Class of '73 Goes to RHS - 1970!

Leaving the 60's and you're only 14 years old entering high school! High School for us was 10-12 grade. When I was 14 years old I had a lot of stuff going on - struggles with school in general, lack of confidence but not a lack of personality - I don't mean that to sound conceited cause its not intended - I was obviously insecure but yet loved where I was at. Music was huge for me though I didn't pursue an instrument. And always there was baseball - playing with my friends but unable to find the courage to try out for the high school team.

Leaving Ben Franklin Junior High - I was more ready to leave BF than I was to leave 6th grade for BF. We joined up with the junior high across town - GW - which basically doubled our ranks - 658 kids in my graduating class - that was a lot of kids when you started out in grade school with about 40. We also had already hooked up with the kids from Hohokus (9th grade). Amazingly I knew a ton of people and liked to think that I was friends with everybody I knew - I liked everybody - jocks, greasers, geeks, - felt everybody had something to offer.

My sisters had gone to RHS so I knew about it and honestly was proud of being part of the Ridgewood school system and RHS was like a university - ivy-covered walls, brick, school spirit. Yeah even though I was a bit of a class cutter or attempted to act cool in an uncool way in 10th grade, I was psyched to be part of RHS.

10th grade for me was like 6th was for me in grade school but in a different way. I cut a lot of classes - headed up to Mama Rosa's or Renatos for pizza lunches - didn't like the cafeteria! Can you imagine? Who was I to be so arrogant? It was fun for a little while - from pizza lunches I would (a couple of us) head over to Adelson's records to check out the new albums, Drapkin's and mosy back to school. Well one day a couple of friends and I were on our way to Renato's - you know, carefree and feeling pretty good about our set-up. And all of a sudden a Ridgewood police officer - it may have even been Colleen McCarthy's dad even - I remember it being someone's dad pulls up next to us and told us to ".......pack your asses back to class fellas! I'll be right behind you!" You want to see a few guys who thought they had it together turn around and go back to RHS so quick! Turns out my teachers (I had the best teachers!) really were behind me - probably because of my personality - I mean despite cutting class, smoking and the rest, I wasn't an angry, moody guy - I was pretty happy and friendly and I think teachers like Miss Muster, Pinder - gave me way more than the benefit of the doubt. They actually protected me - some of the guys I was hanging with didn't get the same treatment.

Then one day after cutting most of the day and heading down to the Garden State Plaza - I arrived back in time for the second bus home. To get to the Garden State Plaza - we'd take the #35 bus from the Ridgewood depot to the Plaza - catch the bus back to the depot - walk back to RHS all in time for the school bus home! Well I was hanging out by the wall, smoking and talking it up waiting for the late bus when down the long steps of the school comes Mr McCutcheon - "Mr. Mac" - and it looks like he's heading in my direction. Well he comes right up to me and tells me ".....you've got a surprise waiting for you when you get home Mr Flannery!" My jaw dropped, and any sense of coolness dropped with it! Well I decided to skip the late bus and I slowly made the long walk home! Mr. Mac was easily one the best - and there were many - educators in Ridgewood. At this point in his career he was assistant principal and a damn good one. He was not interested in jumping from town to town - he had his career but like most teachers and educators back then they generally stayed in town. He knew every kid and he deeply cared for all of us. I swear if he hadn't cared so much I probably wouldn't have turned it around academically which I did by junior year - it kind of forced me to have a full boat of credits senior year but I aced everything!