JACKSONVILLE — I recently stumbled across some old school memorabilia of Lee’s and Brittany’s from their Middle School days – a collection of great little books called Middle School Madness.  Evidently, the students  were allowed to make these books in one of their classes, and they are so cool.  It made me think about starting a new school in August, and a new era of my life as a middle schooler. I hope the Middle School Madness books are still around, and if they are not, maybe our class can bring them back , or some version of  it.  Perhaps a JMS newspaper or something.  Kids our age love humor and stories about themselves.  

If  kids are still graded as elementary kids through sixth grade, seventh graders are surely treated as older, more responsible kids. Possibly with more freedom, even.  Electives, athletics—more things are chosen in middle school.  I’ve heard some people say middle school was the best school years of their lives.

And I’ve heard other people curse the day that the thought of middle school was conceived, so it kind of evens out.

    There are many great things I have heard about our Middle School, such as the largeness of the library, how nice the office people and principal are, and how great Art classes are there. I’ve also heard my parents talking about the old Jacksonville Middle School, where Lupe’s is now. She said they had things like the “Dungeon” and a hidden stairway  in Mr. Permenter”s class and a great, old gym.  Sounds like a neat, old building.  They seem to have very fond memories of that age so that is reassuring for me. 

    Whether good or bad, cafeteria food has a huge effect on the day. Is it good and delicious, or gross? Pizza is hard to mess up, so I’m pretty sure I won’t have to bring my own lunch.  The deafening sounds of one hundred and fifty kids simultaneously yapping, the clatter of trays being stacked up, kids being told not to run by Mrs. Steffy as they rushed for recess—lunch was one of the high points in a school day at Nichols Intermediate .  I wonder what will be different at JMS about lunch?  I am sure there will be similarities since the student population is about the same at both schools (approximately 700).   Regardless,  it is all even better when there is a vending machine sitting in the far corner.  I’m not sure if there is one, or if public schools are even allowed to have them anymore.  Mouths salivating, eager kids approach the device with jiggling, quarter-filled pockets, full of anticipation. Never knowing which snack or drink will be purchased, every day is different. Cafeteria vending machines are just one of those imponderable things that have both benefits and drawbacks.   Snack machines are almost like superheroes to kids at school, saving them with sugar-coated goodness. And then the other side of the cloud is you  have problems with obesity issues, hyperactive kids—things like that.  Some of the kids that go nuts with sugar could cause difficulties and problems during the day.    There are also obese kids who eat sugary junk food constantly, and could get sick . I understand that health aspect, although I still like the choices available from vending machines, but that’s just my opinion. Of course, mini bags of Nacho Cheese Doritos can get just about anyone to like them…

With electives, kids get more involved in their particular interests, such as art, band, theatre, or sports. Just that aura of being part of something will be profound next year.  My interest is art, and I am excited about the art program there.  One problem with that at Nichols is a lot of kids took art thinking it is a free ride , and it’s not.  It can be pretty hard, but if you are not really interested in your project, the class can get disruptive.  It makes it  hard on both students and teacher  when that happens.  My friends Dixon  and Cash are great athletes,  so the Tomato Bowl will take on a whole new meaning on Thursdays when JMS plays.  Let’s face it, football is a way of life in Texas whether you play, cheer, or go to the games – and  it’s going to be fun cheering for our own team!   The “Flaming J” tradition is such a great one for the Indians, (my aunt Lucy started that), so maybe JMS needs one, too.  I volunteer.

But what about the classes? Will there be nice teachers? Will the classes be harder? Does havoc wreak in the halls in between class periods?  You hear all kinds of wild things.  As their kids get older, parents seem to worry more and I believe there is a lot of unfounded hype about how bad school is. It seems a little strange to me that it is mostly adults and not kids complaining.  Up until now, I have had all positive experiences in school and I don’t know why it would change.  Of course, I’m a kid,  so many days I just don’t want to go, but I can’t say I fear anything about it.    Middle School doesn’t worry me, and I never set expectations when going to a new school. I always just hope for the best.  Perhaps I will catch Middle School Madness. I’ll keep you posted.