Schools-in Napa-came in different sizes

   Schools in Napa came in different sizes, probably not unlike schools in areas similar in size to Napa.  I went to school in Napa before they were unified into the monolith that they are now. Started in 1958 at Mt. George, I was a couple of months short of 5, Silverado Junior High School, 1966-69 and THE HIGH SCHOOL, 1969 TO 1972. 

   Having grown up less than a half mile from Mt. George, I saw kids come and go for more than four years before it was my turn.  I especially liked watching the big yellow school buses go by.  My tiny little world was very limited in the 1950's.  Brother Carl, who was just five years older, was the first of the Ontis boys to go to school, though I don't remember it cause I wasn't even born yet.  Kevin followed him a few years later, then me.  For two years, Mt. George had all three of us.  (I have one picute of me getting ready for my first day.  An older neighborhood kid walked us to school.)

   Kinder, as we used to call it, was a whole new world to us. It was mostly about socialization skills, as we call it now, with a little learning of the alphabet and some counting. One of my classmates was 'Dougie' Kofford, the recently retired Napa County Sherriff.  Best of all was recess, at about 10 in the morning for 15 minutes.  We had our own play yard which still stands today.  The difference was: We had sand, they know have redwood chips.  Since my legs were so short, my pants had a cuff and I had to empty them before I was allowed back into the classroom.  I progressed pretty normally until 4th grade.  Near the end of the year, Mrs.cClure called my mother in-Dad worked in Vallejo-and told her I was not mature enough to go onto to 5th grade.  I cried when my mother told me that.  It was humiliating the next year-the famed day after Labor Day-when the kids I had grown up with and knew even before we had gone to school, passed me by on their way to 5th grade and Mrs.Mitchell. I was stuck. I rolled through 4th for the second time, still with Mrs. McClure.  In late May of 5th, the principal announced that McClure was moving up to 6th grade.  I was doomed and I cried again.  Sailed through and went on to Silverado, another new world.  It was built on four levels and about 40 acres purchased from dairyman Paul Lewis in the late 1950's.

   We had homeroom, PE and shop, all foreign to us.  I had PE first period.  Each class lasted about 45 minutes.  Only a few times was I tardy, cause getting from the locker room to classes in 7 minutes was, while not impossible, difficult.  I fianlly managed to work it out.

   Homeroom was three classes, Periods 3rd & 4th before lunch and 5th after. Most likely the best teacher I ever had was Mrs. Lyerla.  She was graceious, even when she was dressing us down for being 7th grade boys.  She is one of the reasons I became a teacher, now retired. Sixth period, I had woodshop.  My pig was flat.  I loved the new format.  To a squirrel like me, being able to get up and move around every hour was a blessing in disguise, even though it was just for 6 minutes.

  I progressed through Silverado in a normal three year manner and it was on to Napa High.  The high school was big, smaller in acreage than Silverado, but plopped down n the middle of houses. My mother had graduated there in 1940.  Brother Crrl graduated in 1966, Kevin attended, but never graduated.  Though I wasn't a super student, I did well enough to gain admission to my college of first choice, San Francisco State, then college, later university.  Though I did most of my classes on 'North Campus,' a few were on South Campus.  In between was a huge quad area of lawn.  Today, a number of prefabricated buildings make up much of the high school.  While I was there, we had only one school in town. After graduation, Vintage opened the next Fall.  In Napa, the pecking order is Vintqge and THE HIGH SCHOOL! (In the spirit of full disclosure, one of my best friends lives so close to Vintage, his oldest daughter waited until she heard the last bell and then sprinted to school. I still like to tease his wife about the pecking order in Napa.)

   I met some really good people at Napa High,  some of whom are among my best friends to this day, I had perfect attendance for three years. At Silverado, I missed just three days in recovery from a freak accident.  At Mt. George-perfect.

   There are many memories of Napa schools.  We always began on the famed 'day after Labor Day' and then we were off on September 9th, California
Admission Day, which was traded for another another day some years back.  And for some reason, it was always HOT on that Tuesday.  Labor Day and the Wednesday could be totally mild, but Tuesday: HOT!

   I had a lot of fun at Napa High, especially my senior year.  The big quad was still there and I hung out a lot, even when I was supposed to be somewhere else.  We did almost everything legal in that quad, play softball, football, sang and most importantly ate lunch.  We were not worried about the evils of hot dogs then, so I did eat a lot of them.

   In nine days, I will meet up with many old buddies and acquaintances at the 40th Reunion of the Class of '72.  Though I am out of touch with most, it will be especailly gratifying to see the ones who have become part of my life the past 40+ years. 'Fight, fight, fight for Old Napa High!'

Tom Ontis is a Napa ex-patriate, now living in Contra Costa County with wife Shelley and four beautiful and funny kittie cats.