VALENTINES DAY 1947

Photo: Yoshiye, Haruye and Sumi (Valentines Grade 3 concert, 1947)

It was spring 1947 and the school had a Valentine’s concert. Our teacher, Ms. Watanabe  was looking to cast students for a couple of numbers.   I know she was looking for the pretty girl named Yoshiye but she was absent that day. “Well, Haruye would you be the princess for this song ?“  and just like that  I was selected to play a key role.   Oh,  dear what can the matter be,  dear, dear what can the matter be, Johnny’s so long at the fair!“ She created  a pink / white costume  with a matching bonnet  out of craft paper for me.  We had a school play in the big Japanese Banquet hall, and I was on the stage. WOW !

The other solo was “ in my sweet little Alice  blue gown, when I first wondered down into town, I was both shy and sweet, as I  crossed every street…. “ Our classmate Machiko played that role.

School was fun, lots of learning, clock  reading,  McLean writing,  using  pen nibs and dipping them in ink each time and blotting each line, reading stories. Ms Watanabe was a tremendous , caring teacher and still my favourite out  my 12 school years.