Darlington High School, 1914-1988.

By John ‘Butch’ Dale
Guest Columnist

My daughter teaches English at North Montgomery High School. Last week she mentioned that school starts up again on Aug. 7. … No way! But of course she was correct. It seems that school starts earlier and earlier each year. That’s hard for a baby boomer like me to imagine, since school always started in September after Labor Day when I was a youngster. When Dad took us to the Indiana State Fair, we knew school was right around the corner.

John ‘Butch’ Dale

A few of my former classmates sometimes complained about heading back to the classroom, but most of them actually looked forward to being back in school. They just wouldn’t admit it. I loved school … being with my buddies, meeting new teachers, learning new subjects, and participating in clubs and sports. I was done mowing yards, baling hay, and detasseling corn. Summer baseball was over, too, and I was excited for school to start!

In those days, the school passed out a book list for each grade. Most of us purchased used books from the parents of a student who was one grade ahead of us. This reduced the cost quite a bit, but there were workbooks and other materials which had to be purchased new. These were sold at the local drug store, and then later on at the school. Most of my clothes were handed down to me from two or three cousins, but my folks always took me to Crawfordsville to buy me one pair of jeans and one pair of sneakers … total cost about $7. These were to last all school year.

The jeans were always too long, so I rolled them up at the ankle, and then let them down a bit as I grew taller. During my senior year, my parents splurged and bought me a pair of “penny loafers” at Kenney’s Shoes. That same year, the PTA purchased all of us basketball players new Converse All-Star sneakers. These cost $6.50 a pair, and I couldn’t believe they had spent that much!

I took my lunch to school during the elementary grades and in junior high, but during my high school years, I ate the school lunches, which cost 30 cents when I was a senior. The school had some great cooks, and I especially liked the taco, chili, and salisbury steak meals … and I loved their apple crisp! If the cooks had fixed too much, we could get second helpings for free. And after lunch, I usually headed down to the “subway” hall where the sixth grade teacher, Raymon Brown, sold ice cream treats for a nickel.

As I stood at the end of our driveway on the farm, I watched as my bus driver, Marvin Branstetter, headed my way. Ten minutes and four stops later we arrived in front of the school and scrambled inside. I still recall the smell of newly lacquered and polished wooden floors, as our teachers stood by the doors to their rooms, and welcomed us inside. It was great to see my classmates again, and meet any new students.

The boys had fresh haircuts, and the girls were all dolled up for that first day. During a few years, the student body assembled in the gym, and the principal went over rules, expected codes of conduct, guidelines, etc. … not something we wanted to hear, so a few mumbles and grumbles were heard. But hey, that’s part of school.

There was a call-out for joining clubs and organizations. Through the years, I was in the science club, student council, honor society, Latin club, and was the sports editor on the yearbook. I sold magazines to raise money for our senior trip, attended Boys State, acted in the senior play, and participated in all four sports that were offered. I went to class parties, and often met others at the drug store in the evenings to hear the latest gossip and talk about sports and girls, as I sipped on cherry Cokes, munched on chips, and had a dish of ice cream. Basketball practice always began in October, with games starting up in November, and I couldn’t wait for the season to start!

Yes, another school year had begun at old DHS, and I was happy!