Some memories stay with you forever – and for many people, their high school experiences stick out the most. The same goes for teachers.
Before they were standing at the front of the white boards, they were filling the seats, just as we are now. And those times are just as memorable to them as they are for us — in and outside of the classroom.
One such example is Bear River’s attendance keeper, Terri Herbert, who remembers her high school years well.
“It was my freshman year and I was trying out for the swim team.” Herbert recalls. She had been in synchronized swimming for six years, and was trying out for the varsity team.
“I managed to make the varsity team as a freshman but that wasn’t even the hardest part! When the coach asked me which event I wanted to compete in, I had no idea. At the time, I didn’t understand the yardage system or how the events were organized — it was all completely foreign to me.”Herbert’s teammates suggested the 500, saying it wouldn’t be a big deal.
“I agreed without fully understanding what I was committing to,” Herbert said. “I later asked the coach to clarify, and that’s when I found out the 500 was 20 laps,”
Herbert explains that she felt as if she couldn’t back out, but she was nervous about swimming so long, at top speed.
“I sucked it up, and to my surprise, the 500 became my event for all four years of high school!”
Another staff member who remembers high school fondly is Bear River’s English and drama teacher Sara Noah.
Noah’s story is something that would terrify or delight anyone who’s ever been in theater.
“I was in shows when I was in high school, and I had a small part in the chorus of a musical,” Noah explained. “And the girl that was the lead wasn’t feeling well the week that we opened! And they asked me, ‘Well, can you look at the part, and learn it’?”
They had Noah practice running through the show a few times, singing all the lead’s songs.
“And I’m assuming she’s gonna be there, right? So I’m getting ready, and maybe thirty minutes before the show, they told me I’d be playing the lead,” Noah said.
“And so, I used a payphone (there were no cell phones then) and I called my parents and said ‘I’m gonna play the part!’”
It wasn’t perfect, though — Noah accidentally walked onstage when she wasn’t supposed to, and messed up a costume change. But, everyone was very supportive throughout the chaos, though she’d never want to go through the anxiety of switching roles again.
One Bear River staff member we all know well is Principal Chris Roberts, whose days in band at Del Oro high school stick out for him.
“I was in band in high school. I played the clarinet,” Roberts said. “And I think all of my experiences, because band took up so much time, are surrounded by band. My freshman year, we took a trip to Washington, D.C. We marched and performed in a parade.”
Roberts went on more amazing trips with the band: going to British Columbia and performing in one of their huge theaters, going and performing at Disneyland.
“I had lots of great experiences, but most are surrounded by band,” Roberts said. “All of my favorite memories at high school are because of the amazing band at Del Oro.”
The staff at Bear River has many amazing high school memories that they think of to this day. Now’s your chance to make those memories too, the memories you’ll look back on fondly years later, whether the highs or the lows.