Larksville once had four or five elementary schools and one high school.
There was no middle school; through the years the town kept 7th and 8th grades in the elementary schools. Then, in 1951, those grades were moved into the high school.
Our elementary school years left good memories for us. We had great respect for the faculty, as our parents taught us, and we raced to the school doors to hold them open when we saw a teacher approach. We came away with wonderful stories - which we tell to this day - of our elementary school experiences, although some included being taught to the tune of the hickory stick.
We were extremely athletic; when the doors flew open for recess, we enjoyed hop scotch, baseball and our town invention, “jump the wall”. In this pursuit, two students would hold each arm while you hurled yourself over a school wall onto the dirt below. This left some dirty faces and clothes when the bell rang. We stayed safe, however, despite having no outdoor supervision. The school yard became our home away from home; we played there in the evenings until dusk.
We enjoyed Valentine’s Day, with boxes set outside each classroom. We proudly dressed our best for a day of singing and poetry. We wanted so much to excel and happily took our artwork and school papers home displaying a gold star.
Since the town was 98% Catholic, most of us stayed after school on Tuesdays when nuns from St. Ignatius Church gave us instructions in the faith. This prepared us for the Sacraments. If a student had not attended Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation, he or she was sent to the nine o’clock Mass at St. Anthony’s.
Moving on to high school brought out our insecurities; it was difficult to be in new surroundings, meet new teachers and students from all parts of the town. There were no school buses for our part of town; more exercise was demanded of us as we walked back and forth to the high school. On the other hand, there were many activities in high school, including band concerts and plays, athletics, safety patrols, dances and proms, home economics (only for girls) and shop (only for boys). Some of us took college prep and others the business or general courses. But all in all, we received a good education in the Larksville School System.
We all have stories about our school years, some funny, some sad, but we enjoyed it all and long for those early days of happy times and good friendships.
You can’t see it on the photos, but there was a little store to the left of the school where we used to buy snacks and sodas. Students were probably their best customers.