Class of 1967 Message Center

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Eating in school...and elsewhere

One of the big shocks when I moved from Mtn Home to Spokane was school lunch. At Otis Orchards Elementary near Spokane, we were allowed one serving of modest size of mediocre food and selection. At North Elementary in Mtn Home, we could go back for multiple sevings as long as we cleaned our plates. I recall going back for SEVENTHS when we had pizza one day! And we ate in the gym where long tables unfolded down from the walls to form a giant cafateria. (I always thought that was a good space-saving idea.) While at Otis we ate at our desks after filing out into the hall to get our food from a big cart-like thing. And one lousy serving! In 4th and 5th grade a growing boy needed more! Hahah.

Unrelated to school... Wasn't there an A&W on the outskirts of Mtn Home, opposite side of town as the Red Steer? I remember ordering a teen burger and thinking how cool I was because I wasn't a teen yet.

Also, what exactly did Little Harry's serve for food? All I can remember is the jukebox and Top 40 type tunes (Beatles, Stones, Herman's Hermits, etc.), the dangling bead "door" inside, and all the kids trying to act cool. As for the Hunger Hut, or Lion's Den as Susan remembers, I think it was hot sandwiches and maybe burgers but I'm a little fuzzy on that, too.

Re: Eating in school...and elsewhere

Bobbie,
There was a big discussion on the 65 site about where we ate lunch at Central Elementary. Some of us remember eating at the Jr. High, some remember going to North (now East). Some thought we ate cold lunch only at our desks, I personally can't remember. I lived just across the street from North (now East)and I think I went home for lunch until I got to Jr. High.
Yes, there was an A&W on the other side of town. I remember those delicious rootbeer floats and the little mugs of rootbeer for really little ones. I still have one of those mini mugs.

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I also remember going home for lunch when I was at North Elem. It was only 4 blocks from home. I don't remember what I did at Central. Must have taken my lunch. Junior High I ate in Mrs. Brennan's room if my memory is correct. In High School I took a sack lunch and ate with friends in the study hall.

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I remember eating at the Jr. High in the old building in the Cafeteria/Gym. Someone remembered there was the kitchen in the basement and they used a dumb waiter to haul the food up to the Gym.
There wasn't a cafeteria at the high school, although I think there had been one at one time. I remember walking to North (now East) Elementary for lunch as a sophomore. As a Jr. several of us drove to the El Rancho where you could get a cup of soup and all the crackers you could eat for the same $.25 as the hot lunch at East. I remember the red wine soup we had one day. We thought we were so sophisticated. As a Senior all of us were doing different things, some of the business majors were doing work at local businesses, I went to the Jr. High library for 2 or 3 periods a day, Loved Mrs. Anderson, she hadn't been that nice when we were in Jr. High but as helpers she was really nice to us.

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My memory ain't the best, but I definitely remember running out to the high school parking lot at lunch time and speeding to North Elementary for hot lunch...so we didn't have to stand in line. Kris definitely remembers going to the old Jr. High from Central for hot lunch...or Little Harry's. Later Kris was a car hop at the A & W, lots of those cute little mugs were passed around.

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Have they changed the names of the elementary schools? My first two years were at East Elementary which was very close to the Junior High, and my other two years were at North Elementary which was nice and new and rather state-of-the-art. I do not recall a Central. I do remember a West Elementary, it seemed out of the way or across the tracks or something. This was 1963-1967.

What kind of food did Little Harry's have? I wonder if I ever grabbed a bite there. Hmmm.

Mrs. Anderson was the lady who took my dad, mom and me in the first few days we arrived. We stayed in her attic! There was a horrific dust storm when we arrived. My mom was in tears, she was young and thought we just moved to another planet. Mrs. Anderson was very nice to us. (I do not recall any of this, just going by what I've been told. I was all of 4 years old.)

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The school called East Elementary was called North when we went there, it was the first new elementary. Central was the original all grades school that was then turned into a high school and then back to an elementary school when they opened the Jr. High which was originally the high school. Confused???
Then they opened West Elementary in 1960. And eventually North which was North of town, so they changed the original North to East. I think they tore Central down in 1961 or 62. I'll post a picture of Central on the front page. They changed the high school into the Jr. High when they opened the new high school in 1954.

Which way are we looking?

I posted the two pictures I have of Central. I just can't figure out which direction the first one is looking. I think the second one is faceing North, maybe NE? I think we entered the building on the South? That door is looking toward the Court House. So that is South, right?

Re: Which way are we looking?

I think the 1910 photo the front of the school with the bell tower is facing toward the Catholic Church.

On another note regarding our time at Central. Remember when Mr. Stoddard would read stories to us on special occasions- like when we were good.

Re: Re: Which way are we looking?

Kathi -

I'm pretty sure you're right about the 1910 picture. It looks like the court house in the background and I'm guessing that it was probably taken from the bell tower at the old Congregrational church. That was probably the only building around taller than the trees were back then.

As for hot lunches, North and the Junior High were the only schools that had kitchens until they built West. The kids from Central did eat at the Junior High. I think we ate earlier than the Junior Hi kids to avoid any conflicts with those "older" guys. The high school went to the old North to avoid conflicts between them and the junior high kids.

Those kids from Junior Hi must have been a rough bunch back then

I think Gary Whitney's and Jan Rainey's moms were cooks at the junior high. When West Elementary opened, my mom amd Virgil Woods' mom were among the cooks there. They all had basic recipes they had to follow to get federal funding, but they were all good cooks in their own right and they seasoned things to their tastes, not the recipes. I doubt anybody had closer to home cooked meals in a school lunch program!

Even though West was on the "wrong side of the tracks" , the kitchen had a deep fat fryer, which meant that we got hamburgers and fries sometimes.

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Okay, Susan, thanks, I got it figured out now, even though it was a little like Abbott and Costello's "Who's on First" routine. :)

Sure was a lot of switching around. I wonder why they used East, West, Central, North, etc., instead of names of presidents, governors, explorers, etc?, not that it makes any difference.

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So Warren,
Does that mean you were in Mr. Stevens class at West for 6th grade? Do you have that class photo?
I just don't remember going to the Jr. High for lunch from Central. I wonder if that means I went home? I know I went home for lunch from East because my house was across the street and three houses down. But you are right the food was good. Thanks to all those great Moms who were the cooks.

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The new North Elementary had real good cooks, too. But I probably would've eaten anything at that age and thought it was good.

Mr. Stevens? Husband to Lorraine Stevens who worked at the high school? Our families knew each other well, were good friends. The only time I ever would see West Elementary was when we'd visit the Stevens. They lived near it.

I believe one of the Stevens daughters passed away at a young age from leukemia. Good girl. She was roughly my age.

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I think Sue Covey said in her story that her mom worked in the kitchen at North, probably the time you were there.

more lunchroom trivia

My mom was school secretary at [the original] North Elentary for years. By the time the lunchroom changed from the metal sectioned tray to the newer, heavier plastic type of trays, we were in high school. At that time, Mom brought several of the trays home.

As it turned out, my boyfriend lived alone when we were seniors (his parents transferred before our senior year), and my mom would fill the trays with meatloaf, mashed potatoes & gravy, green beans, apple crisp - the whole meal - then cover with aluminum foil. My boyfriend would then pop the tray into his oven and voila! perhaps the first "TV dinners" were invented then.

When Berta and I roomed together later at BSU, Mom continued the tradition, this time freezing the trays. We'd bring back several meals at a time, as many as our fridge-freezer would hold. No microwaves back then, but the oven served us well. She also taught us to reduce, re-use, recycle - a value I still hold today.

Way to go, Mom!

Re: more lunchroom trivia

Funny how I probably talked to Mrs. Covey every school day and never knew her name.

Iny, I do remember the Hunger Hut having a microwave, the first I had ever seen, and that was 1967 or 1966. But I imagine they were quite pricey, not perfected and still concerns about funny radiation emanating into the food they cooked.

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I was also one of the kids who lived on the wrong side of the tracks. First in a small house behind the Mobil gas station, which my Grandfather owned. Had to get to school by walking under the underpass. Usually took extra time since there might be some new graffiti to check out! My dad put up a tetherball set for us and I have great memories of playing lots of tetherball with my good friend David McConkie! My cousin Diana Aguirre lived next door at that time. Once when we were in 4th or 5th grade, we were at her house alone and decided to surprise her mom with some delicious homemade bread. Not having a clue how to make it, we dialed up the operator on the phone and asked for instructions. Oddly enough, she gave us a recipe, which we thought we had followed very closely. Only one problem... we had forgotten to put in the yeast, so we just sprinkled it on top of the loaf! Great doorstop! Later in 6th grade I attended the brand-new West Elementary, where I enjoyed Wayne Stevens for a teacher. He was the first male teacher, and of course I had a huge crush on him....he was very handsome!