How A Pencil & Epsom Salt
Made My Aunt Sue
The Woman She Is Today
By JORDAN MAYS
Fourth Grade, Jonesville Elementary School
My Aunt Sue is one of the most loving wonderful people I know. She also knows right from wrong, and I think she learned that at Jonesville School. She went to Jonesville School when it was grade 1-12. There was no Kindergarten or separate high school then.
Back then there were no smart boards, just chalk boards. Some of the teachers lost their temper with the boys and would throw erasers at them. My Aunt Sue’s mom worked at the cafeteria for 25 years, and her name was Myrtle Ray.
In the 4th grade, my Aunt Sue was talking and her teacher got on to her and cracked a pencil across her hand. (She learned her lesson then.)
In 5th grade, a teacher Ms. Jean Payne and Coach John Mathis would take the students to the gym every Friday and teach them how to square dance. Later, those two teachers got married and had two daughters.
The 7th grade teacher, E. B. West, punished students for chewing gum in class by making them stick the gum on a toothpick, roll it in Epsom salt, then chew it. My aunt only did this once. After that, she never chewed gum in class again.
In the 10th grade chemistry, Aunt Sue’s teacher was Mrs. Randleman. Jerry Finney made a miscalculation in chemistry lab that caused an explosion, and he lost part of his hand.
In the 11th grade, my Aunt Sue and three others skipped study hall and walked down to Fletcher’s country store for B-B Bats (candy) and a Coke. When they were walking back up the sidewalk, Principal Reece Shugart caught them. He said, “Where have you girls been?”
At her Junior Prom, Aunt Sue helped decorate in a Mardi Gras theme. Her escort was Seth Cheek.
My Aunt Sue was voted Most Athletic Senior Superlative.
John Mathis (softball coach) made the girls run from the gym to Lila Swaim Park and back (that’s like two miles); not for punishment but to stay in shape.
My Aunt Sue thanks Jonesville School for many of her great memories and for her learning to behave and to get along in the world.
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The Ferry
That Crossed
The River
By HOUSTON REED WRIGHT
Grade Four, Jonesville Elementary School
These are stories told by Robert Gray that have been passed down to my Dad (Calvin Wright) and are now passing down to me.
It was cold winter days, and the Yadkin River was frozen about a foot deep.
They rode their wagons across the river to get to Elkin. They also played and skated on the river.
When the river was not frozen--which Robert said was all the time but the one time he was telling me about--they took the ferry from one side of the river to the other.
The way the ferry worked is this way: a rope was connected to both sides of the banks, and they would pull the ferry from one side of the river to the other.
My Papa also told me about how Lila Swaim Park was just about a NASCAR track. But Lila did not want the park track to get too big, so she told NASCAR to go somewhere else.
My Papa also said Barney Hall, who we used to hear every weekend on the radio, used to be the announcer for the dirty track races at Lila Park.
Papa told me, too, about how the farmers of Jonesville did not want the train to come because they thought it would bother the animals and mess the land up.
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