Reason #6 to attend Alumni Day:

You can walk by the old Nurse's Office and relive all those fond memories.

SRL Alumni Day -- Friday, Oct. 17

turn your head and cough Mr. Crowley

My guess is that this photo was taken around 1953 or 54. I'm pretty sure that the students in it were being innoculated against Polio with the Salk vaccine. The person administering the vaccine is probably a public health nurse (dark blue uniform) and was not the regular school nurse, Miss (Mrs?) Riley. Anyone know ho the nun is?

The nun in the picture is vary familiar. Could it be Sister Marium Eucharia? (Not sure of the spelling). If it is, I had her in the 4th grade (54-55).

These kids don,t look too upset,Were we afraid to cry??Is that why I cry at shots now???

I remember Sr. Mary Edna's 3rd grade class in the basement with the accordian walls and chalk boards on wheels. It seemed to me that we were up a couple of steps, almost like a stage. The windows, when open, were at ground level. Did a dog run through once (or more?) What a funny classroom and a very unfunny nun.

This photo features Sister Mary Edna, long-time third grade teacher, and Ms. Sally Paddy, a school nurse. The photo is taken from Caritas, the yearbook published in 1959 as the Sisters of Charity observed their 100th anniversary as a religious congregation in New Jersey. Does anyone recall Sister's Third Grade classroon in the school basement with the acordian walls?

Boy do I remember that dreadful classroom. I came to St. Rose as a new third grader and was unluck enough to be assigned to the basement with the wicked witch, Sr. Mary Edna. My firt experience in this scary new place was when I stepped a tad out of line waiting to be dismissed and she wacked me in the head with her umbrella. One day she had me so upset I ran through the school crying, looking for my sister (a seventh grader. Don't ever remember having a good day that whole year!

It looks like some sort of Nazi experimental deal, especially the nurse. To me, the little girl the nun has her hands on looks terrified.

All of which reminds me of a story (easy to do ). When the Salk vaccine first came out there were some questions as to its safety, so we had to get permission slips signed. My parents decided to wait a bit, but those of us who did not get the vaccine got to watch that big, severe looking public health nurse giving shots in the auditorium. Some kids were coming out crying and one with blood trickling down her arm.
It made an impression on me -- and not a favorable one.

My parents later told me that the next time the shots were offered, I was getting one, but that was not in my plans. So, when the permission slips were handed out the next time, I ditched mine somewhere on Gray Street. Oddly enough, I got away with it, and never got any vaccine (or polio) until I was in college, when we were getting ready to go to ROTC summer camp and the army give us all the oral Sabin vaccine.

I found that slip you threw away.

I remember the basement classroom and also have a little story about it. One day we had no teacher at all. We all lined up our book bags and made a little hurdle track meet out of them. Just as I was about to run through the swinging doors at the end of the basement a different nun walked in and I think that may have been one of the scariest moments in my life. I remember getting scolded but no one hit me in the head that day.