Page 53 - barefoot-in-the-sand-remembering-the-waning-days-of-the-hopewell-community-(1998)-bruce-c-gragg

Barefoot In The Sand: Remembering the Waning Days of the Hopewell Community (1998) Bruce C. Gragg 49/123

SCHOOL BEGINS

My first grade was average, at Little Creek School, with no idea of
the rapid changes about to begin taking place. My first grade teacher
was Helen Hall. Little Creek was a two room school house, the
Principal was a Mrs. Goforth, and she drove a little black English
Ford. About once a month we would have assembly. Announcements were
made we had a devotional time and we would sing songs. Some of the
songs I remember were the Stephen Foster songs, as well as songs by
other writers, and we sang them as they were originally written. Way
Down Upon de Suwannee River, Old Black Joe, Camptown Races, Turkey in
the Straw, My Ole Kentucky Home and songs by other authors like
Dixie, The Battle Hymn of the Republic just to name a few. Many times
we had to walk to the main highway to wait on the bus. Here we played
on the embankment of the Bay Creek bridge. We were lucky someone
didn't get seriously hurt running up and down that bank and rolling
down. This was the 1944-45 school year. We rode the school bus driven
by Mr. Newnan Register, and it was several miles. Mr. Register was a
big tease, I can still see him now looking in the rearview mirror at
me and just giving a big grin. In the winter I can remember how the
fog would rise from the water in the canal by Highway 82 (US 441),
and how cold it looked. The war was winding down by the end of my
first year. Mr. Register retired from bus driving in 1945. Over the
years when I saw him he would always find something to tease me
about.

My second grade was an experience, not much learning however. About
this time James Rhoden began driving the school bus to Lake City and
we rode it. He drove for two or three years, until he finished high
school. Emory Carter and a Mr. Cooper had a sawmill not far from
school, Bay Creek. Mr. Cooper lived on what was the Richard Burnette
place. This was a low tech operation compared to today's method. He
was cutting his timber for the beginning building boom. When they
were working close everyone got excited watching what they were
doing. The teacher was Josie Mills. We had a long recess in mid
morning and a long lunch time.

There were not a lot of school system supplied items for recreation
or PE. Actually we had to improvise our own games. Uncle Carroll was
able to supply us with some used tennis balls, and Uncle Curtis could
find us used softballs, these came in very handy. One game we played
close to the school was "Hail Over", we would divide up the school
into two sides and one for each of the long sides of the building.
One team would start by throwing the ball, a tennis ball, over the
building, calling "hailover" (thus the name) . When the other side
caught it they called out "caught it" and we would run to the to the
other side trying to catch as may of the other team as possible.
Which team had the most players

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