Many years ago (some of us more
than others), attended a little Catholic school in Bunkie,
Louisiana. Remember that first day of school? Some of us were
excited and ready to go and some of us were terrified by the whole
ordeal. Our uniforms were pressed and tidy, our shoes were new and
clean, the smell of new books and new school supplies permeated the
air. We had to bring a box of 8 Crayola Crayons, 10 coke bottle
caps, an old cigar box, a tablet that had brown paper with lines,
and a big fat pencil!
Then, there were the nuns! Boy,
did they look strange to newcomers. They’d smile at our parents and
immediately frown at us when our parents left the room. I believe
the nuns were the ones that defined “The Fear of God” for us. And
the rulers! How many rulers did they own? Every time I turned
around, there was another ruler hitting a hand or the board for us
to straighten up. It’s okay; we all turned out pretty good after
all.
What was that
nun’s name in first grade we called Sr. “Potato Head”? I also
remember a brother called “Gopher”. Which one was it that spit on
those of us in the front row as he spoke during class?
AAAHHH, so many
memories!
Remember
the candy store at recess? All you needed was 1¢, or 5¢ to buy a
good candy bar. Who out there still has no cavities? Recess??? … I
longed for recess when I was in school.
Well all those memories aside, it’s time to
tell everyone what’s in store for the SAS Alumni. Our little
catholic school has been operating now for 75 years! Can you
believe it? Our small town has maintained a privately funded
catholic school that has outlived many other ventures in private
school education for our parish. We are all very proud of the
parishioners, alumni, parents and students of St. Anthony-old and
new!
We don’t care where you are, who you know,
how much money you make, how many kids you have………..we just want to
get together and have a blast with everyone!
(But bring photos of your children and
grandchildren and yes GREAT grandchildren!)
In celebration of such an incredible
achievement, the local group of Alumni and several other volunteers
are preparing a huge Alumni Celebration in recognition of it 75th
Anniversary. Please mark your calendars and plan to attend. We are
holding the celebration on April 28th from 6-9pm in
conjunction with the school fair on April 28th-30th.
That’s the last weekend on April!
I’d love to collect old photos and stories
for the power point presentation. Old photos of the school,
friends, or teachers can be emailed to
plc@kricket.net or scan and burn them to a CD and mail them
to me. Just let me know what I’m looking at when you send them and
if you need the CD returned, make sure I have your mailing address.
The current students have been rehearsing
for a play that they will be putting on for your entertainment and
they will also be singing for us. We will be serving light
hor‘douvres and may go on to the Zanga at the Bailey Hotel following
the program. If you have had a chance to experience a GOOD event
icebreaker at another function, let us know…we may want to use it.
We are currently trying to locate as many of
the 75 years of alumni as possible but we need your help. Please
contact your siblings or friends you still have connections with
that are alumni of St. Anthony School. We are hoping to bring at
least 500 alumni for the event. Children and spouses are very
welcomed! Reservations at hotels will book up fast. Make plans in
advance. RSVPs are needed to help us plan for the seating
arrangements, and food. Please email me at
plc@kricket.net or
contact me at 318-346-7274
Waiting to see everyone there for a good
time!
Karen D. McCoy
St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church
409 St. John Street
