Here’s what I remember about my Newfield High School days:
I remember meeting Don Neidhart in our sophomore year. We were assigned the same homeroom because our last names were alphabetically close, his started with N, mine O. It was the first week of school and the teacher was having us fill out some papers that we had to turn back in. Don sat in front of me and turned around to ask me a question. That was how we met. I remember sometime later he asked me out on a date. We double-dated at the Smithtown Drive-In with his brother Richie and his girlfriend, Chris Motto (also from our class).
I remember Don was on the wrestling team and I would go to watch his matches. His mom would go too. She liked to get as close to the mat as allowed to cheer him on. She’d yell something like, “Go Donald” or “Get ‘im Donald.” She became almost an icon at each match. Newsday captured her perfectly and published the picture of her yelling, the ref checking for a pin, and Don going for the win over his opponent. I can see the commercial now. . . wrestling shoes $40, kneepads $20, a picture of your mom cheering you on as you pin your opponent…priceless. I hope Don still has this picture from the newspaper.
I remember lunches in the cafeteria. I would usually buy the school lunch. There was one cook, not sure of her name, who was Italian and made the best spaghetti sauce ever. It was always crowed on the lunchroom line on spaghetti days. I would buy extra Italian bread on those days…boy that was some good eating.
I was pretty much a goody two shoes in school. There was one or two times I remember cutting through the senior courtyard (oooo, bad bad Patty!!). And once, only once I let Don talk me into cutting school. I couldn’t enjoy the day because I was constantly looking over my shoulder for the truant officer, so I never did it again. I remember going to a party (who’s ???) where there was beer and though I didn’t drink any, some was spilled on my skirt and I prayed my mom wouldn’t smell it on me. I don’t think she did.
I remember being excited about being a senior. In fact, someone from the Quadrangle staff (unbeknownst to me at the time) asked me how I felt about coming back to school. My response, along with the responses of lots of other kids, was published in the first issue of the newspaper. My reply was something to the effect of “I’ve been looking forward to coming back for my senior year all summer.” And that was the truth.
I joined the Quadrangle staff that year. Don was the sports editor so it seemed like the thing to do. I had my own column. I would get all the newspapers the Quadrangle received from other schools and would report on the interesting happenings that were going on there. Not Pulitzer worthy, but I enjoyed it.
I also took part in our Senior Production. The theme of it was a takeoff on the hit TV show Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In. The back of the stage was set up with a wall that had several small window-sized doors in it. Just like the show, someone would open one of the doors and tell a joke, then close it, then someone else would do the same, and so on. Sometimes it was a two part joke, like a knock knock joke, and two people would participate. I remember Joann Salmeri took on the roll of Joann Worley from the TV show and would laugh in a funny yuck yuck way. She was so good at it too!
I remember going to the meeting to brainstorm on ideas for the show. I wrote a commercial and the teacher liked it. Me and Marc Cappobianco did the audition and got the parts. It went something like this:
Excedrin Headache #69
[Patty enters stage right, holding both hands on the side
of her head]
PATTY: Marc, can you get me the Excedrin? I have an
awful headache.
[Marc enters stage right, struggling to get the lid off a
large school-size mayo jar with a green Excedrin
label on it]
MARC: I can’t get the lid off.
[Patty waits patiently as Marc continues to struggle
with the lid]
[Patty becomes impatient and grabs the bottle from
Marc and starts to hit Marc with the bottle]
PATTY: Marc, can’t you do anything? I need my Excedrin!
[Patty and Marc exit stage right as Patty continues to hit
Marc with the bottle]
The dialogue is not verbatim, but it’s close. We got laughs from the audience, but looking back at it now I’m not pleased that I was portraying a wife who abused her husband LOL. I kept that Excedrin label for a long time in a little memento box I had. I finally threw it away several years ago when I got ready to sell my house. I remember we closed the show with the song Bob Hope used to sing at the end of his show, “Thanks for the Memories.” Of course, we changed all the words to suit our senior class. I think the first line went something like, “Thanks for the memories of football afternoons and sunny days of rest…” Does anybody else remember more?
I remember getting my senior ring and being proud to be a part of the Class of 1969. I remember senior prom, going with Don, the beautiful dress my mom made for me (I still remember those awful fittings), and the beach party the next day. I remember standing in line at graduation and hearing Pomp and Circumstance as we all walked in. Every time I hear that music it brings back my own graduation memories and I get a little teary-eyed. I remember the significance of moving my tassel from one side of my cap to the other…high school days are over, there’s a whole other world out there.
And was there ever. . .
