Drill Team, Drama, Driver's Ed, Dances and Dates

 

Drill Team was probably my very favorite activity during my high school years.  I have always loved to dance, but there weren't many opportunities for dance classes in my small town/rural area.  I did have a few baton twirling and dance class lessons during elementary school, but always looked forward to trying out for and participating with the  high school drill team during their half-time performances at the football and basketball games.  I'm not particularly coordinated or talented when it comes to dancing, as much as I do love it, so even though I practiced hard and prepared my best for the try-outs for my freshman year, I didn't make the team.  To be honest, most freshmen didn't make the team.  But my friends and I tried once again for our sophomore year.   Again none of my group made the team.   Near the end of the summer, the girl's coach and advisor for the drill team contacted me to tell me that one of the members was not going to be able to participate, and so if I wanted it, I had a spot on the team!  I was torn, but had not saved up or prepared for the expenses of the uniform etc, nor had my friends made the team, so I gave up my spot to a younger freshman girl.  My family thought I was crazy since they knew how much I wanted to participate, but I didn't ever regret my decision, and the following year my best friends and I all made the team!  We sewed our own uniforms, had daily after school practices in addition to a full class period which counted as a PE credit, of course, and were able to travel on the bus to all of the away games for both football and basketball.  This was actually quite an amazing experience now that I look back on it, since as a rural community we competed against all of the other small rural schools all over our state, and we were able to travel and see many areas that my city born husband never experienced while growing up in the same state.  These were very small towns, mind you, but still an amazing experience to have growing up.

Drama was also an activity that I was able to participate in several years.  I did sign up for the Drama class with my friends during our freshman year, and participated in speech and drama meets throughout our region, doing readings or short one act performances.  We were also required to participate in the school plays.  If we didn't get a part in the play, we would help out with the sets, sound and lighting as part of the stage crew.  I did have very small parts in most of the plays, but really had a hard time breaking out of my shell to give a true performance.  But that's ok.  It was fun to be a part of the group, and to see all of the drama that happened both on and off the stage . . . for example when our leading lady's boyfriend happened to stop by a rehearsal one afternoon just in time to see her kiss her romantic interest.  It was a part of the play of course, but her boyfriend was definitely not happy about it!

Driver's Ed was also a rite of passage.  It was actually a fairly easy class both academically and for most of us the driving part was pretty easy too since we grew up driving tractors and trucks hauling hay in the fields.   So it was especially mortifying when I didn't pass my driving test.  The driving examiner would visit our small town once each month to administer the tests in the school owned Driver's Ed vehicle.   I was being so very careful to follow all of the rules of the road, and was shocked when after the test the examiner told me I had failed because I didn't brake fast enough when he told me to brake!  I'm sure there was something else that I had lost points on, but I was terribly embarrassed since the whole school knew that I had failed.  (That's just how it is in a small town where everyone knows everything that happens!)  My Driver's Ed teacher assured me that the examiner routinely failed someone or another, just to put some fear into the student's hearts.  And yes, the next month I did pass my test, and have been driving ever since.  Well, most of the time.  I didn't ever have  a car of my own until we were married for about five years, but I have done a lot of driving over the years.

Dances are a big part of high school years, but I must confess that they haven't always been a favorite activity.   Of course I started going to dances with my friends as soon as I was old enough.  During 7th and 8th grades there were one or two dances a year at school, and several other dances at church during the year.  We didn't have dates to the dances, but met up with our friends.  I learned early on what it feels like to be a wall flower and spend the evening holding up the wall, trying to smile and act like you are having fun.  Of course few 12 and 13 year old boys are brave enough to ask the girls to dance, and the boy you have the crush on is always going to be one of the most popular boys in town.  After a few such long, long, evenings, I made the decision that I would rather spend the evenings at home with my books.  

That being said, the most important dance of the year in my small town was the Junior Prom.  Formal attire was required; if not a tux, at least a suit for the young men and a formal dress for the young ladies, and couples often double or triple dated and traveled to nearby towns or to the city for dinner before or after the dance.  The Junior class had time off from class during the week before to decorate the gym with murals, streamers, disco balls and the works.   We also were expected to all participate in the Promenade choreographed performance at the half-time of the dance and parents and other interested town folk also bought their tickets to come and see the performance.  When we were juniors our class really did work together to make sure that every person who wanted to have a date to the Junior Prom, and my best friend and our dates did go out together for dinner at a fairly nice café in the neighboring county seat  (only a 30 minute drive from our hometown) before attending the dance.  My parents patiently took me to multiple stores down in the college town to find the "perfect" foam green prom dress, (which I still have in my closet!).  This was my first date, and my only true date of my high school years.   My date and I knew each other, of course, but were both very quiet and shy, and had never really talked before, or even much during the evening.  Thank goodness for good friends and double dates!

What do you remember about learning to drive?

What were your high school dating experiences?