what happens to old schools

The highlight of the early part of the day was visiting my old middle school, from the 1979-1982 period. (And the same building was also my father’s high school from 1961-1965.)

It stopped being a school 3 or 4 years ago, and was going to be torn down. Thankfully, they found a use for it as a “community center.”

For the most part, it’s really just a gigantic antiques mall. The town has reinvented itself since my departure as a place to buy and sell antiques. But the building also contains a yoga center and a Tai Chi center and a weight room.

Best of all, the gym is still there, and a couple of basketballs were lying on the court. One of the baskets was lowered a bit, so I leapt into the air and slam-dunked. It was a great feeling.

But the distribution of the rooms is the same as it ever was, and even our old lockers are there. However, I couldn’t remember any of my old locker numbers. 1982 is far too long ago for that. I did remember the name of the teacher housed in every room, however; that wasn’t difficult. I think the last ones retired over the past several years.