A Busing Evolution in Belgrade Schools
My, how things have changed in the Belgrade school system! Yes, it has been a long time since 1965, when my school days ended. Let’s go back that far, some 61 years to be exact, and see what went on in those days. All the parts of going to school have evolved to such a degree that it is difficult to even compare. Let’s look at busing as one.
There were three or four yellow school buses in 1965 and had been for some time. It made sense, one for each end of town and perhaps two for the rural Depot. Jamie Minot was the main Depot driver for all the years I can remember, and perhaps George Penny for the Penny and Knowles roads. John Damren drove the North Belgrade bus, if memory serves, and Oral “Ding” Sawyer, alias “Hoofer,” scooped up a few kids from the Lakes village, Route 27 and West Road.
Jamie did the sports team runs at night, like a long ride to Phillips or Clinton. These were the days when the girls’ and boys’ teams traveled together and played basketball in back-to-back games. The buildings were non-gymnasiums. What does that mean? Our school was ranked Class S (for small) and we played like kind. Most of the towns were very small and had no gym. To name a few: Albion, Winterport, New Sharon, Phillips, and many more. The basketball games were played in Grange halls, VFW halls, American Legion halls, often with little or no heat. Showers after were not always available. On occasions, there were no subs if someone was sick or had gotten a poor report card and was off the team. Our baseball team had to coax a couple boys on occasion, just to get a full team to man the bases! Private cars were used to travel to games and riding in Barry Morrell’s ’58 Ford convertible all the way to Albion was a great treat. The coaches usually took their car as well just to get us all there.
The small-town school situation became alleviated over time, as small towns joined with others nearby to create school districts. A large school was built that would accommodate three or four towns, and kids were bused much further. The original schools became lower grades for the most part. The system has its ups and downs, but one thing is for sure, the number of buses and their costs are a part of the now huge school budget.
While at a softball game that a friend’s daughter was playing in recently, I was truly amazed at the sprawl of buildings and ball fields that now exists behind what was Williams High School in Oakland during the 1960s. This is part of the district now. Belgrade did build a gymnasium in 1961, which was a major step for sports and also served as a cafeteria and meeting place.
Rod Johnson, a.k.a. “The Luckiest Boy,” is a member of the Belgrade Historical Society.
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