Fleeting Memories

One of the first things I learned in school was the Pledge of Allegiance. I went to first grade in Bullhead, Arizona, and my teacher was Mrs. Fogo. We would all meet outside on a flat dirt area in front of the school and sing the National Anthem and then all say the Pledge of Allegiance. We would have calisthenics, a fancy name for exercise, and then go into the classroom for the day’s school lessons. This was the procedure every day we went to school. I remember many years later when crossing the BYU campus at eight in the morning or five in the evening they would play the National Anthem, and everyone was supposed to stop and face the nearest flag and not keep walking. This happened every day without fail. Orem High School had the National Anthem and then the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of school every Monday. It is interesting how we all become accustomed to things happening in an organized way without a lot of change. One time a student stood silently, but did not...

One of the areas that I was first assigned as an assistant principal was with those that worked in the counseling office. There were not enough counselors for the number of students that we had at the school, but all of the schools in Alpine School District were facing the same problems. Orem High had four counselors and one secretary. They were overworked and had a difficult time with all of the reports that were always being required. One of the most arduous times of the year was during registration. Students would sign up for a class and then decide that they wanted to change to a different one. It was often because that was where their boyfriend or girlfriend was going to be, but the counselors just kept going to get the job done, like the energizer bunny. When a student decided to change what class they were taking there was a five-dollar transfer fee that was charged for the change that was made. This was all fine, with the district and the school. This did not keep stude...