1995-96 7th Grade Newark Jr. High
7th Grade was full of some very scary and new memories. We moved from Oil Trough Elementary to Newark and merged with the Newark kids. We didn't think we would fit in with them. Lot of awkward moments during those days. English with crazy eccentric Mrs. Moore, Geography with Mr. Tilley (who knew everything about History), Life Science with Mrs. Lindsay, orange lockers, and lunch with all the big kids. Our little Jr. High Corner was big to me. My first locker and every locker after it were always on the bottom. I never got a top locker. Eric Long always had the locker above me. LOL! Those were the days of feeling very protective of my Oil Trough friends and feeling very looked down on by the Newark kids. I was chubby and awkward with a retainer. NERD ALERT! There was dissecting in science and doing the science olympics in Mrs. Lindsay's class. We played Trash Can Science review games. I used that in my teaching too. I also remember joining the Pride Dance Team (drug-Free dance team) "Take Pride in yourself and in your family. We can make a difference so let the whole world see. We're the future! Our dreams can come true! We take pride in everything we do so just reach down inside and have a little pride. Have a little pride now. Just a little Pride. (How do I remember this song!?) This is where I started singing somewhere other than church. Thank you, Jr. High teachers for having saint-like patience with smelly, awkward Jr. High kids.
1996-97 8th Grade Newark Jr High
8th grade was not as awkward as 7th grade. I became fast friends with the "Newark kids." Those people are in my heart forever and we just blended. We are all Newark kids now. I remember English with Mrs. Goodwin, keyboarding with Mrs. Meachum, Career Orientation (do they still have that today?) with Mrs. Ray (who scared the crap out of me), Math with Mrs. Featherston-Bone, Earth Science with Mrs. Lindsay (Hey, Jessi, who is Crystal Meth? LOLLL), and History with Mr. Tilley (April, do you remember asking to go to the bathroom in his class? You had us all rolling). I remember thinking that Mrs. Featherston was way too pretty to be teaching math and had really really bad coffee breath! LOL. All the boys loved her and I remember she promised to do a tumble thing if one of the boys in my class made a C on a test. She was the cheerleading coach and was very bouncy. I remember Coach Wheeler helping us take the Hunter's Ed test. LOL!!!!! Mrs. Lindsay made us write everyday in a journal. I always loved that. She has really inspired me in my teaching career and her leadership skills are amazing. I still look up to you, friend! Thank you, 8th grade teachers for being there for us and our awkward clumsy selves.
1997-98 9th grade at Newark High School
9th grade was an amazing beginning of high school. I had lost lots of weight over the summer and went into 9th grade feeling super cool. Another year and another bottom locker, but we got to move to the 9th grade hallway. It was carpeted and better for us bottom locker holders. I remember taking Health with Coach Crotts and being very uncomfortable when talking about the body. LOL! I remember Mrs. Ackerson coming in with her Square Dancing dresses on Fridays, Mrs. Dial being the most amazing English teacher ever! (Love you Aunt Sue Sue), Physical Science with Mr. Smith, and Civics with Coach Stan (Dude was the best teacher ever! He knew where every place on the planet was and took us spelunking as a field trip. So many fun memories in that class). 9th grade is where I started growing out of the bangs. Very awkward hair for a very long time. I'll never have bangs again. I just want to thank Coach Stan and Mrs. Dial for making 9th grade so fun.
1998-99 10th grade Newark High School
10th grade was so fun! Pre-AP English with Mrs. Pillow, Biology with Mrs. Campbell, World History with Coach Barber, Geometry with Mrs. Ackerson (I don't remember who drew that awful picture on your desk), Home Economics with Mrs. Curtwright, and many other classes. Mrs. Campbell, I'm so sorry that I never studied for "Trapping" (a review game) and probably cut up more than I listened. Thank you for making us do Leaf/Wild Flower collections and that awful bug collection. I still know way too much information about types of flowers and bugs. Coach Barber, I'm sorry that we girls thought you were super cute and you probably heard more girly giggles than you probably cared for. Mrs. Curtwright, I'm sorry that I just couldn't learn how to sew and gave up after 10 seconds. LOL! Mr. Smith, I'm not even sure where to begin with you. I didn't ever understand anything that come out of your mouth, but I always took notes from the time I walked in until I walked out. I also still have my TI-82. I still use it. LOL! Thank you, High School teachers, for putting up with hormonal high schoolers.
1999-00 11th Grade Newark High School
11th grade was probably my favorite! I was class President and felt very confident in myself that year. I remember Typing with Mrs. Tate (She is precious), Spanish with Mr. Bennett (I'm so sorry for all the bathroom trips and the reading books during class), Trig with Coach Davis (I'm sorry...math is not my thing), English with Mrs. Peer (literally the best English class ever!), Chemistry with Mr. Smith (I still can't talk about this awful time in my academic life. I just can't), and history with Mrs. McCance (I just loved your class and loved you! You were the sweetest and best!) I remember making Spanish commercials at Elaina's house for a project with her, Jessi, and Amber. I wish we still had that tape! Mr. Smith, I'm sorry for throwing the lit match during lab time. Glad I didn't burn anything up and thanks for banning me from anything flame related in lab. I remember planning prom and driving on ice to Cave City to get some kind of lantern with Jessi for Homecoming that ended up being canceled. I remember having the best prom night ever with Lane. He picked me up in a convertible and we had the best time (I had a pretty big crush on you, Lane. You were the sweetest) I was able to drive and I had so much fun! Mrs. Dial, I LOVE LOVE LOVED choir! We had so much fun in there and I made lasting friendships! Teachers, you made 11th grade fun (with the exception of some. Sorry. LOL)! Thank you for dealing with driving teenage know-it-alls!
2000-01 12th Grade at Newark High School
Senior Year! Bless all the teachers that deal with Seniors! Senior year was so fun! AP English with Mrs. Pillow (we are so sorry for not thinking that the summer assignments were required and turning in empty pages on the first day, we are sorry for cheating during vocab quizzes, and for giving you heck) I'm sure we made her last year of teaching memorable. I remember Human Anatomy with Mrs. Campbell where we had to dissect a cat. We had to skin our own cat, then dissect every single part of this cat. That is my last experience with a scalpel. I also remember we did a cookie fundraiser during this time and had otis-spunkmeyer cookie ovens in the same room with the cats. Formaldehyde and cookies did not set well on the stomach. I'm also sorry that I prayed for the tarantula to die out loud everyday and then you blamed me when we walked in and he was 8 legs up dead in his cage, but not that sorry. I remember driving Mr. Lowery crazy. He just made it too easy. Sorry we made Ryans sing happy birthday to you on that FBLA trip when it wasn't your birthday. Thank you Mr. Evans, for making Art fun. Senior year allows us to take lots of classes we didn't get to take and art with a bunch of smelly 9th graders was fun anyway. Mrs. Evans, you made drama so fun and I had a blast working with you on all of our plays. Don't Rock the Boat, 60s Coffee House, Beauty and the Beast, etc. We had a blast! I don't remember when we did Wizard of Oz with Mrs. Goodwin, but it was fun too! Mrs. McGlothlin (spelling?), I loved being your helper! We had a fun time! Thank you all for making Senior year fun and filled with lots of memories!
Newark High School
These people were amazing as well! Mr. Vance my bus driver, thanks for getting us to school safely. Mrs. Pollard, thanks for being a great nurse! Mrs. Cora Lee and Mrs. Phyllis, you two ladies were the best and the sweetest smiles to see everyday! Mr. Tumlison, you were the best Principal ever! You had great leadership and showed us that you were firm, but were fun and cool. We respected you greatly and loved your passion! Mr. Cunningham, thanks for dealing with me in Agri that one semester. Sorry about that whole flame thing. LOL!
You Kangaroos might be thinking that I left someone one, but I'm saving the best for last. Mr. Billy Madison (aka Uncle Billy Joe)
Mr. Madison, you were my favorite teacher. You were more than just our Band Director. You were my teacher every year since 6th grade. You always had fun music for us to play, laughed at our jokes, gave advice, let us hang out in the band room, stayed late waiting on parents to pick us up from ballgames or trips, took us on fabulous trips, introduced us to amazing music and musicals, filled us with culture, and more. Every fun memory that I have of Newark has you in it. Going to Disney World and Universal Studios was the funnest trip I have ever been on. I can go on and on about all the wonderful trips we took. Going to Nashville, watching Broadway shows, playing in competitions, marching in parades (remember when you went to Chicago and we had to march TnT without you), all the ballgames, and our school lock in (still one of my favorite past times), etc. etc. etc. You are truly an amazing educator and an even more amazing person. Thank you for everything. You are so special to me. I know we drove you crazy at times (talking all the time or making crazy noises or doing homework during class or being nutty), but we really do love you. Jessi, Elaina, and I probably made you crazy on the front row, but we just couldn't help it! You helped mold the person I am today and I will be forever grateful. Love you bunches!
Thank you, Newark High School, for being the best school ever. I will always be a Kangaroo. Thank you for investing in my life and making sure that I succeeded. Thank you for making high school the best years of my life and filling me with sweet memories and giving me amazing friends that I still talk to and keep in touch with to this day. Class of 2001 was a very special group. We thank you.
One day, I'll make a post about all of my high school memories with my friends. Tonight has got me nostalgic. Elaina and Jessi, you girls...love you so much! We have so many memories together.
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