Highland Park School in
Gloucester City, NJ was a four-classroom school when I attended from 1957 to
1961. In the basement was the lunchroom (it may have been a kindergarten room
in the morning). My Brownie Scout troop met in the basement. I have fond memories
of Mrs. Davidson and Mrs. Blanche Moen teaching us scout songs, making butter
and crossing a bridge to a higher troop. I had attended Monmouth St. school for
kindergarten before we moved to the Cypress Gardens section of the city.
Our class was quite large and
was the only grade in our classroom. Some of the other grades were grouped two
grades in one classroom. My first-grade
teacher was Mrs. Cole. She was the meanest person I ever met in my childhood.
She would smack us, hit us, pull our hair and ears and verbally abuse us. Once
when I had a wrong math problem she ripped my skirt off my body. That little navy-blue
pleated skirt is seared into my memory. Why didn’t we tell our parents? She
told us she would kill us if we did.
Kids were having night terrors, wetting the bed, and afraid to go to school. A
classmate told me years later about meeting Mrs. Cole while grocery shopping with
his mother and shaking in his shoes while she sweet talked his mother. I had a
child nervous breakdown. After nightmares, crying and saying I was afraid to go
to school my mother went to see the teacher. She said I was a terrible child
and that my kindergarten teacher said that too. My mom went back to my old
school and told Mrs. Barr, my kindergarten teacher what Mrs. Cole said. Mrs.
Barr asked who my teacher was and when told it was Mrs. Cole she said my mom
should go to Miss Mary Ethel Costello, the Asst. Superintendent of Schools. I
was called to the principal’s room (she taught 2nd grade) while all
the other children were outside on the playground. Present besides the
principal were Miss Costello, Mrs. Cole and me. Not even my mother. I was asked
all the things Mrs. Cole was doing to the children. I told them everything
(can’t believe I was that brave, but I was truthful). Then they called my mom
on the telephone and had me repeat everything I had told them. What was the result of this inquisition? Mrs.
Cole would remain our teacher and would be fired at the end of the school year.
As for me, I would still be in her class. She ignored me the rest of the year.
This situation would be all over the news if it happened today. When she left
at the end of the year they found empty gin bottles hidden all over the
classroom, cloak room and the basement. I sometimes marvel that after that
experience I loved school and ironically became a math teacher.
Mrs. Farina, the principal, was my second-grade teacher. I don’t remember
much about that year. The most overwhelming memory is that I was behind thanks
to Mrs. Cole. I think I sat behind Joanne (Dee) Davidson as we were two of the
tallest kids in the class. I remember looking over Dee’s shoulder to see her
paper. I knew Mrs. Farina knew I was looking at other people’s papers, but she
never said anything. She let me catch up and later I could do my work on my
own.
Third grade was Mrs. Barrish (not sure of the spelling). I remember very
little. She was young and in my mind pretty. I think her husband may have been
in the military. She left after that year.
Fourth grade was Mrs. Angrabe.
I started that school year late. I had an emergency appendectomy at the end of
August. In those days you were in the hospital for a week or more. I had some
complications and was in about 10 days. I began the school year two weeks or so
late. Then I wasn’t allowed on the playground at recess as a precaution, so I
spent it in the classroom with Mrs. Angrabe. This was the first time I remember
having science. I loved it. I was fascinated with space and space travel. Mrs.
Angrabe’s husband taught science at my next school, M. E. Costello. This was
Mrs. Angrabe’s last year teaching. She was pregnant with her first child. She
was a great teacher and I loved her and her class. The next year Highland Park
students went to Costello school. My classroom teacher was Miss Perry. There we would have Mr. Angrabe for science.
But tragedy would strike. Mrs. Angrabe would die shortly after having her baby.
It was traumatic for young children who had spent so much of the previous year
with her. Ironically Miss Perry would later marry Mr. Angrabe.
Highland Park gave us a great
start. Our independence started. Probably our first days away from mom or a
babysitter. Most of us walked to school by ourselves. Classes were large but
for the most part we were taught well.
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City, NJ schools, #52 Ancestors, #52 Ancestors 2019, #School days, #Gloucester
City, NJ
