By now, students have headed back to the classroom, and a new school year is underway. This time of year can also bring back memories from our own school days, from teachers who made a difference and classes you loved to memorable field trips, fun traditions, and lasting friendships. With back-to-school season in full swing, this month we asked our team about their favorite school memories. Here's what they had to say!
Aaron Althouse
Dating my high school sweetheart!
Alexis McKain
My favorite school memory has to be cheering Friday night football games. I miss making the banners that the football players would run through, cheers, dances, stunts, the band, and everything in between. I would definitely give anything just to go back one last time.
Angi Quigley
I went to a private Christian school. My core memory is from high school. My English/Lit teacher was the very best teacher. She had a great sense of humor. The one day, she got a call. Our principal called her to the office for the call (yes, this was before everyone had a cell phone attached to them 😳). Anyway, as she was leaving the classroom, she paused and told all of us to “carry on”. We took that quite literally and began making a lot of noise to tease her. She stopped, turned around, chuckled, and said “you know what mean!” She continued out the door chuckling! This memory is a core memory because it shows the relationship between Mrs. Hall and my class. It was the most special relationship I made in school. She inspired me in so many ways. It was because of her that I loved high school so much.
Christine M.
Dodgeball tournaments in elementary school; we would gather in a circle and all the kids in our class would be playing on the blacktop while we tried not to get hit!
Gabriella Rinehart
On my first morning of kindergarten, a group of my family members gathered to watch me get on the bus for the first time (first child/grandchild problems!). However, for unknown reasons, the bus drove right by a group of close to 10 people with camcorders and a very excited 4-year-old without even slowing down. The worst part is that the progression of my excitement to horror is captured from SEVERAL angles. This wasn't so funny in the moment, but has been a favorite memory because we all still laugh about this even now!
Giulia D'Addesi
One of my favorite memories is when I beat all the senior boys at ping pong as a freshman in high-school. They were not happy.
Hannah Bumbaugh
One of my favorite school memories was getting to know my Business Strategy and Management professor who was here on a study abroad program. It was her first teaching experience, and she brought so much energy and perspective to the classroom. She was from Italy, always carried herself with incredible style, had a memorable accent, and was rarely seen without an espresso in hand.
While I learned a great deal from her academically, some of the most valuable lessons came from the cultural insights she shared. She regularly highlighted differences between life and work in the United States and Italy, which challenged us to think more broadly about leadership, business, and the future workforce.
What made her especially impactful was how relatable she was. She was only about four years older than most of us, making her both approachable and aspirational. She showed us that meaningful leadership and expertise do not always come with decades of experience.
Hunter H.
Playing tuba in marching band!
Ian Shook
Field trips to Philadelphia during our history classes.
Kelsi Daniels
Friday night football games.
Kirsten Stanley
Participating in our Dancing With the Teachers event, where a group of students choreographed and danced with a teacher to raise money for THON.
Kristina Tucker
My siblings and I loved when our mom would drive us to the school during the summer to see which teacher we had and which friends were in our class. The class lists were posted on the school doors, and we were always so excited that we’d ask her to drive us back multiple times to check them again. Now for my own kids, it's all in an app, which just doesn't hit the same!
My Nong
My favorite school memory is the day before Christmas break. Everyone gets to celebrate with pizza and snacks that people bring in. We can wear our pajamas, bring a comfy blanket, and turn the classroom into a mini movie theater. The lights are off, the Christmas movie is playing, and there is no homework waiting to be completed for the next 2 weeks!
Seth Miller
Friday night football games.
Sierra O.
Going to the FBLA National Conference in Atlanta in college - it was just the students - we won awards, some of us traveled with just friends for the first time, went to the World of Coca-Cola, and we stayed in the hotel where the elevator scene in Hunger Games: Catching Fire was filmed.
Additional team members said...
- We used to go on these great field trips in middle school that would be a full day: leave around 6AM and not back until 11PM. We went to Pittsburgh, D.C., Philadelphia, etc. So much fun!
- Dodgeball. I was a sniper with a dodgeball!
Final thoughts
We hope that you and the students in your life have a great back to school season!
