Middle School...

Ah, so the drama starts! We have come to epic point of the story that is Middle School. I’m sure we all remember that awkward stage in our lives where we are defined as nothing else but the Great “Missing Link”, commonly known as preteens. This is where the true drama starts, when the fear that we cannot possibly survive a full school day without recess becomes the least of our worries… But of course, while we loathe the mix of incomprehensible emotions, we are glad to have experienced these years, because they have formed, like many points in our lives, the very essence of identity that makes us who we are! Yeah, you’re pretty much used to me saying stuff like that by now, but let’s get started!
So, my “Middle School” years really started around 5th Grade, when I came back to TLS to face my fear. I wasn’t so much worried about Mrs. Kelliher as I was worried about the experience in general. We were the “big kids” now. We had responsibility. I thought to myself, though, that as long as I had my friends with me, I would be okay. Lo and behold, I was right! The first thing I remember about coming back is seeing Douglas, and then everything soon came into the right place again. As it turned out, Mrs. Kelliher was actually the best teacher I’d ever had there! She knew how to teach us, and she could always make us laugh.
Now, as far as middle school goes, the most popular subject is the crushes. Who’s liking who and whatnot. As an indecisive young lad, I’d had a crush on a different girl every year since Third Grade. (That streak went on for a length of time I’m not currently at liberty to discuss). Fifth Grade was Malinee Powell, though I later realized I wasn’t the only one. The problem was that I had come to that strange point in adolescence where I was afraid to talk to girls… I’m not sure if everybody’s had an experience like that, but I sure did for that year. That spurred the fourth most embarrassing moment of my life. I can’t remember much, but I’m pretty sure it involved a tissue box, a long stare, and a very awkward smile.
Sometime around 6th Grade, somebody told me I was part crow. I didn’t necessarily believe it, but I thought, “Hey, I’ve broken the law of gravity once, why not do it again?” So every recess (we were blessed with recess in middle school), I would go out to the field and run as fast as I could while flailing my arms wildly, and then I would jump over the lower area of the field and try to fly… unsuccessfully. I went through many school pants that year. It wasn’t until later that I learned I was actually part Crow Indian. That killed the mood a bit, but by then I was sure I had the trick down. I read in a book that the secret was to jump towards the ground and miss unintentionally. I don’t know if it worked, but I swear I got a good few seconds of air time once or twice.
We had some great experiences at that school, not the least of which was “track-and-field” day! We’d all drive out to Ponca City and run each of our different courses, including the long jump, relay, 100-yard dash, and even a spelling bee (I was a whiz at that one!). We also had occasional weekend trips to Camp Lutherhoma (which surprisingly few people have heard of). Then, we can’t forget those wondrous school plays, like “Jonah, the Musical!” There was rarely a dull day at that school.
Although some may find it hard to believe, I was the class clown in Middle School. I loved nothing more than to make everyone else laugh. If anybody had ever commented that I was shy, I would be taken aback. Roland would reply with, “Yeah, about as shy as a hand grenade.” Unfortunately, due to financial circumstances and an incompetent principal, the school closed down permanently after 7th Grade. Roland and Douglas went to Wright. Malinee went to Metro for a year and later moved away to Colorado. Micah and I went to Mingo. 8th Grade and 9th Grade can pretty much be coupled in the same category, so the rest of the story is for another time. Until then!