Garret Bartley:  

I went to the first night of the 2006 OLMC 50 year reunion. No one from my class was there. As I walked around I see a woman's name tag and I say, your sister beth cardarulo was in my class. She responds, Oh really? Well she's standing right over there. Needless to say my night got dramatically better. As for Beth, well you'll have to get her opinion on that. Actually we both had a fantastic time. It was an interesting night. The high point for me was when, in the middle of this room full of noise and people, me and Beth sit down at a table by ourselves and discuss our fellow classmates. And we were not prepared for what happened next. It got emotional, it was a moving experience in a good way. I did not realize how strong the bond I had to that place was until that very moment. It was something. Did anyone go to the second night of the reunion? I remember it was kind of a dangerous place. Especially in the early grades where you have teachers three times your size, who could slap you around at anytime for any reason. Or worse using a ruler on you leaving a welt and your hand swollen and a lil numb for the next 2 to 3 hours. And then any elder classmate could give you a beat down in the school yard at any time. But there was the compensation that one day you would be at the top of the food chain. You knew your time would come. I remember seeing a classmate get a beat down pretty bad and after I said lets go to the principal, but he was like no, its over, forget it. And I was like whats going on here, what kind of insanity and anarchy...Expand for more