"School Years: Part II" by Faith L. Robbins

Written by guest blogger, Faith L. (Valk) Robbins (my mother) for the 48th Carnival of Genealogy, "Mom, How'd You Get So Smart?":

Source: Valk, Faith, age 12 in her 6th grade graduation dress in front of the DeVries Home at 505 Shamrock, NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photograph. 1952. Original in the possession of Faith Valk Robbins, Colville, Washington. 2008.

As sixth grade drew to a close, our family discovered that we needed to move because our house [505 Shamrock] was in the way of a highway project. We moved to north Grand Rapids where my friend Beth had moved a year earlier. We were ecstatic when we found we would be at the same junior high school.

Source: Riverside Junior High, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photograph. C. 1956. Original in the possession of Faith Valk Robbins, Colville, Washington. 2008.

Riverside Junior High produced new friends including dates with some boys in my class and activities such as hayrides, ice- and roller skating. Elvis and Pat Boone were the then-current teenage musical idols.

My first date was with a red head named Norm AND his buddy Bill. He asked me where I wanted to go and I had an answer all ready for him. We spent our evening at a local church watching a movie about five missionaries murdered in Equador. He never asked me out again!

Faith's Parents

Source: DeVries, Adriaen "Ed" and Ruth Lillian (Hoekstra). Photograph. 1953. Original in the possession of Faith Valk Robbins, Colville, Washington. 2008.

At one point, Beth and I thought up the idea of going to the local skating rink to look for boys. It was her idea and I wasn't sure about convincing my folks. Sure enough, my stepfather found out what we were up to and sternly forbade it. Sooner than we could imagine, we were graduating from ninth grade and getting ready for high school.

School Years: Part I
School Years: Part III