Back to School

For many, August/September equals back to school. So back in the day, what did Choice Oners look forward to about a new school year?

Luke Hemmelgarn’s favorite memory? Playing euchre on the bus. That’s a life skill, there. Wes Wolters remembers that in fourth grade, “the school finally got belts and flags for flag football. You had to eat your lunch quick and sprint out to the field at recess to get one of the cool belts.” Because fourth grade life happens at recess. And Casey Reichert? “New school supplies—who doesn’t love the smell of fresh pencils in August?!” Apparently Matt Hoying and Jake Bertke: “What was fun about going back to school?”

It’s no surprise with our hungry crowd that many school memories included lunchtime. Many of us who attended Marion Local Schools in Mercer County (such as Mitch Thobe, Kristi Moorman, Ryan Bruns, and Casey Reichert) all agreed that the best school cafeteria lunch was  “chicken noodle soup and cinnamon rolls.” Apparently this soup and roll combo was a thing back in the day at Marion Local. The rest of us all would have bet the farm that the companywide consensus on “best school lunch” would have been rectangle pizza…

Whether they’re excited or not, here’s to a successful year for all the kids out there. May they not fall and skin their knees on the walk to school like Holly Fannon, may the Salisbury steak not be as rubbery as it was for most (except for Dane Sommer who claims it was amazing), and may they love their new backpack (and fresh late-80s perm) as much as Brittany Clinehens did.