52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History Elementry School

Describe your grammar/elementary school (or schools). Were they big or small? Are any of these schools still in existence today? If so, how have they changed since you went there? 

I went to three different elementary schools.  I went to PS 79 in Whitestone, Queens New York for Kindergarten and first grade.  I walked to school I don’t remember how long my Mom or Dad walked with me until I learned the way but I do know I did walk myself to school for first grade. 

St. Luke’s was also the church we went to while I was growing up.  This was a little further from home and I was allowed to ride the school bus and I did for a short time but I liked walking better.  I think even back then I like the time to myself.  I usually walked by myself until I was about half way there and then I would pick up my best friend Laura Valle.  When I was in the fifth and sixth grade I had a boyfriend John.  He was a cute boy with freckles.  He would walk me home and carry my book bag.  He even climbed a fence to pick me an apple off of someone’s tree.  

When I went to check out the school website, it is celebrating it’s 100^th Anniversary.

When I was a student there they had the old fashion desks with the ink wells.  I don’t remember a lot about elementary school other than I hated doing homework and I would drag it out.  How silly we are as kids, if I had done it quickly it would have been less painful.  I also remember each year when the report cards came out at the end of the year I would be promoted on probation, meaning if I did well the first part of the new school year I could stay in the new grade. I always managed to do well the first part of the year. 

The girl's uniform was a navy blue jumper, with a white blouse with a peter pan collar, and a blue clip on bow tie with tales.

Maps to schools from my home in Whitestone, NY

The third school I went to was St. Clements in Fort Lauderdale Florida.  I did much better here and was promoted each year.  If I remember right the reason why was that to be promoted you had to have 70 instead of 75 to be promoted. 

All three schools are still in existence.  PS 79 was the largest school I went to, since it is a Public School that makes sense.  As a matter of fact PS = Public School.  It currently has 773 students. St Luke’s was the second largest and now has 387 students and St. Clements is the smallest and currently enrolls 112 students.   I am sure that hasn’t changed much over the years. 

8th Grade Graduation June 4, 1961