"All Gaul is divided into three parts." We can also say that about the student body makeup of good old S.M.A.

First, we have the boarder girls, this was the original intent in establishing the school. Second, we have the "Day Hop" girls. These ladies were living "outside the walls." The third component, of course, was the boys. They were not allowed to live inside the walls, either. Boys were a relatively new addition, but they were included well before the first half of the century concluded.

I point out the above information because of its impact on the sports programs. Nearly two-thirds, and sometimes more, of the students were female. This raised havoc with the school's classification in the state's sports structure.

In grade school, back in the days before rocks, the girls and boys did participate together in such games as "Pum pum pullaway," "Red Rover," and in the winter snow, "Fox and Goose."

High school was a different story. There were no girls' team sports. Their only involvement was in the cheering squad. You can bet, however, that the boys teams really appreciated them. A very large drawback was that the squads were to cheer only at "home games."

Also, in the days before dirt, we had only 6-man football, basketball, and in the Spring, baseball. No track, no soccer, no tennis, no golf. The biggest cause of the latter problem was funding.

Great credit must be extended to those wonderful coaches who not only taught us the games, but also taught us how to lose gracefully and to win graciously. I remember names like Jack Arbuthnot, Gerry Greybill, Father Daniel Brick and, back in grade school, Bob Parkins. They gave of their time and effort in order to help complete our education. They taught us skills, teamwork and cooperation without the benfit of compensation from the taxpayers.

I remember that our 6-man team won a state championship before the turn of the half century.

One of the more lasting memories of the Class of '46 era, in this vein, is that of the team spirit of helping each other, on and off the court, diamond or field that drew us together.

Lest I dwell too much on the athletic activities, I must mention that the boys engaged in music, choir and band as well as the art programs and courses. In short, the boys were involved in a full range of educational experiences, experiences that led us to the next important stage in our lives, equipped with a fine set of values and hopefully, a certain common sense!