To the Editor:

About Colton Pierrepont Central School in the 1950’s and one student’s experiences and appreciation:

This brief story is long overdue, expressing my appreciations for having attended Colton Pierrepont Central School in Colton, NY, in Saint Lawrence County from third grade through graduation in 1958. Any of my classmates who are still living today may share many of my appreciations expressed here. I am privileged to be in relatively good health and soon to celebrate the beginning of my 83rd year of life.

My attendance began in 3rd grade in the wooden 2-story building by the Racquette River falls in Colton. The new K–12 School was under construction at that time. My strongest memory of third and fourth grade was going to the Hepburn Library across the street whose books opened the world to me. The library walls were adorned with mounted trophy heads of wild animals of the world. As libraries are, it was quiet and seemed special to me.

When the new Central school was completed and my school years continued in the new facilities, my mind expanded as broader information seeped into my naive country-boy experiences. Aside from the 3-Rs of the times, classes that helped prepare me for later career opportunities stand out in my memories today. Art classes and skills taught by Mrs. Trauger have been foundational in my varied vocations and avocations. Industrial arts taught by Mr. Thiesen have been equally important. Wood shop, metal shop, printing and ceramics have all added to my crafts experience and their wide-applications knowledge that I appreciate to this day.

The sciences also fascinated me. Chemistry and Physics taught by Mr. Corbet and others have given me more foundations for my life skills that followed. English taught by Mrs. Saucier, regarded as the sternest teacher in the school, was another favorite. I loved her and her classes. I once jokingly referred to William Shakespeare as “Bill” in a homework paper. She noted in red on my paper that she was surprised that Shakespeare and I were so well acquainted.

Music with band and chorus was taught by Mr. Riehl and gave me music and rhythm appreciation basics although I now have knowledge why non-linear patterns except tempo did not work with my brain’s functioning. Those same spectrum challenges that I now recognize also apply to memorizing anything, learning algebra and others. Few mental challenges had been identified or understood by behavioral sciences in the late 40s and 50s.

My goal here is to express gratitude for my learning opportunities that began in the small town of Colton, NY. They have been foundational for my decades of adult life. Today across the United States, funded classes, adequate staffing and appropriately paid teachers teaching unfiltered history and personal responsibilities are all challenged by budget cuts and politics more today than ever before.

Thank you, Colton Pierrepont Central School, for helping me navigate through my decades of growth and living.

David Mackey, Class of 1958
at Colton Pierrepont Central School,
resident of Olympia, Wash.