Watkinson School is a small college prep school on the border of Hartford and West Hartford in Connecticut. I attended Watkinson School from 1969-73. Seems like many of my adult friends had negative high school experiences. This was not the case with me. For me,Watkinson provided a stimulating learning enviornment and to this day I have friends who I met while attending school at Watkinson.
At the time I attended Watkinson,there were 120 students attending from Grades 7-12. As such,here’s how lunchtime was handled:
Every 2-3 weeks a lunch table seating chart was posted on the bulletin board. Each table had about 8 chairs to it and outside of one Seniors only table,each had a teacher as the head of it. The changing of the lunch tables always created a stir at school.It provided relief for some and agony for others. I always looked first to see what teacher I was assigned to. For me this determined how fun lunchtime would be or which was more likely or not to keep the troublemakers at bay. I most enjoyed being assigned to Jack Chatfield’s (history teacher) table. Other enjoyable teachers were Mr. Roger Richard,and Mr.Robert Devine. I hated being assigned to Col.Leiby’s table. Col.Leiby was my math teacher..and I flunked his math classes. Col.Leiby loved to hand out demerits (marks for bad behavior),and virtually every demerit I received at Watkinson was thanks to Col.Leiby. 5 demerits meant Saturday detention. Lunchtime was no fun with Colonel Leiby.
Next,I would look to see what students were assigned to my table. When I first attended Watkinson in 9th grade,there were 3 students I hated to be seated with..the late Bruce Edwards,Mike Morgan,as well as the late Steve Shea. They created trouble for me to which I’ll explain a little later. They all left Watkinson after my 10th grade year and after that,I had no problem with any student I was assigned with. Any lunchtime spent with Bob Loy,Josh Eddy, Glen Elliott,Bob Watts or any of the girls I had secret crushes on was a plus.
When it was lunchtime,we’d find our assigned tables. Once we found them,we were required to stand behind the chair till a prayer was said,usually by a faculty member or a member of the student council. To sit before the prayer was an automatic demerit. Once the prayer was said,we could be seated,however if a teacher happened to be late for lunch,we would have to stand till the teacher was seated. One of the reasons I got along well with Jack Chatfield was besides being a stimulating teacher,one of his first actions was to say “The hell with this formal B.S”! A student late for lunch got a demerit.
At each table,2 students were assigned as waiters or waitresses.Every student had their shot at it..there was no escape. We were responsible for bringing the lunch to each table as well as cleanup. Here’s where it was important NOT to have a troublemaker at your lunch table because if you did,they were sure to make messes and if a teacher didn’t catch onto it,in the short time one had between being dismissed from lunch and the beginning of the afternoon class,you were stuck cleaning up the mess they intentionally would leave.
After lunch was finished and waiters and waitresses had cleaned and removed the lunches,there was an announcement period given by faculty members and often the Student Council President. My freshman year at Watkinson Tom Ekwurtzel was the Student Body President. I liked his announcements..they were often funny and with references to music I liked. I looked up to Tom and said to myself that when I become a Senior,I wanted to be one just like Tom.
Lunch announcements also served as comic relief,especially when they were given by Athletic Director Lloyd McDonald..he of the New Zealand accent and colorful terms. (Took me years to discover what a “Drongo” was) “Riiight now after lunch the Varsity Basketball team will be playing the American School for the Dead err Deaf” He was just predicting the outcome as we’d lose to them by 40 and 50 points.
News of Watkinson's Varsity Basketball Team,which I was part of often provided comic relief at lunchtime..
After announcements,we’d be dismissed from the lunchroom. There was often a few minutes between the end of announcement and the end of class..that is if you have a big mess to cleanup by a troublemaker. Seniors at Watkinson were allowed to smoke cigarettes on the Senior steps back then. I didn’t smoke cigarettes then,but during my senior year,I’d find my way to the back of the soccer fields to enjoy a different kind of smoke..
.But that’s another story for another time!
