Page 111 - From the Outhouse 4 -21

111 | P A T R I C I A R A E M E R R I T T W H A T L E Y

After Ms. Maud’s Nursery School, at 5 years of age, I entered first grade at Goldsboro Elementary and went each morning with my
mother. It was so good for me that I caught on to all the work even though I was a little younger than most of the other first-graders.

After Goldsboro, I went to Hopper Academy Elementary School, which was located on the east side of town where we lived. This

was so much better because my mom could either walk to work or ride with someone since we didn’t have a car. For me, it was too
close to my mom for comfort! Fortunately, I was not in my mom’s class.

My favorite subjects at Hopper Academy were cursive writing, arithmetic, and reading. My extra-curricular activity was dancing. I
loved dancing and still do. My first dance solo was The Ritual Fire Dance, performed on the basketball court during May Day

activities. My mother was always very creative in setting the stage with props. She used red and yellow crepe paper to create the look

of fire as I danced around in my ritualistic costume. I wore a red calypso-like ruffled skirt, a ruffled midriff blouse to match, and I
danced in my bare feet. As I think about it, it was a Caribbean dance that I had seen on television. I just don’t believe my mom had

voodoo in mind when she chose this dance for me.

I enjoyed wearing the big earrings and the makeup – lipstick, rouge, and powder – the works! My costumes were always very colorful
and I loved performing! Off stage, I was somewhat shy, but onstage, I wasn’t shy at all! My choreographer was my third-grade teacher,

Mrs. Laura Fulton. She lived very close to Hopper, and she taught me many of the dances in her living room. At times, we were
allowed to take a field trip to her home to watch The World Series. Many of her students didn’t have a TV, so we were delighted to

have the opportunity. Mrs. Fulton would serve us cookies, popcorn, and punch refreshments. It was so much fun!

The thing I hated most during my elementary school days was lunchtime. I never had a good lunch from home. I would bring pork

and bean sandwiches, spam sandwiches, and bologna with mayonnaise for lunch on a good day! Sometimes, I even had bananas with

mayonnaise sandwiches. I truly hated lunchtime! I was always jealous of what my friends brought from home. I loved their peanut