"In the Susquehanna Valley, land of rippling streams and rills..."
With yet another year coming to a close, I can't help but reminisce on my time in high school. Everybody has their own stories, but those who went to Sayre High always seem to have stories that line up with each other.
1. You had a really small graduating class.
I graduated with 72 people in my class. To me, this never really sounded that small because that was just always how it was. Going off to college, I realized how ridiculously small my class was. Basically, anyone who graduated with less than 200 people said they came from a "small" school. As soon as I say I only had 72 people in my class, they immediately retract their statement.
2. You went to the Corning Museum of Glass for several field trips.
It seemed like just about every year there was a field trip that somehow involved the Corning Museum of Glass. It's totally fine though, because it also always involved shopping and, of course, missing school.
3. You undoubtedly went through several policy changes.
Rules are constantly changing and being adapted at Sayre High. While in my time at SHS, I witnessed OCP changing, tutorial becoming 9th period, an attempted change in dress code, and even the lifting of the cell phone ban. Some of these changes were really positive, but there were others that everyone was upset about. Eventually, everyone forgets that the changes even happened, but you remember.
4. Some school lunches were pretty great, but others...
Everyone always had the favorites, like turkey gravy over mashed potatoes or cheesy bagels and tomato soup. Of course, there were other days, particularly Mondays, where you hated the fact that you forgot to pack a lunch.
5. You don't know the room numbers.
To this day, I could not tell you how to find a certain room by number at Sayre. I could, of course, tell you where they are based simply on the teacher. There are also locations like "the 7th grade hallway" that everyone can find by saying just that.
6. You had some really great teachers, and probably had them more than once.
At Sayre, many of the teachers teach on several different levels. For example, I had Mr. Sikora for Algebra 1, 2, Pre-calc, and calc, totaling 4 of my 6 years at Sayre. Many teachers had set classes they taught every year, but sometimes, it came down to the luck of the draw. Some people have the same teacher for several years, but others never have them at all.
7. Everybody knows everybody.
Students, teachers, staff, and even the principal could name just about every person in the entire school. Granted, our whole school is smaller than some graduating classes.
8. Rusty Rail was always super intense.
The Rusty Rail Food Drive, Sayre vs. Athens. Every year for the past several years, the rival schools collected food items for the local food pantry, and it was made into a competition where a trophy was awarded during half-time of the football game. In Sayre, the competition was also between different classes. We brought in tons of cans, cases of water, cereal boxes, and even monetary donations in hopes of winning some kind of reward, whether it be a pizza party, a free class day, or something else. As a result of the intense competition, Sayre pretty much always wins the food drive.
9. Rumors spread like wildfire.
They also died just as quickly. If a rumor started 1st period, it could be over the whole school by 3rd, but then killed off before the buses came.
10. You know exactly what "the Little School with a Big Heart" means and know it to be completely true.
We may be a small school, but SHS really does have a big heart. Many of the teachers, students, and staff are so incredibly generous and kind. Many of the things we do or did at Sayre were because we wanted to, not because we were asked.
While sometimes you wish you had gone to a big school just to know what it's like, in the end, you wouldn't change your time at Sayre High for anything.
"... let us give a ringing cheer, for the praise of Alma Mater, for our Sayre High School, so dear."
