School

[My father] was born in 1911. He attended Menlo Park in 1918. He used to tell us about how many friends they had and how tough it was beause the teachers were real strict. They had to do their work. That’s what he talked about. He loved school. There was no cafeteria available. They had to bring their own lunch, a burro, cookies, and fruit. He loved baseball and basketball. The kids were poor and dressed any way they could. He said the faculty was nice and that some of the teachers were very strict. The school used to be very old-fashioned.

—Alice Silvas

I [attended Menlo Park School] from 1935 to 1938. I did like school and I still do. I wish kids would actually keep on going to school and [not] drop out. On the playground we had marbles... and we had a game that we called “milk tops.”

—Robert Jacquez

Dad would bring us and drop us off here at school. And then after school we would walk home every night out to Mission and Ajo, five miles every night. Sometimes we’d walk over “A” Mountain, sometimes we’d go around it. Unless it was raining, then dad would come and pick us up. But if it wasn’t raining, why, then we’d walk.

—Opha Probasco