The best part about growing up in Glenwood is growing up in Glenwood. The small town values and the big city celebrations shaped the very person that I am today and I wouldn't change a single thing about it.
Every town has some things that you only recognize if you grew up there, so here are 11 things that you know to be true when you grew up as a Glenwood, Iowa Ram.
1. Your teachers were probably your parents teachers
More than likely on the first day of school during roll call, your teacher called your name and said "Are you so and so's daughter". Which depending on how your parents acted in school, was either a good or very bad thing.
2. If your teacher didn't have your parents as students, they went to school with them
Once again, depending on what kind of shenanigans your parents pulled in school, could be a good or very bad thing.
3. The night before Homecoming was kill or be killed
Each class defends their float from others so that they can be crowned the champs during the homecoming parade. This means sleeping on the float during a cold September night and more than likely in a barn or outbuilding of some sort, attempting to keep it safe from upperclassmen that are armed with paintball guns and spray paint. Oh the things we do in order to win.
4. Homecoming itself is bigger than Christmas
In most towns homecoming just consists of a dance and the crowning of King and Queen during halftime at the football game. In Glenwood you're given an entire week to bask in all that is great about homecoming. That Friday the entire town shuts down for an hour to watch each class go by on their floats, each band playing their marching song for the season and don't forget the various businesses promoting their business in clown cars and hay covered trailers. Of course there is a football game that everyone attends followed by a massive fireworks display that never fails to disappoint.
5. Everyone knows everyone
This might be a small town in general thing, but when walking through the grocery store you can almost guarantee that you will run into someone you know and will probably spend the next ten minutes having a conversation with them. And if you don't you can bet you'll know the cashier.
6. When a team makes it to the state championships your entire town relocates for the day
No matter the sport, when a team makes it to state you get an early out and you drive to Des Moines to cheer them on. Let's not forget the police escort when they leave and when they return with a win.
7. March Madness isn't just a huge basketball tournament during the third month of the year
As a senior you're able to dress up with a group of your friends and play on a basketball team against your teachers and coaches, and every year the seniors win. Between each quarter there is a dance or performance by the cheerleaders and dance team complete with boys in spandex attempting to dance as well as the girls do and it always seems to be a crowd favorite.
8. Ramily
The term "Ramily" was coined after I graduated but it's still one of my favorites. It shows just how tight knit our ram family community really is and we support each other in everything we do. Whether it's sports, a choir concert, or a family in need; you can always count on your Ramily to have your back.
9. Making a t-shirt for absolutely everything
I have an entire drawer dedicated to shirts from clubs that had one meeting, events that I barely even remember, a team that has made it to districts or a state game and bored nights with my friends. Each one has some sort of meaning behind it but mostly just a scary amount of puffy paint and cringeworthy nicknames that my friends had given me.
10. The new kid is always referred to as new kid until someone comes to take his place
Whether he's been there for a month or two years before another new kid shows up, he is only known as "new kid". After a while he begins to question if that was actually the name his parents gave him at birth.
11. The class you start with is the one you end with
Very rarely can you say that the kids you began kindergarten with are, for the most part, the exact same kids you end your high school career with. Even now, after being graduated for almost four years, I still see classmates from time to time and I have no problem having a full conversation with them. Those people became more than just classmates and friends, they became part of who I am today. Every single person that I have encountered while living in Glenwood has taught me that once a ram, you're always a ram.
