John Hess’ Elementary School Pictures

My mom has been saving these pictures for all these years.  I thought they would be good to share.  For most of you who have always had individual pictures, they used to only take class pictures.  The first 4 years I was in Sparkill Elementary School.  For Fourth grade they changed the school boundaries and I went to Tappan Elementary School so most of my classmates changed.  In each school we had 2 or three classes per grade so every year we had new kids in our class.

In the First grade picture, my cousin Debbie Post is in the center of the back row.  If I dug out my high school yearbook, I might be able to name most of my classmates.  I remember some of them but not all.

I don’t remember most of my teacher’s names, but the folder indicated my First Grade teacher was Mrs Bolander, and I remember my Fourth Grade teacher was Mrs Hartmuller and my Fifth Grade teacher was Mrs McConnell.

Mrs Hartmuller retired after my year with her.  She was the one elementary school teacher that had a big impact on my life.  We had to read 15 books as a minimum and do a report on each of them that year, and I really had a hard time finding a book to read.  She planted a book in the closet in her room and made me believe it was a special book that she thought I would like.  I read it and it kicked off a love for reading where I couldn’t get enough to read.  It was a part of a series and that helped me find additional books to read.  I still have a box of books from that series that I bought and read during 4th, 5th and 6th grades.