The Balconey

Life frequently demonstrates for us that change is inevitable. 
Usually it is accepted with a nod or a shrug but sometimes it touches a nerve.  Even when you understand the need for the change, as explained below, it is understandable  to wonder why things can’t stay the same as before.

“At the end of school in May 1980 and throughout the summer, the elementary and Junior High sections of the Farragut school were remodeled to make room for the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd grade students that were moving from Riverton to Farragut in the fall. Walls were knocked out and others were erected. 

The balcony in the old gym was converted to a workroom and teachers’ lounge.”  - quote from a FHS yearbook

Growing up in Farragut during the period 1953 until graduation in 1971, it was natural to be influenced by your environment - the people, places and events of the time.  Change the dates and location and this would likely be true for anyone reading this.  For some, the  balcony in the old school was actually a classroom where we practiced social skills, increased personal confidence, practiced common sense, and honed our communication techniques.

Kindergarten through 4^th grade, the balcony offered a suspended view of events on the gym floor and stage.  Limited in frequency, which naturally added to the allure of what existed behind those double doors on the second floor, each opportunity to spend time on the balcony created special memories.  We learned to file in and out in an orderly manner and to sit quietly where we were instructed to do so.  We also learned that great harm awaited us if we defied the wisdom of our teachers and ignored their warnings to stay back from the horizontal pipe that older students and adults routinely leaned over during basketball games.  In the earliest of these years, the warnings seemed unnecessary since the balcony felt like it was akin to being on the roof.

In 1963 the advancement to 5^th grade and accompanying classroom relocation from the 2^nd to the 3^rd floor brought with it a change in perspective … a sort of right-of-passage.  Those two flights of stairs between floors was like being issued a license to do more things including challenging norms and status quos.  I do recall being reminded on more than one occasion that I perhaps misunderstood some of these new freedoms.  Still, the balcony continued to serve as a laboratory for personal growth and development.  An example of this was our routine to assemble in the balcony before school began.  The town kids arrived first and awaited the staggered arrival of the buses delivering our friends from the country. It was here that unfinished homework was completed; TV shows from the night before were reviewed; jokes were shared; vocabularies were expanded and in general, bonds of friendship were created and strengthened.

In just two short years, 7^th graders were capable of defying the odds of personal injury by climbing over that aforementioned horizontal pipe on the balcony and lowering ourselves to a height that we were comfortable dropping from onto the gym floor below.  I still remember the puzzled look from teachers who saw us emerge through the gym doors and traverse the staircase to the level of the school’s front door when they had last seen us on the balcony.  Clearly, we had successfully passed this right-of-passage test and were one step closer to the mysteries and challenges that we would face.

Other memories of the balcony include watching basketball games from above the action on the court and seeing the ball pass by at eye level on long passes downcourt.  Even though it was discouraged, you could lean over the rail and engage with the teams and fans sitting directly below the balcony.  During class plays and other activities conducted on the stage, the chairs set up on the gym floor for the audience were likely considered the best seating but there was something special about sneaking in on a school night and maneuvering to the darkened balcony to watch Mrs. Limbacher conduct play practice.

So if you have memories of the balcony I hope they bring a smile to your day.
It would be fun to hear your personal memories of the balcony … so your turn.

I also hope you might consider attending the Alumni Banquet – this year on Saturday, June 27th.  If you are able to be there, may your steps from the concourse to “The Venue”… a.k.a. the old gym, be a passage in time that allows you to remember the way it was when you were a student.  Hopefully you will be reminded of a basketball game, a theatrical performance or maybe a school dance that created memories for you.  When you are standing there, check out the balcony.  If you have not seen the repurposing transformation that has taken place you will surely be amazed.

Who among us could have imagined a spiral staircase from the balcony to the gym floor?

Dwight Durfey – Class of 1971