I had the
unique experience of going to a brand new school. The school was so new the day it opened the
roofs were still not on the two buildings present on campus. I just noticed on the website that it is
celebrating 50 years. 1961 – 2011. Quote from the website: “CGHS opened its
doors to 176 freshmen and sophomores on a sand-strewn campus with two partially
completed buildings.” I was a freshman,
and the first graduating class to attend all four years at Cardinal Gibbons but
the second class to graduate. The area
was so underdeveloped that there was a rattlesnake on campus one day. Luckily no one was bitten and I think animal
control was called. Such are the
adventures of attending a new school.
New buildings were added while I attended.
The school was co-institutional when I attended. The boys were in one building and the girls
in another building. The girls were
taught by the nuns and the boys by priest except some of the priest taught
chemistry and physic to both the girls & boys. We could mingle during lunch and we called
the area were me mingled, “Check Point Charlie”.
My path was college prep but the principle was very
concerned that I would never graduate from high school. She called my parents in for a conference.
She is the one who told me I was too stupid to be a nurse. So at my 10 year reunion I mentioned to her I
was a semester away from having my BSN and had been a licensed RN for many
years. She stood there in front of me
and said, “I knew you could do it you just had to do it your way.” Well I who have never hit a person in my life
felt my right arm and fist curl back for a swing. I was so furious, not an
encouraging word the whole time I was in high school, but now that I had fought
and slaved to make it, it was like yeah I knew it all long. Lucky for both of us I just walked
away. Now I think of it this experience
has made me who I am today and so it was worthwhile.
 |
| Mary on campus 1965 a Senior |
I didn’t like high school; I didn’t like the girl - boys
stuff, the competition, and the clicks.
The only years I felt like I was successful were the years they split
the class by grades. So the excelling
students were in one group and they who had to study very hard students were in
the other group. I became the top of
class in my group, the ones who had to study hard and that felt good not to
have to compete with the brainiacs.
It was also a difficult time at home as during those four
years of high school my Mom was fighting cancer and finally lost the battle
when I was a senior. I wanted to go to
the public high school but my Mom was a firm believer that a Parochial school
education was better. I did get a very good education.
My high school is still there and now boasts 10 buildings
on campus. I attended Cardinal Gibbons High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
http://www.cghsfl.org/ 
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