Back in the old days–when May 1st would come around, all the grade school kids would parade out on to the playground and each class would do a well rehearsed dance for all the parents. We practiced for weeks during our regular recess time so there was a ton of stress to do it perfectly…which of course, we did. The only hitch would be if the record–being played over the P.A. system would skip and no one would have a clue what to do. That was funny to watch…not so funny to be involved in.
Couple of things of note in this picture–
First: Being at the very end of the line means that I was officially the tallest girl in the fifth grade. Wowww–that was a big pain because it also meant, at that age that I was taller than all the boys too. And those are some mighty big feet for a 10 year old. Again, I say wowww.
Second: Check out all those “bobby socks.” They were all the thing…you must trust me on this.
Third: I positively loved this skirt. It had cute little baskets with puppies on it. I was teased mercilessly whenever I wore it, because, well…you don’t see any other skirts with, you know…puppies, do you? Didn’t think so. But I liked it anyway, so when I was feeling particularly brave enough to be laughed at, I’d wear it.
Lastly, after all these years, I can still remember the names of the girls in line by me. Skeptical? Well, here goes:
Me, Peggy, Estelle, Lori Takiuchi, Gloria Estrada, Michi Jones, Donna Imigawa, and Valerie. Don’t you think I deserve a prize for that? I accept Cheetos and Symphony bars at the door…shamelessly.
Anyone besides me remember May Day dances at school? Tell me about it…please.
Happy May Day everyone!
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I don’t have any May Day memories. However, I was the tallest girl in 6th grade and stopped growing. So I wasn’t the tallest for long.
Same here–no guy wanted to hang out with the giant girl, then suddenly, everyone on earth felt taller than me.
Man your memory is amazing, I doubt I could rattle off names of my school mates. And no we did not do May Day dances when I was in school but for several years, while home schooling, we had a huge May Day celebration complete with a May pole and streamers that the kids could perfectly weave. One of the sweet perks and dear memories of a very special time. Welcome Spring, we’ve been waiting for you!
This is such a cute picture and I love that you remember SO much about it. It’s great that you’re getting all of these stories preserved somewhere as well.
We didn’t ever do anything for May Day, but I remember doing Christmas and Spring programs in Elementary School. I loved it. That’s where I learned a LOT of random songs. They also used to have us start the day singing a patriotic song that was played over the PA. I really liked that. I doubt they do that anymore. 🙁
Think I know where I got my memory from 😉