Reasons for leaving....
It seems to me that I have gotten off subject in the chores category and thought it would be a good idea to start fresh. I left the milt by choice. I was actually on "contract" which means that if I messed up again I would have to go. But Mrs. Royer didn't really want me to go. I had just had enough. I will not say that the school was responsible for all of my problems, but I certainly had a couple sets of houseparents that had it in for me. It was not anyone at Cloverdale!!! Once, housemother called me a whore and all other unkind things, had a student home gripe meeting all directed at me and it was too much for me to cope with. I was just a confused angry 16yr old. It took a long time to get over that. Anyway, I still value all I received at the Milt. Hopefully one day I can get back there. Haven't been there since 1989.
I remember the Tarbells. When I was in intermediate division were at Shawnee. My husband was also in the school (he wasn't my husband yet) 
Anyway, his student home was Nanticoke, which was paired student homes with the Tarbells at Shawnee. I have heard some horror stories about Tarbelly. Seriously, he got away with some stuff that today would put his fat rear in jail. Punching students and stuff like that...I'm sure I haven't heard all of it either! The worse part is that the houseparents at Nanticoke were worse!!! So to go to Shawnee and deal with Tarbelly was a reprieve of sorts. Sad isn't it???
I was in Eisenhower Mr. T and Dolly. We called him Tarbelly. He was as cruel as you can get. He hated it when we got silly. Imagine that a bunch of 10 and 11 year old boys getting silly. He was a horrible human being. He had a Son who became a house parent as well. David Tarbell. He also had a daughter who was vicious. Debbie her name was. Tarbelly would look for reasons to hand out punishment. Silliness, smiling, not smiling, or whatever the flavor of the day was.
After reading this post, I have to say a few things. Keith, Sorry I threaten you. I remember coming back to Plainfields after spending the summer in Florida diving with my brother and father. The first thing the Mattinglys told me was that Dave had got kicked out. They told me that a bunch of guys put a mattress on Keith and did some WWF stuff and that the outcome was a compound fracture to his arm in 3 places. Just the though of it was sick. So, Keith, I'm sorry if I threaten to brake it again.
Also, lots of our brother and sisters got kicked out for the same stuff we did everyday. I have learned in this life that it all depends on who you are. I have heard that some people were given choices and some were just shot out of the school like a cannon.
When I got in trouble, I got spoken to. I should have been on detentions lots of times. The two times that I did get detentions was the day that all girls, Krista, Trish, Val, and who ever else came to my student home. I was on Student leadership and I had earned an extra 30 vac days, plus I was going to a two week leadership camp. So Buzz Cash pulled me in his office. I told him that I had invited the girls over and that I let them in. He told me that if he was 17 again, he would have done the same thing. He then took all me extra vacation away. Then he took my leadership camp away. He told me that he wouldn't take the two weeks from my summer and that I would stay on student leadership.
The second time was when I told my Sub house mother to shut up. I got 5 and 5 for that. Then best part was that her husband told me on the down low that he told her to shut up all the time too.
But I hooked out. I was told by my housefather that he knew that we were hooking out. He wasn't going to wake up. So it all depends on who you are. I know of some people...IE Dave Satterfield, Matt Testermen, and a bunch of others who were doing the same crap we where, who got in trouble all the time. I drank. Crap, I spoke to Obsi Jones drunk out of my skin. He asked me if I was alright and I told him I took some Nightquill because I had the flu. He told me that he hoped I felt better in the morning.
Now we are all older and can look back on the time on the milt and think, 
that was 20 years ago. But you know what. I would do the same thing if I was there now. It was fun, we were fun. Great bonds were made there.
Rob
Hi there. Yours is a name I haven't heard in quite a while. Hope all is well with you. Also hope you remember me since you have that "older mind" 
...
- Bryan Jones
Did you have a brother? Michael Lippen?
Steve, I don't have any old pics of myself, but i did post a profile pic. Laura Dewey was the name back then. I was a pure bred OPP at the milt.
So who r u? My mind is getting much older too. I'm seeing quite a few people on here that I forgot even existed!
I arrived in '79 right before I turned 10. She had just taken me out of foster care a few years prior to that. Didn't realize I was such a hard kid to raise. Started at Jackson with the Rothermels. Was there when Ms. Bean,Harold,Jim and Scott's mom, ran over the dog Cindy and gave us a new one. Rothermel's went to senior division and we got the Brennan's for the few months before Jackson closed when the 4th graders moved up. Went to Lenape with the Kelly's. Not my favorite people especially since I only went home for summer and Christmas vacation and was stuck with them during all other vacations. Moved up to Brookside where the Hauers? were. HE GAVE ME THE CEEPS!!!!! Thanksgiving vacation was coming and I would've been the only one there. No way that was going to happen so I begged mom to get me. My family was mad at her for doing it and I should've known better but I wanted my Mom. Not the greatest decsion but "Oh Well!". I meant some fabulous people at the Milt that I'm looking forward to seeing again.
and WELCOME! Glad you found us!
Same for me, I left on "my terms" and wasn't real nice about it. Post a pic of yourself from back in the milt days of you, the name sounds real familiar, but my mind is getting old. 
I definitely left somewhat by choice. Milt and me didn't fit well together. But if I had to do it all over again, I think I might have been a little less rebellious in the methods I chose to get out. Anyway, glad to have found this site and "see" all of you.
How funny that is too crazy. I remember! Ogla! You all have brought back so many funny memories. Until I started reading this I forgot a lot of things then slowly everything started to come back to me.
Oh the topic why you left the Milt. I graduated and they gave me a suitcase full of clothes and a $100.00 check and told me my services as a milking maid were no longer needed. That's why I left the Milt.
yes i hated that student home and the milias
and i loved that i had my own art room there though
that was cool
lots of pranks although the myers were cool
kinda layed back
those were easy days
how r you,, dannielle god you were soo freakin cute i remeber you and yes teresa was sooo awesome everyone loved her
many blessings
angel(collier) sligh
I was in MHS for one reason, to make my sister (Debbie '85) stay. She will attest to the fact that she and my mother in her teen years did not see eye to eye on anything! Hated each other... She wanted to get out for a few reasons I don't really remember, but I remember my mother on the phone crying because Deb was saying she WAS leaving. I took the phone from my mom and said "Deb, if I enroll and get accepted, will you stay?" she said yes. So here I was happy where I was at home in Coudersport, Pa, on my way to Hershey in the spring of 84!
When Deb graduated in '85 I figured "well I'll give it a go for awhile and see how I like it on my own." I had some great friends, Rich Lawlor, Rich Crout, Pete Small was one of my roomies that was a great person to talk to. But I longed to go back and graduate with my friends at "home".
My mother was aware of the fact that I was only there for Deb and had agreed that if I decided I wanted to leave, she would come get me. Half way through 11th grade I told her that time had come "come get me", boy was I surprised when she started back pedaling on what she had told me. I wasn't a perfect kid pre-milton but wasn't on the police's hit list by any means. She kept saying it's for the best that you stay (hind sight 20-20). I didn't really push it....
One day Mr.Cash (really despise that man, sorry, but I do) was doing an inspection at our student home and found 8 old cigarette packs stashed in between the wall and the inside of the closet (well known hiding spot! DUH!)that I had put there some time back when I was smoking (I wasn't at the time of the inspection). He called me into his office at Sr. Hall when he finished the inspection and said I was going on 10-10 for each empty pack he found. 80-80!! I told him I don't smoke any more and I wasn't going to serve it and I wanted to go home. He started backing down on the hours till we got to 5-5. I said "NO!". I want to go home! He called my mother at work and told her what had transpired that day and that I wanted to go home, he put me on the phone with her and she was crying. It made me so mad that I leaned over his desk put the phone down, stuck my middle finger in his face and yelled "FU" (with a few more syllables). I then got up stormed out of his office and he yelled for his secretary to "go get me" she was running down the hall yelling my name and I just kept yelling "FU" at the top of my lungs.
I WAS GOING HOME!
Then Mr.Cash ($%#^#$%#^%^) worked out a plan with my mom to pick me up, luggage and all, go to IHOP to try and talk me out of it one last time. While we were in IHOP someone unloaded my luggage from her car, took it back to the student home and she was to just take me back and "drop me off" His great psychology was that I just needed to see my family and I would cool off. Whewww was he wrong, I got so mad when I realized what was going on that I wouldn't get out of the car when she drove back to the student home. I went back home and graduated and joined the army and lived happily ever after.
I also enjoyed my time at the milt, hindsight, Would I do it the same again? I wouldn't have ended it with such anger and drama (it just isn't me) But I am glad I went home to graduate.
But I look back now and say to myself "where are all the people I graduated with? I Dunno!" But I did by some chance find a great site called "THE MILT" where some really great people hang out. And I see now where my 
is! There really is something about the experience we all went through that no one could ever understand that wasn't there.
That was Rena's bright idea. I remember that so well.
Tree88
Danielle i think it was Elmwood, i was in Laureldale funny how we remember this stuff...
Danielle,
I remember Mrs. Cook threw a cup right at Claudette T. It went flying right between us.
I think the spoon thing at prayer was a bad habit of his. He did it to me too. I threw it back. I had dinning room so when it was time to clean I left the spoon on the floor and cleaned up everything around it. Mrs.C was trying to be all big and bad. She marched right behind me screaming. I don't know what happened but "The devil made me do it" I stopped dead in my tracks and her faced smacked right in the back of my head. I know it hurt her pretty bad. That's when they finally moved me to Oak Grove. (loved the Jefferys) I then went to Brookside in Senior that didn't work out so I went to Cloverdale. Thank the Lord the Melia's were smokers. I wasn't one but one night a couple of us were bored so we were doing some stupid dares. Mine was to light a cigarette in the kitchen. Doesn't he walk in right after I did it. Since he was such a chain smoker he didn't notice the smell. The Snyders were so cool. Mr. Snyder would always play jokes, water fights, he was so fun. (I broke my finger throughing the football with him.) She was a real great sport about everything. I loved them so much.
I liked going to the student home parties a greenacres and I liked the surprise come as you are parties.
i haven't read about that, but if you read the literature on syphilis afflictions at the end of the 19th/beginning of the 20th century, then it's entirely possible that she could have had it. depending on whose numbers you read, something between one in seven and one in ten americans had the syphilis bacteria present inside of them as recently as the 1930s.
be thankful for your moldy oranges because if it weren't for that, then the numbers would still be about the same today, if not higher. (only the advent of penicillin reduced the percentage of syphilis sufferers in the usa.] there's a good chance that the 1960s would not have been so free-love if [i]t. pallidum[/i]had still been in the mind of so many people.
it would have gone a long way to explain why they didn't have kids, especially if she had been born with it. i'm not saying whatever author is right, but it's entirely credible.
Does the Deed of Trust that Mr. Hershey himself wrote state "WHITE MALE ORPHANS"? Do you believe Mrs. Hershey died of syphilis? That is what another author is trying to push on us. Angry
unc
i got put on contract at the end of 7th grade because i kept beating up people who called me a homo or a n****r.
this was in nanticoke with the yackleys, who didn't do shit about the namecalling, but were all over my derriere about the retaliation.
got transferred to greenfields with the walkers after getting into a fight with someone. [i threw a D battery at full force right into his stomach. he was in pain. his brother chased me around the house with a shoe and i picked up a pair of scissors. the next day i was in front of mr fisher and the only thing that was saving me at that point was my grades.]
then i wrote this letter to this other boy telling him how cute he was. [he *was* cute, dammit.] from a homelife point of view, i didn't get in any trouble for that. still trying to figure that one out.
fast forward, then all this mess happened in 11th grade, which people found out *all* the dirt i had been doing for, gee, i dunno, the previous 4.5 years and then i got thrown out. lovely. i would have been the first black person to have been up on the valedictorian/salutatorian board. to date not doing so is one of my biggest disappointments in life. years later, i actually apologised to both mr walker [at greenfields] and mr webster for messing up.
my mother thought that i was purposely trying to get kicked out so i could go to mcdevitt with my friends, but after 9th grade when it became clear i had a shot at the board, i stopped wanting to leave -- that fell on deaf ears, but whatever.
btw, lewis, you might have had an easy time with osbia, but man he always gave me *extra* swats just for letting the side down.
.........
but it's weird.. about the orphan thing. most of my friends at the milt had at least one dead parent. two of my closest friends [who were brothers] had a mother who died, and to hear *them* tell it, i was one of the few people who knew the whole story behind that.
to this day, most of my friends had their mothers die while they were teenagers -- and since my relationship with my own mother borders on the nonexistent [her choice]... we've been our own little clique, no matter what country we are all living in.
my stepson's younger cousin was living with us for part of the year, and no one could understood why he and i had bonded so much, especially since he didn't really speak english. [only seeing me deal with wesley did anyone have an idea of how good my afrikaans was.] but when they found out that he would talk to me about his mom who had died when he was 7, they were like... what are you feeding him? he won't talk about her with *anyone*. i was like -- do any of you actually sit and talk to your kids?
ha yeas i remeber this we use to sing ogla ogla ogla iiiiiii i use to make caratures of them..
yes i hated that student home and the milias
and i loved that i had my own art room there though
that was cool
lots of pranks although the myers were cool
kinda layed back
those were easy days
how r you,, dannielle god you were soo freakin cute i remeber you and yes teresa was sooo awesome everyone loved her
many blessings
angel(collier) sligh
When I was there in '83, it was an adjustment, but I got used to it. I was lucky to have great houseparents (The Hulings) at Pinegrove. After my accident at Hersheypark in the summer of '84, I was just ready to be with my mom at that time. She moved around in the Army so I didn't see her much. I was just ready to be around her more before I got too old. Plus, at 12 years old with the injuries I had, I guess I needed her around me more. I think I made the right choice, but it would have been great to graduate there.
I can understand where Danielle is coming from, I too was in the same situation, where i made bad choices, and got in alot of trouble,(hormones are crazy) when you are 14, and boy did i get in a Washington, DC lot of trouble. I also had mean and hurtful things said to me by my house parents. It was either leave or do something I would reget for the rest of my life. but I will never forget the friends and lessons I recieved from the milt.....Miss everyone that have knew me.
Does the Deed of Trust that Mr. Hershey himself wrote state "WHITE MALE ORPHANS"? Do you believe Mrs. Hershey died of syphilis? That is what another author is trying to push on us. 
unc
if memory is correct, was told that his father moved to denver? And milty moved out there about 3 years later (not counting the time they spent apart before his father moved to denver), from there to Lousiana, then NY. Only after learning different ways to make candy in the three, did he come back to PA, and get it right. Either way, with transportion the way it was back then, he knew what it was to be fatherless at the ages that it mattered most.... That was why it was his mother who got him the job as an apprentice (age 14-15)in a candy store? and not his father....
If you read his biography you can see that for a good part of his life Milton Hershey's dad and mom were living. However his dad was somewhat of a wanderer and was rarely around, for years at a time. Although we have been taught through rumor about MHS's dream school for orphans, if you do read the biography written by a homeboy you hear quite another version where Uncle Milty was making MHS a home for those of need, period. Maybe the other parent was alive, maybe not but from early days he opened the home to families of boys of all ages who did still have living parents but were not able to make ends meet. It really is quite an incredible story and an incredible insight to our founder. I'm only ashamed it took me so many years to get around to reading it! While I admit it is not written with the most articulation perhaps, it is indeed written with love and from the perspective and care and concern and most probablly the background that non other than an homeboy or alumi/alumna would give it!
Dawn
Hey Sis,
Yeah I can beat that cause I still dont know know why I was kicked out. Just one day the Lacey's at Vian came and told me I was no longer welcome at the school that had been my home for 7 years. And I didnt even smoke!
How touching!!! I remember we got put on restrictions. That tree was the perfect smoking place. I have a lot of good memories hanging out with the pond crew and fellow smokers. Today, I no longer smoke. Nasty habit and expensive.
Mrs. Stewart was always eavesdropping on my phone calls! Then I believe I was the only female to get the infamous indefinate/indefinate for suspision of being sneaky... Let me know if any one else can beet that.... the worst part is the very worst thing I did was smoke ciggerettes in a tree that me and Danielle climbed in the back of the home.
Dawn
there are so many kids there who have both parents in jail...doesn't that count as orphans?
Like i said before i when to mhs durning a time that had so much changing happening to it at the time..
Sorry if this is a repeat of a earily post, (i think i wrote it but haven't seen it, yet. i have had some problems with my Kids and cpu, they just aren't good playmates)or might have deleted it.
When i first came to mhs, everyone had at least one parents dead if not two. The first question the other kids asked was "so which one, your mother or father..." and with that answer, they put you in a group or "clique" of kids that were the same. in 1st and 2nd grade over half the home had both parents gone, durning summer vaction i left more mhs brothers in student home allen then real siblings i had at home (large family 8 or us).
With the changes of Girls, there was also the redefinding of orphans, (now any child with a sub-standard homelife due to the fact of parents (this sound bad, forgive me) who acted like children (just can't get along) or ("me first additude") could come. Nothing wrong with helping the kids, but maybe the school should have found a way to help the marriage at the same time, (and maybe wouldn't need to house the kids)... Side note, i know the work involed in a marriage, and to keep the love alive. And face it, it takes two to do the tango... someone once said "Dancing by one self" looks funny.
When these kids started first coming to mhs, houseparents started to divid the kids into three type of orphans... Full, (both parents dead), Part (one parent dead), and Social (both parents alive, with one parent (suppose to be) outside of the childs influence). No matter how you look at these 3, only two can be desribed as a hand dealt by God, Not relying on any person choice in the matter. And it is this "bad hand" that was the foundation that formed the bonds to mhs as "The Home". (uncle you know know what i mean?)
Now with the change in types of Orphans, some kids not only have a home (a place where the heart is) with one parent, but some kids have 2 parents to chose from (therefore 3 homes). And on top of that some parent use to get divorce to be able to send there kids there (know of two that remarried right after kids graduation). Always wondered if it was to send there kids there (for the betterment of the child) or just not to have them at home (so parent would have to act as parent). And it was these kids that refer to the mhs as anything else but "The Home", why should they, there home is someplace else, along with there hearts...
Again sorry for a paraphrasing by something was said to the effect " a person can not love two things at the same time, will act out of hatred on one and act in love towards the other, when they must chose between the two." And this happens every time when it comes to choosing anything over another.
I think we can count abandonned kids as well as orphans in this one. Either way it means you have no parents, which was the situation I was in when I came to the school.
unc
I think there still are some orphans, in fact one girl lost her mother at 13 by her fathers hand and he is dying now from a jail cell. and from a disease. there are so many kids there who have both parents in jail...doesn't that count as orphans? Many too whose parents are so strung out the elderly grandma has been forced to try and raise them and that is very difficult for elderly to deal with the needs of teens and their issues.
I was only there a few months and we definately were not going to get along. I remember him making me wash a load of clothes over for stopping the dryer before the timer went off. He just enjoyed giving me a hard time. Jen Salter was my roommate at the time and we were the only seniors. She could do anything she wanted, and I could do nothing.
of what you have written. My one problem with todays MHS is, no orphans. That was MSH dream and goal. It was for boys, but now boys and girls of all races (which i agree with 100%). It was never meant to be a foster home or prep school.
unc
The Steelers are the best
yous want to hear something funny my sister franny was probably one of the only ones who was at that student home her 4 years of high school, i went there for a while and i dont know how my sister did it cause they were jerks, i was glad to get out.
Seriously, when did Mr. Shriner have a clue? Compared to dickhead Woodring, Highland was breeze! I always thought she was a sweet-heart. I believe he was overwhelmed, because at that time she was in the early stages of Alzheimer's.
You were a lifer???? So was Chris Maher. I remember seeing the little ones in junior division, they were all so small.
I think alot forgot as it was easy to do in the day to day and often difficult life of growing up as we did in what is indeed an "institution" setting. But MHS with all it's faults also had alot of good points too and I suppose that is what a true home does. Though it's sad what some went through and is truely outrageous and I by no way endorse or defend it I will say that Milton Hershey, the MAN, did more for me after his death than my own father, my only caregiver and still alive to this day has. And that included the influence over not only my life but my parenting and therefore by extention my children's lives.
The fact is what Uncle Milty did for me was give me something that God knew no one else here could in truth: a family in more than name. Corny as that sounds, good and bad, I'll take it. It's home and I knew it would be from the moment of my first visit there. Alot of you come from the tristate area. I came from MN and it was a grueling 3 year process from the time I was around 9-`10 until my acceptance and consecutive move to the school after my 14th bday. It was MY decision to leave and because I made it my father had to honor it. Strange as that sounds. But even stranger than that twice before I was 9 years old my father asked me to go live elsewhere. What parent does that? Especially after the loss of their mother only 3 years prior? Even living it it does seem a reality to me and it happened to me.
OK,Yeah I'm sentimental, but when all you have been related to by name have gone and you find you have this give that God placed before you because some millionaire didn't want kids to be without a home or in a broken one as he was......well.....I think we all appreciate it or we wouldn't be here!
hit it right. These kids that are from broken homes need a lot of time and understanding. My life was Washington, DC before I entered the Milt. I received no help at all. It was here is where you live and follow the rules or else. Thats fine if they knew what the kids went through previously and handled them accordingly, but they don't do it that way. Good houseparents is a blessing and listening to the younger Milts talk about how good some of their HP were makes me hope that's the case with most new kids that enter MHS.
I know I harp on this "orphan" thing a lot, but I strongly feel that orphans should get top priority. MSH wanted the school to help kids who had no parents first. That seems to not exist anymore. MHS seems to have become a foster home for kids until their parents get their act together. The school was never intended for that. Granted this type of care is desperately needed, but MHS should not be that source.
unc
I want to add my two cents as well. Being that Murf and I are still working here and I worked relief eleven years ago as well, I see a huge change in the emotional and mental stability of the students they are enrolling. This may be because they are truly trying to help the neediest of the needy, however alot of the kids now a days don't make it partly because we are not the type of facility they need. Sometimes when a child has been so emotionally tramatized or physically beat down so much, they need more than a good homelife where they get thier basic needs met, and so far MHS doesn't train us to be the mental health providers that may be needed. I really wish parents would take notice to the damage they are doing to their kids and realize that it can be irrepairable and permanant, as well as their kids will probably repeat the learned abuse. My heart goes out to alot of these kids, their stories are horrific and some have such a hard time adjusting to their new life here at MHS.
your insight into this is very interesting and informative. You are right, I think I do agree with your assessment. I find it painful that 500 kids have to be enrolled to have 90 kids graduate. MHS seems to be more foster care then anything else. Although its great that MHS helps all, I feel that boys and girls who are orphans should get first preference. I don't have all the answers and niether does MHS in my opinion.
Jack, you went to the "HOME" in a really transitional period. I use to dream of girls at MHS and you lived it. I am jealous. 
unc
now that is a full list of names that rings a lot of bells... ,
Its funny, i was there for 12 years, (lifer) and i do think we lost more people then any other class each year. Remember tell us that as a freshman class '86 was the largest ever (up to that time). also remember someway saying that we lost something like 50.1% of the people in the first two years at SH..
Wondering if those names should be movied to Whatever Happened to...... discussion. have not heard from any of them... (except Tracy) and now Julie.
Sorry, you opened a can of worms here, and i will try to keep this short....Please understand this is just my thinking on this..... but i think you will find some agree.
Larry, i think there was a major change in the thinking of the School Administration, that happend and was still happening at the time of my graduation. The school was no longer trying to help just the male orphan, but it started with Girls, then those from Divorce families, and these two happened to close (right on top) of each other. And each group of individuals had thier own circumstances and needs. And it was like the school was trying hard to catch up with the understand on how to treat (the phyche) and meet thier specific needs. (understand other reasons to, but being a lifer durning the pre - during - after , i would have to say this is a lot of it)
Then came in The Squeakly Wheel thinking. The Squeakly Wheel is what gets the oil, and ignore the rest of them. Well it may work great in the mechanical realm, but in kids, if left alone the lord of the flies can happen (exaggeration). You got so many kids craving attention and they know if they stay quiet they will be ignored. The norm like it or not, is the bad kid gets attention, and the good kid it totally looked over.
Now on top of all this, You got some kids whose parents send them there not because it is the lack of a parent in the childs life (an orphan), but more that the parents don't want the kids themselves or they don't want thier ex's to have them. and it a way the school becomes a source of punishing the child in a divorce, or a bargaining chip. Or at least that is the way the child may percieves it... Wondering what type of baggage this new kids carry with them to the school, let alone the amount of it when they leave..
Again this is just part of my thinking (and it is not all of it by no means). This topic really needs its own board, but i think you can see how the school was not ready for the sudden change in the dynamics that came with "Social Orphans" (as opposed to "Nature Orphans"). Now on top of this the school's enrollement criteria has again changed to "Social Need".
If the care is inadequate, the child is considered to be in "social need." Social need may result from a variety of situations faced by the child's primary caregiver, including physical, mental, and emotional health problems; chemical addiction; or incarceration. The School stresses low income, limited resources, social need, and age-appropriate behavior when considering applicants.
So its it because of leaving or thrown out? the answer really is both..... The Squeak can get loud enough, parent listen and remove the child or The school gets tired of hearing the same Squeak and throws it away. As far as the Number of Milts, please realize that doing your time, enrollment might have been 200 new students a year, and now it over 500. Also the Social Need kids still have someone at home, Orphans really had nowhere else to go..... They had to stick it out.
Additional Thoughts: 1). It is not the Number of People you help in Part, but rather the Part of the People you Help in full. 2). A job half done, is a job left Undone.
The Elmwood experience was such a gem. It definitely didn't prepare us for many of the houseparents to come. I think I was fortunate going to Maizeland - houseparents trained by the Mladdenoff's (another good set).
At Elmwood, we got to act like the little girls we were & young ladies we were growing into and treated like family. Linda brought up the "routines" were were always coordinating - then putting on shows. That is what little girls do (an giggle incessently).
that so many Milts never made it to graduation. Was it b/c of the kids leaving of their own accord or was it b/c the school threw them out? It is confusing to me that this seems to still be the case. We, us older alumni, never had this happen in the numbers of you Milts.
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I thought for sure she would be dead by now. She was mean and nice to me.
I remember in 9th grade, Evie Ward, Ruth Vrothey, Chris Piatnek, and myself ran away from Highland. Mr Shriner had no clue at breakfast that we were gone. We made it to Enola, Evie's Aunt came and picked us up on 322 and took us to her house, and called the Shriner's. He acted like we were sitting at the tables eating breakfast. Her Aunt took us into Senior Hall, and Verna tried to give us all 30/30, we were all normally good kids. So we all threatened to run away again. The Shriners hated Evie, Ruth and I because we came from Elmwood and we always went back to visit the Waselkos. The 3 of us got out the end of that year. It was my worst year in that school. I really missed the homelife at Elmwood and all the sisters I had. I think Tracy Dean is the only one of the Elmwood girls that should have graduated in 86 that actually did. Congrats to her. Out of 6 of us.. Evie Ward, Gina Fisher, Jody Waltman, Ruth Vrotney, Tracy Dean and Me.
I looks like the alot of the Elmwood girls never made it to graduation.
She probably did say that too...Depending on the group of girls.
2. If there were more than 2 black girls together at one time, we weren't fitting in... it had to be broken up. What would the school do now?
Interesting cultural sensitivity... When I was in jr division, I think there were 2 or 3 black girls in my grade.
As I started to read this, I thought you were going to say that 2 black girls make a "gang". Which wouldn't surprise me if she said that either.
A couple of points...
I thought middleschool was the worst. Probably didn't matter if MHS or elsewhere. My mother moved to california, so she sent me money to make up for not visiting. I had saved about $300 in my stuffed animals. I would write my grandmother all the time to find me another school. My plan was not to run away, but to take a plane somewhere. I stopped trying to figure out how to institute that plan once I went to senior division.
1. Does anyone remember bandaids and bathing suits... as Verna taught us in middle school (as if it mattered for me)
2. If there were more than 2 black girls together at one time, we weren't fitting in... it had to be broken up. What would the school do now?
Interesting cultural sensitivity... When I was in jr division, I think there were 2 or 3 black girls in my grade.
Worse yet...I think it was as bad as if you didn't make the toast fast enough.
As I read these comments, I find myself thinking yeah that happened to me too. I think so much as an adult that if people understood how I grew up then I would have better social interactions with people (this is what I contribute my long single status to, but that might just be a really good excuse). I too felt as though I was in jail for being born to the wrong parents. I think the guys who had visitations every weekend and stuff faired better than the guys like me who were just dropped off and forgotten about. There were a few summer vacations that I almost didnt go on because nobody wanted me for 30 whole days. And yes I agree one incident can effect the next few years. MY incident was getting my arm broke during my freshman initiation at Plainfield, Rob Rodiguez and Eric Cunningham should remember. It was a big accident that I got my arm broken, and I told Buzz Cash and anyone who would listen the same thing. But Dave Satterfield got kicked out for it and he wasnt even in the room at the time. Buzz Cash went back to the unit while I was in the hospital having the bones set and a ligament in my wrist repaired. By the time I got back everyone thought I was some type of snitch and I tried to get Dave kicked out. Now Dave was the one who protected me up to that point so basically I got my butt handed to me everyday. Rob was always cool, but he did have to threaten to break my arm again one time because I was too lazy to keep up with the chore down at the barn. It scared me crapless and I kept up after that. But that one incidence set the next 3 years of my life down a course that I never wanted or deserved. I have a special little place in my heart for Buzz now. So thanks for letting me share and get that off my chest to people who actually understand that if you burnt the eggs in the morning life wasnt pleasant for the rest of the day.
You are absolutely correct about this site being an ongoing therapy session. I have shared some of what I went through at MHS and even after 42 years, I suspect there is still stuff buried inside me! But this outlet helps me connect with those who went through a lot of the same things. And in the joking and remembering and all the things we do here, comes a great measure of healing. I've said it before and I'll say it again, 'Thank God for all my Milt brothers and sisters here!'
stories of other houseparents has made me think that the Kelly's weren't so bad.