael Ellen's homeroom Christmas party we pushed all of the desks in a circle so there would be more room for the festivities. Some of the boys gathered in a remote corner and were quite intent on their "game". Sister went to check them out and discovered that they were shooting dice. Rather than scolding them, she just joined their game and beat them at it, declaring that all monies would be put into the mission bank!! There were other rule infractions that raised money for the missions, also. Does anyone remember what they were?

Lunchtime: Do you remember eating lunch at school? Of course, there was no cafeteria in our days, but with notice students could eat in the refectory with the "Boarders". For me this was a special treat since I usually walked home for lunch. Once in a great while I was allowed to take a 'bag lunch' which would be eaten in the auditorium. Eating in the refectory was the best. Meals were served family style at tables with white tablecloths. Of all the meals that I ate there I can only remember two food items that were served. Plain boiled potatoes and boiled wieners! I'm sure that the menu had been more varied than that. Of course, when I got older I wanted to join Marie Costello and others who often walked downtown to lunch at Thompson's drug store. They had very good chili and chicken salad sandwiches. An added treat at Thompson's was the opportunity to listen to the jukebox during lunch.

All was not fund and plays and music at SHA. There were rules and disciplinary actions and hard academic studies. I'm sure that many of the teaching techniques and probably almost all of the disciplinary actions would be outlawed today. But some of them worked - at least for many of us.

Do you remember standing in line for spelling and other quizzes? Do you remember having to stand beside your desk on one leg as punishment? Or when the whole class had to stay after school if more than one person was not prepared for a class? How about having to stand beside your desk and do your homework over in pencil if you had brought it in done in pen when you were told to do it in pencil?

Do remember having your head thumped with thimbled finger, as sister glided, noiselessly past you after finding you dawdling or otherwise wasting time? I do.

By the time we got to Sister Claracena's room (7^th and 8^th grades) we were already fully advised of the tortures we would endure for the next two years. Unfortunately, most of the tales were true. Sister Claracena made no apologies for the toughness. According to her philosophy, by the time students reached her classroom they were on the brink of becoming young men and women and if they didn't learn what they needed to know in her class, they never would.

Despite all of her toughness, Sr. C could be helpful and was really dedicated to teaching. Besides all the academic basics and behavioral mores, we were taught social graces as well. Do you remember that each 7^th grade class had to prepare a menu then serve and host a formal luncheon for the 8^th graders at the end of each school year? This luncheon was complete with placemats, fancy little nut cups, and correctly placed silverware. They were held in the refectory at SHA.

Do you remember having your report cards read out loud by Father (Dr.) Keller? This was fine if all your grades were up to par, but how deflating if they weren't. There certainly were no academic secrets at Sacred Heart Academy and Father's comments lingered long after, whether good, bad or indifferent. I can still hear, "Good report, Norma, but you can do better."

All of this emphasis on detail, following instructions and getting it right, certainly helped me to succeed when, at age 42, I decided to go to college. Never a test went by that I didn't thank all of my SHA teachers.

When I started to school, little boys did not wear long pants to school. They wore knickers - pants that were sort of gathered to balloon out to the knees. Socks that came up to meet the knickers completed the look. I think the official year for moving on to long pants might have been around the 6^th grade. Although I do remember some of the boys wearing long pants sooner than that.

We were really lucky. I know that SH girls had to wear uniforms, but if my fuzzy memory serves me right, that requirement stopped at about the time we started to school. Does anyone remember that year?

The same is true of basketball uniforms. Shortly before our time, I believe that bloomers were the required attire for the SH Girls. And , of course, girls were not allowed to wear long pants for any occasion other than the school picnics. At least not once you were too big for snowsuits. Sleeveless sundresses, see-through blouses, off-shoulder evening gowns, nylons and lipstick were also "no-no's". I remember getting a lecture about wearing a sleeveless sundress during the summer, when school was out. I remember one time when a prominent member of the orchestra had to wear a scarf to cover her bare shoulders during performance. This same person was sent home to change clothes when she came to school one day wearing jodhpurs. Do you remember those days?

As most of you probably remember, SHA began as a private boarding school for young ladies. Day pupils came later when the school began having financial difficulties. I don't know when little boys were added as boarders but I am sure that it was to answer the need of families who needed a Catholic schooling for all their children, not just their daughters. Whatever the rationale for allowing boys, they could only remain at SHA through 6^th grade. Our 6^th grade year was the last year for boy boarders.

At that time we had two of the boys in our class, both were from Clarksdale, Mississippi. And had other siblings at SHA. They were Vincent J. Brocato, Jr. and Tommy Watts. I am not sure why the boy boarder ban came about at this particular time. Perhaps the nuns realized that 5^th and 6^th grade girls wer paying too much attention to the boys and vice versa. School was much less fun without the presence of these two.

In 5^th grade I was an avid marble player and collector and was proud of the fact that I had as many, if not more, marbles as any of the boys. One day I decided to bring all 500 of them to school. Bad idea. Somehow I managed to drop the bag and marbles went everywhere! After I, finally, managed to pick them all up, Sister Catherine Louise confiscated them. (A true story about how I 'lost my marbles') That was the end of the marbles era for me. I wonder what sister did with all those marbles?

I remember one incident from 5^th grade that is now funny but was incredibly embarrassing at the time. One of the questions on a history test had to do with a racist, vigilante organization in the post Civil War South. To me this name had sounded oriental but I didn't remember it. So I wrote down "Ching, Chang, Chung" - for Ku Klux Klan. Honest! Sister read this out loud.

And, of course, there were the usual skirmishes with the bratty boys. Do you remember how some of them used to take our hats and play keep away with them? I remember Robert Ward as being a chief antagonist. I also remember 'beating him up' after school one time - with a little help from someone else, but I've forgotten who that was. Robert tattled on us but we didn't get into trouble. Does anyone remember what happened to Robert after he left SHA?

My best remembered hi-jinks incident occurred in the 10^th grade, algebra class, (I think, could have been the 11^th). Our teacher, SR. Eligius, was a nice woman and a good teacher, but she was getting old and her hearing was a little impaired. Sometimes it took awhile for her to realize that 'hi-jinks' were happening.

On this particular day, I was at my desk, dutifully paying attention to Sr. (who was at the blackboard with her back to the class) Edwin Key sat in front of me and Jane Ann McCarty was behind me. Edwin had an orange from which he peeled a little of the peeling, and then tossed the orange over my head to Jane Ann. She, in turn, peeled off a part and tossed it back to Edwin. This kept on, with me dodging and waiting until the inevitable happened. Plop!! Went that messy orange right onto my desk. I squealed, the other students tried hard not to explode, but didn't succeed. Sr. Eligius turned around, took one look and ordered me out of the room. Cherry Muffoletto said, "That's not fair, she didn't do anything"; and sister ordered her out of the room. Jane Ann and Edwin then confessed and they had to leave the room. Bettye Huntzicker piped up with, "Boy, if this keeps up there won't be anyone left". Yep, you're right, she was the last to join our exclusive little group. There we were, the five of us out in the hallway. Next was a trip to see Sr. Agatha who gave us a tongue-lashing and ordered us to apologize to Sr. Eligius before we could go back to algebra class. This was done in due time and there (at least to my knowledge) were no further fruit fights.

At the end of every school year there was a big picnic. This event was held at various picnic spots around the community. Sometimes on the school grounds. The most anticipated were those which required 'traveling'. The first of these that I remember was to a place called "Bathtub Valley". It seems that we drove for a long time and then had to walk some distance to finally reach our destination. Once there you knew instantly where the name originated. Right out there in the middle of nowhere was an old cast-iron bathtub - with working cold water faucets.

Other picnics of interest were at the Helena Recreation Part and Bear Creek Lake Park between Helena and Marianna. Do any of you remember the time at Bear Creek Lake when some us went out in row boats only to discover that no one knew how to row? Also that some of us couldn't swim a lick? Obviously, we all made it safely back to shore but I don't remember how. Do you?

Since leaving Sacred Heart Academy in December 1948 I have been to many places, met many people, done many things and raised a large family. Throughout this time I have never forgotten those growing up years in Helena, especially the school years at Sacred Heart Academy.

I am very fortunate to have maintained contact with some old classmates and other childhood friends and acquaintances off and on over the years, so that I often have someone who understands to what I am referring when I begin a conversation by asking, "Do you Remember......?".