By MICHAEL McENTARFER
Although I graduated from Fredonia High School in 1968, I attended the Fredonia Campus School from first grade through eighth grade. Although there have been high school class reunions since then, there has never been a reunion of the "kids" who went to the campus school until now.
Plans are under way for a Campus School Reunion to be held at the Fredonia Beaver Club on Friday, July 6 from 7 to 10 p.m. This event is open to all who attended or taught or worked at the Campus School.
The Campus School was located in the "Old Main" building which is now One Temple Square. The school was operated by SUNY Fredonia and it served as the college's training site for student teachers. The school offered 2 classes of each grade from kindergarten through ninth grade. The college phased out the school sometime in the 1970s.
It was a wonderful school and those of us who attended have lots of memories.
A Facebook page has been created for Campus School alumni and we invite all alumni to visit this page. Search for "Fredonia State Campus School" on Facebook - (www.facebook.com/#!/groups/165854783471784/ - to see many old photos and shared memories.
We have plenty to remember. At Christmas we would gather in the lobby and sing carols. Every spring there was a May Festival and if the following dance steps sound familiar "heel and toe, heel and toe, slide ... slide ... slide" then you most likely were a Campus School kid. Dances were held in the school lobby where we all brought our favorite Beatles records to spin on the record player and, of course, the boys stood on one side of the room and the girls stood on the other.
And, like most people of my generation, I can remember clearly where I was when I learned that President Kennedy had been assassinated I was sitting in Mrs. Hilton's math class.
We had some great teachers at the Campus School: Mrs. Mckee, Mrs. McCullor, Mr. Duffy, coach Damore, Mr. Miga, Mr. Rector, Mr. Carlson, Dr. Connelly, Mrs. Buderkin and Mr. Murphy. And we had plenty of student teachers over the years.
As we got older we became better and better at playing tricks on some of them and, after all these years, I'd like to offer my apologies to those young aspiring teachers.
And if you believe that everything eventually comes full circle, the Campus School building is now an apartment building - One Temple Square. My mother lives there today and she is living in an apartment that is located in what was once one of the fourth-grade classrooms.
We would like to invite all who attended or taught at the Campus School to join us.
There will be a cash bar and light snacks. A $5 charge per person will be charged. Please bring your memories!
Michael McEntarfer attended the Campus School from 1956 to 1964. He is a Fredonia resident.
