I would have to say that Ms. Melanie Mumma (Mrs. Wightman), Mr. Harry Wolfgang and Mr. Bill Kemmett were my best teachers in high school. Ms. Mumma made learning English fun and exciting. It was a class I wanted to come to every day. I will never forget having her as a teacher during her first year at LHS.  Mr. Harry Wolfgang made learning Physics fun. He showed much concern when I was having constant headaches during our senior year. I thought it was nice of him to try to help people get dates for the senior prom. I had the chance to substitute for him after I finished college. I also learned a lot from Mr. Bill Kemmett. I had him for geometry and independent study trigonometry. I will remember these three teachers and many others during my years at Lakewood High School.

Some of my favorite memories of the high school years are from time spent in The Valley with friends.  We hung out and worked there with the Explorer Scouts for years.  I always felt that we were doing something worthwhile and fun.  Keeping the trails clean, taking bird census, sinking used Christmas Trees into lakes for fish habitat, it was all fun and useful.  The campouts we went on left me with a lifelong love of camping and the outdoors.  Even our monthly meetings were fun.  Before and after the actual meetings, Jeff would sit and play his guitar.  He was the closet thing we had to a real live John Denver in our midst. 

When we weren't busy working in The Valley, we were playing.  Racing down Killer Hill on anything we could drag to the snow covered hill was always an exciting afternoon.  Refrigerator doors, garbage can lids, trash bags all became tobaggans for us.  One particular sliding adventure memory I have was one day when someone brought this huge clear plastic bag.  It was big enough to drive a car into.  We piled at least a dozen people into that bag and careened down that hill at break-neck speeds.  I still remember the sight of bodies flying out of the bag all the way down the hill.  Everyone laughing till they cried.  Playing came in many forms, though.  Some evenings we'd spend long hours making fishing lures to sell at the Sportman's Show, some times it was waterproofing our tents, or just planning our next outing. 

It wasn't so important what or where we were doing activities.  The important thing was that we were all enjoying each other's company and building memories for ourselves.  The fact that we were actually learning something as we did them was a bonus. 

I often wonder what happened to my Explorer pals.  I do hope and pray that their lives turned out as wonderfully as mine;  full of rich and pleasant memories as well as overflowing with the love of my spouse and children. 

I was a member of the explorers for 2 years I think. I remember camping in the cold and the campfires and eating food prepared in tin foil. And doing many projects like decorating the poles in downtown lakewood for chritmas. Those were fun times. looking forward to the reunion. I'm wondering who wrote that story about the explorers. Geri Kilkenny (Spoth)

I remember a game we used to play in Mr. Hock's Earth Science class. We would ask ridiculous questions to Mr. Hock to basically waste time in class. He would spend hours attempting to answer questions that basically had no answers. Main participants (amnesty period must have lapsed by now) were myself, Ed Zambie, Paul Hamm, John Kamkutis and Tom S. (I apologize Tom I cannot come up with your last name right now). I hope the rest of our classmates appreciate how many boring Earth Science facts we saved them from. And oh by the way, Mr. Hock was really a nice guy, probably didn't deserve the band of idiots like us. Ah, youth.

I remember springtime and tornado drills. Someone created the tidal wave drill! We were in Mr. Sauers English and at a certain time we all jumped on our chairs and yelled tidal wave drill! He was so shocked that I think he really enjoyed the surprise.

A whole class of us sat through a session of Arthur Meyer's science class--biology?--that he had presented only the day before. He went through the lesson word-for-word the way he had the first time. At the very end of the class, he asked us what was supposed to be a tough question. Some student who never volunteered, blurted out the answer. And suddenly, Mr. Meyer knew. The bell rang before he could elicit the guilt we should have felt.

I remember Mr. Walker he was very nice and also very much fun, I believe I had him for my english class. Both him and Mr. Stupanski, were alot of fun. My daughter Deanna had Mr. Stupanski, for urban studies, last year isn't that just totally cool. I'm not sure what I had Mr. Stupanski for but I know he was and still is a great teacher.

With 838 people in our graduating class, I'm not sure if there was anyone who knew everbody. If there is, s/he should run for President, since that would have been great politicing at such a young age.

Anyway, I remember one time standing around at a party and listening to a bunch of guys talking. I don't remember who was involved, but I do remember they kept mentioning something about "four kids." The cacaphony went back and forth and repeatedly these "four kids" kept getting mentioned.

Curious, I wondered who the "four kids" they annonymously bantied about for about 10 minutes were, so I went ahead and asked the dumb question (and don't listen to any of that crap that teachers always said about there not being any "dumb" questions; there are dumb questions). I finally asked: "Who are the four kids you guys keep talking about?"

An eruption of laughter ensued. I was kindly informed that there were no "four kids" in question, as I had sadly misinterpreted. What was continually uttered instead was "Forkas." I guess there was a student in our class named Len Forkas and that's who they kept talking about -- NOT "FOUR KIDS," as I thought it was.

Anyway, it was funny at the time. For those of you who still have your sense of humor (and aren't sitting there in your smoking jackets with embroidered initials in all seriousness in your late 40s), you might still find humor in this. And, Len Forkas, if you are reading this, maybe one day I will get to meet you and realize you are not four persons, but one!

I'll never forget Mr. Gerome's 11th grade English class. I have reminded him of this more than once, since we have both been heavily involved in high school athletics. He is currently the commissioner of the new mega-league that Lakewood is now in and helped run the Baron Cup this past February.

Anyway, he once told us that the family name is really DeGeronimo and either his gandfather or father shortened it to Americanize it. One time Mike McDivitt asked him if we could call him "Mr. Geronimo." He said, "Yes, my grandfather would like that."

Speaking of Mike McDivitt, Mr. Geronimo once had us do an assignment in which he wrote down a sentence, "I reached into my pocket and pulled out a sharp object ..." and we were supposed to complete the sentence, paragraph and essay. It was sort of a creative writing assignment to see how imaginative we could be and to compare the different results.

Well, McDivitt started reading his to us out loud and he went into this deep whisper and spoke slowly for dramatic effect. He was more amusing than anything else. Jim Dill made the comment, "Oh my gosh, now he sounds like Orson Welles." Of course, Dill always made me laugh, but that one had me laughing for a week. In fact, I still think about it and laugh today.

I'll never forget how Tom Lipker would always appreciate my sense of humor. I was always on the joke mill and had a mind like a steel trap when it came to remembering jokes.

Most people in high school when seeing my usually asked if I had heard any new jokes lately and I always had two or three handy, if not 10. Sometimes I would make most people laugh and other times I wouldn't. Lipker, on the other hand, always roared over my jokes. (Incidentally, I'll never forget the list of Confuscius Says jokes that I had, someone else copied and circulated among the class).

Every time Lipker would see me he'd say, "So what are the new jokes you have heard lately." It never started off with, "Hi, how are you doing? How's school going?" He plunged right into a request for a recital of fresh jokes in hopes that I might make his day. I can remember a few times I started telling him something serious and he would interrupt: "Never mind that; what jokes have you heard lately?" I could have told him my grandmother had died, but instantly he would have wanted to hear a joke. Anyway, I really appreciated that I could keep him or get him into good spirits and always politicked and read around for new material.

When the movie "Goodfellas": came out in the early 90s I'll never forget that scene in which Joe Pesci is drilling the other guy about his laughing at his comments: "So you think I'm funny. What do you mean I'm funny? Do you mean hah, hah funny or funny in a peculiar way? Do I amuse you? Am I like a clown?"

I wonder if I would have tried that on Lipker, if it would have made him stiffen up. Well, today I don't tell as many jokes, which might be a good thing, because we all want to be taken seriously, but it is good to know that people did and do appreciate my humor. Without laughter, what would life be? Thanks, Tom, for all the memories.

I remember the fall of 1974, finally walking past St. Lukes on my way to school. I knew things were going to be different when my assigned home room teacher resigned, just days before the first semester, busted for smoking pot. “So this is why it’s called high school.”

To get to school I had to cut thru the field in front of LHS. That is where I started to meet new kids, while I grabbed a smoke before class. By late that fall most kids were bundled in those down jackets that made everyone look like the Michelin man. Many of us were hanging out by the “Wall” smoking cigarettes, talking before homeroom. Other kids could be found further afield, smoking other stuff.

I quickly acclimated to the new environs, moving between the cliques of jocks, motorheads, dopers, over and under achievers, and upperclassmen. I knew a few students from middle school days, running between St. Lukes and Emerson. At LHS I found a much wider circle, with kids from Lincoln, Garfield , Harding, Horace Mann, St. Clements, St. James and other Lakewood schools. I remember carrying an extra pack of Camel non-filters for those kids you could always count on to bum a cigarette.

Time couldn’t move fast enough then. I wanted to be anywhere other than study hall, or class. Dodging Schmitty the guard to grab a smoke, became a daily game, and in deep winter, we would disappear into the maintenance tunnels in the old wing to have a smoke on the coldest days. Later, I would hang with upperclassmen, and catch rides up to Madison Avenue for donuts, coffee, and a cigarette in my free period.

Of course there were times and classes that mattered; that made a difference. English with Mrs.Craig, crafts with Ms. Stenem, and I always looked forward to music with Fred Shaufele. He was so patient with my clumsy attempts to play cello. I got real good at moving the bow just above the strings in orchestra practice, until I could find my place on the page again. And later, I enjoyed watching Jim Monicas’ face contort as he wound out his guitar in jazz band.

And who can forget Mr. Jones, the worlds’ most excitable Math teacher, (if you went at it right.) Or, Mr. Mihocik, coach, and the most easily distracted teacher one could ask for (“hey coach, great game Friday night!” class would start 30 minutes later.) And I used to drive Mr. Cousineau nuts in Drivers Ed, by gently resting both feet on the simulator pedals when the film hadn’t started. It made his monitor light up, and he would yell “get your feet off both pedals’, you’ll ruin your parents car!”

Sometimes wish I could forget the last half of 78. I totaled my car after a keg party that winter, and was reduced to again cutting through that field, instead of driving to school. A fence went up on the front parking lot that spring, and it made cutting classes and grabbing a cigarette difficult. I made plans for that fence that spring; it became my manifesto for freedom.

Other students didn’t fare well that last year either, and I’ll never forget Kevin Lee coming to school that spring, with a baseball bat, to have a talk with house principal Mr. Ulrich. We were so finished with LHS, and I swore I would never look back.

And yet here I am looking back. You know, I wanted to pull the string of time so hard back then; to get on with what was next. I’m not claiming to be much wiser now, but I don’t feel the need to pull that string so hard these days. And now I can see how those moments at LHS counted for more than I could imagine then. So here’s to you class of 78’; You are the wildest, spirited and riotous bunch of kids I can claim as my own.

I have to admit that without my yearbook, it is back in Ohio and I am in Chicago, I cannot remember all of my teachers' names but did think back on memories I had.  Here goes:

1) Biology class in 10th grade.  Our teacher ALWAYS wore a bolo tie.  We all thought it was the weirdiest tie!!  I remember getting the "EVIL FINGER" for not doing my bug collection for one of the quarters.  Lucky for me-I still got an A in the class!!

2) I remember helping as an aide in the biology lab area instead of study hall and using pipettes for the sugar solution to move from tube to tube.

3) One year in study hall we were all signing petitions for some radio station contest and we talked about making up names.  When the list got to me I saw Dave Brown on the list and said to everyone what a great fake name that was and then found it was a real name.  Never knew Dave Brown before that incident happened.

4) My best memory of 12th grade physiology class was the yellow colored stiff rats we had to dissect!!

5) Last, I remember in 12th grade physics which I believe was Mr. White's class.  The class was put in teams one of the last days of the year and we played a game where we were responsible for feeding all of the world's population.  Our group decided to cooperate and we were able to WIN the game because no one went hungry!!

Like I said in the title, somewhat silly memories.  Debbi (Barrett) Pach

I remember Mr. Mihocik starting the session on "Rock N Roll Lyrics" in our English class, and playing the song Cracklin' Rosie by Neil Diamond.  Not ONE of us understood that the song is about a bottle of wine... and probably because none of us drank it back then.  If the song were about a bottle of BEER, well, then... LOL!

And I remember Art Class (can't remember the teacher's  name tho) when I started pounding away on a block of wood, making a sculpture for my sprint art project.  I know it drove the other kids in class NUTS to hear that pounding every day when they were trying to paint or clay-sculpt or whatever.  :)

I was also a member of the camping/hiking groups, with Marie Wise & Dennis O'Donnell.  Man, we had some great trips and did some crazy stuff!

Funny thing is, I wanted out of school so badly back then, but little did I know how really easy we had it before going out into the working/college world as adults.  Now my daughter's a sophomore at LHS, and she says it's a lot tougher these days, the crowd of kids is a lot rougher and meaner than they were in our day.

But we sure had some fun, didn't we?! 

Mr Hock, became so aggravated one day, that he followed me around and kicked my @$$, literally.  A few days later he had another teacher watching from outside the room, and discovered I had nothing to do with any of it.  I swear he must have apoligized for the next 6 months.  My only regret is that I can't take punches like that any longer.  I hate getting old. 

Not sure if anyone remembers Jean Coad, the Librarian.  She was a good friend of my mother and my babysitter when I was a toddler, a real nice lady.  She passed away this past January.

Jim Dingman

Deb Barrett ... had to laugh when I read her story ... Deb and I were lab partners and our first rat was a squishy mess! Had to get a new one. Deb would not skin it ... I had to ... after that it was all fine. But geez ... the rats!

My Favorite teacher was Miss Thompson.  I had her for English 11th and 12th grade English. She was the best and I had an oppourtunity to help her with a project that she was taking up for a course she was taking up.

I loved everything about my community, the schools in Lakewood

and the people.  I especially loved my high school experience. 

Ironically I married the last living relation to none other than Johnny Appleseed (yes I was 

surprised) I have a very old locket with Johnny Appleseed's picture and hair and the family Bible.