Silver Bay, 1956-1957

DAYS OF WONDER 

My name is Narta.  I live in a cabin in the trailer court.  The trailer court is near the big lake.  The lake's name is Superior. Daddy sometimes calls it the shining big sea water. The road by the big lake has curves and hills.  I get carsick sometimes when we go on that road.

I moved to the cabin from a farm in Harris, Minnesota.  I like the cabin because it's next to a playground.  There are lots of kids in the trailer court.  Boys and girls. Before I moved here I only knew two boys.  Dean lives on a farm near ours.  Jeff lives in Minneapolis.  His mom is my mom's sister. 

I live in the cabin with my mom and my dad and my sister Karen and Boots.  He is a dog.  Karen is in 11th grade.  Her classes are in houses on Bell Circle.  I can see the school houses from the playground at Campton school.  

I am in kindergarten at Campton School.  I am in the afternoon class.  My teacher is Mrs. Firminhac.  The best toys at school are trucks and cars with wheels.  They are made of wood.  They are new and shiny and smooth.  I want to play with them but the boys take them first.  Some of the boys live in the trailer court.

My first day of school.  I am 4.

Silver Bay Kindergarten at Campton School

If I counted correctly there are 41 students in the photo of Mrs. Firminhac's class.  And I happen to know of another member of the Class of 1969 that moved to S.B. in February - so he would have made it 42 students.  (The photo has Christmas decorations.)  Then, you have to figure at least one student was out sick that day, right?  No doubt about that baby boom.



And does this report card not typify America and the American family in the 1950s?  Below is a photo of the front and back of the card.  I never thought of teachers even having a first name when I was in elementary school, but Mrs. F. has signed her name:  La Jean Firminhac.  ( Man, it's hard for me to get the spelling of that last name right.)

 

I'm surprised at how many days I was absent during the year - 18 the first half and 13 the second.  I definitely remember two particular times I was absent.  The first time I had tonsillitis.  I went to Dr. Bloom at the dispensary - which was in the same compound as the Reserve offices, on the lake side of 61.   Dr. Bloom scared me - probably because I spotted the syringe before he gave me a shot in the derriere. At home I took liquid penicillin that was banana flavored.  I liked him better for that.  The other distinct memory of not going to school was because of the measles.  There must have been other illnesses. I doubt I ever stayed home because I didn't want to go.  There were few things I didn't like about school - gym class was one and that was mostly in fifth and sixth grade.  I'll eventually get around to that agony.