Haldane High School is a tiny building located on the top of the Haldane campus in Cold Spring, New York. Most often, if you're not from around the area, you have no idea where it is. But that's totally okay, because we do. We know our campus inside and out, and whether we want to admit it or not, we're usually proud of our Alma Mater. To those who graduated from Haldane, this will make so much sense. But to those who have no idea what a Haldane even is, here's a little insight on the Blue Devils' atmosphere.
1. The hill
The worst part of the entire campus. You did everything you could to avoid it, but since the high school was made up of only classrooms, all mandatory electives, the cafeteria, and both gyms were located in the middle school. So you had to go. The struggle was real. Especially when you were racing against the bell for your next class.
2. The bell
The bell is a major staple on the campus. It's located right beside the original elementary/middle school, and is painted annually by the graduating seniors. Painting the bell is something most classes take very seriously, and it usually comes out pretty awesome. In addition to the painting, every year on graduation day, each senior rings the bell before receiving their diploma. It's like the last hoo-rah before our time at Haldane ends.
3. 10th period
This was the extra period in the day usually used for serving detentions or getting help from a teacher. It was either the period you loved or the period you hated. There really was no in between.
4. New kids
New kids at Haldane are just about as rare as rare can be. I think through my four years of high school, not counting the people from Garrison , there were maybe four new people? If that. But once one person knew, it was only a matter of time before everyone else did. When that poor person walked through the door, everyone wanted to know what they were all about. Poor kid.
5. Spirit week and the pep rally
I know every school goes super hard for spirit week, but our spirit week was unforgettable. Every day was something different, and was something most people took very seriously. Mathletes vs. Athletes, Superhero Day, Color Wars, Pajama Day, but the most important was Blue and White Day. The bleachers were filled with everyone from each class year, and we fought our hearts out to win best overall. Using every single ounce of body strength available to win tug-of-war, playing your heart out in the various activities, and hoping that your class float was the best.
6. "Wanna scoop?"
No, not ice cream. Scooping the loop is something everyone in Cold Spring knows about. Seriously, people from out of town just don’t get it. Basically, you drive straight down through main street, make a left at the end of the road, and follow the road up and over the train tracks, keep following the road, where you’ll pass the gazebo and end up right at the dock. There’s really nothing special at the end besides the gazebo, the pier, the parking lot outside the boat club, and whatever parking spots you could find by the river. Otherwise, you just keep driving and go back the way you came. It might sound pointless to you, but to us, a day in town isn’t the same without it.
7. The Senior Scoop
Adding on to my last point, the Senior Scoop is unlike the regular scoop. This is something most seniors look forward to. Once that final bell rings, the seniors flood the halls celebrating their last day of High School classes. That's when the fun begins. Everyone piles into cars and takes a celebratory scoop through town, honking their horns and waving to the locals. A little disorderly? Of course it is, but really, who cares? Definitely not us.
8. Senior parking
Seriously, what a joke. Every morning was a race to find the best parking spot, usually located directly behind the annex. If you had one reason to not be late in the morning, it was the parking.
9. Forever Friends
Forever friends really don't happen that often. Even if you swear you'll be friends with your best friend for life, chances are things will change once you leave the halls of your high school. This is true everywhere, even at Haldane. But the one thing that's different with us is that regardless of how far away we go for college or how often we keep in contact, we always return to the same town. Cold Spring is far too little, and we're bound to run into each other at some point in time.
In the end, whether your 4 years at Haldane were the best or worst years of your life, one thing will always be true..
Once a Haldanian, always a Haldanian.
