Susan Wright:  

My family moved from San Anselmo to Redding in July of 1963, and when I entered Enterprise High School that September, I was a very shy and very scared junior. On the first day of school, a number of students noticed I was new, introduced themselves, helped me navigate the campus, and answered any questions I had. WOW, their reception was totally unexpected and really wonderful! THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!! I found EHS a very friendly, welcoming, fun environment, and I only have good memories of my two years there . . . with the exception of having my lunch period scheduled for second period. That was not good! I wasn't ready to leave Redding for a four year college, so I went to Shasta College for an A.A. degree. Next stop was UC-Davis, where I earned a B.A. in Psychology. Then it was back up the valley to Chico State for a teaching credential. My student teaching was done in a beautiful, four-room school in the pine trees in the tiny town of Cohasset, and I'm sure that setting contributed to the peacefulness of the students and faculty on that campus. After applying to 68 different San Francisco Bay Area school districts (there was a glut of teachers in 1971), I stumbled upon an opening in an East Bay school district just 10 days before school started. I found this job via perseverance and stubbornness -- and being in the right place at the right time! From the peaceful, country campus in the pine trees to all the challenges at the asphalt campus in a city . . . I mostly enjoyed teaching 4th and 5th grades . . but what a learning curve it was! My meager teacher's salary combined with my husband's was just enough to put us in a higher tax bracket, which meant we were essentially paying for me to go to work. So, my teaching career ended after only five years. I then spent many years volunteering in my community for the benefit of Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford (formerly Children's Hospital at Stanford). After our two daughters arrived, my volunteer hours were spent in their classrooms and schools. I found volunteering very interesting and very fulfilling. Most importantly, I was able to give back . . . but I also developed some wonderful friendships and some skills I wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity to learn. In other words, I found the benefits of volunteerism to go both ways, and I highly recommend getting involved! My husband is a patent/trademark attorney in private practice. Our daughters are 34 and 29. Granted, social networking on the internet isn't something I'm totally comfortable doing, but it seems if we stick our necks out and participate in these websites, we ought to communicate!! I would love to hear from you!! ___________________________________________________________ I attended two 50th high school reunions!!! SIR FRANCIS DRAKE HIGH SCHOOL'S 50TH REUNION - CLASS OF 1965 July 10-11, 2015 in San Rafael, CA Lee Jamison, Chair I wen...Expand for more