Roaming the halls it all comes flooding back. Friday night football games with friends and hanging out after. Former Braves remember it so clearly, the glory days of high school.
Getting a chance to come back to one’s high school and impact the life of students is a unique oppurtunity, that both ceramics teacher Buffy Dowdell and testing administrator Robin Patterson have been able to experience. Both teachers have 14 years of teaching experience. Dowdell returned to campus to fill the role of her beloved ceramics teacher Don Handley. Then, with encouragement from Dowdell, her good friend, and Bill Daniel, one of her high school teachers, Patterson found herself back at her old high school. This time Patterson as a teacher hoping to impact the lives of students around her.
“Obviously it’s different because this time around I’m the adult,” Patterson said.
With a 20 year reunion approaching for Patterson she finds her self remembering traditions that no longer exist at Boone, like Class Olympics. These traditions hold special memories for both teachers. They two both remember how fun Class Olympics* were.
“[Class Olympics] created a feeling of seniority for the seniors and friendly fun class competition between the classes. Who wouldn’t love a chocolate syrup slip-and-slide,”Dowdell said.
While not all traditions remain, some still continue today. The sound of the drum beating of the Edgewater game day, the cheerleaders leading the Senior Snake and all of the seniors chanting school pride. The snake provides a time for these upperclass men to show school spirit as they roam the halls chanting about how great it is to be a Brave.
“My favorite [now] is obviously Senior Snake it’s something every high schooler can look forward to from freshman year,” Patterson said.
Traditions change as well as opportunities in academics. As a teacher both Patterson and Dowdell get to see students exposed to more opportunities in high school than they had. High school is a time to take advantage of new opportunities . Both teachers hope to promote these opportunities that were not known to them.
“All of the [opportunites] where available just not as promoted, like scholarships [and] AP classes,”Dowdell said.
Taking advantage of opportunities in high school can help a student make excellent progress for the future knowing high school is where success began. Both Patterson and Dowdell feel proud to be back on the Reservation helping the next generation.
Side note: Today the Senior Class is sponsoring Senior Olympics, to try and replicate the feeling of fun competition amongst seniors. Senior Class hopes to start this as a new tradition.