Jeff McCune's look back at Amma School in the late 1960's.

As I think back to a time long gone but not forgotten, one of the things that always comes to my mind, when I'm sharing stories of my childhood days with my two sons, was going to a little two room grade school at Amma. Yes, I tell them a two-room school. Mrs. Ruby Nida taught grades 1-4, and Mr. Iverson Linger taught grades 5-8. I attended grades 1-3 all under the care of Mrs. Nida. The following year they closed the Amma school and we all attended Left Hand Elementary School.

Going to school on my very first day of 1st grade, I was scared and only knew one person, my cousin Donald McCune. I remember setting in the front row near my new teachers' desk. One of the first few children to get there that first day of school, I had all my neat stuff: ruler, pencils, crayons, paper and of course, scissors, all in a little black leather like zipper bag. I'm a big boy now!

I can remember smelling lunch long before it was ready to eat. Boy, did it ever smell good too. Mrs. Opal Myers was our cook. She made the biggest OLE homemade rolls you have ever seen. As time went on, I began to believe that this lady may just have been the greatest cook in the world. After many months, my mother was becoming confused at my eating habits. I would reply, "but Mom, its not the way Opal fixes it." Geeze, I think I really got to Mom for a while but then after she learned to fix the spinach like the kind I ate at school, everything seemed to get better.

Mrs. Nida would always give us a big smile in the morning to get us started for the day. She would work with us on our ABC's, then a little math, and then our writing skills. It had to have been a task for her, teaching all four grades in the same classroom, but somehow she managed to keep us fairly quiet.

As time went on, I think I became the teachers pet. I remember during a Christmas play one year, Mrs. Nida gave me several pages to memorize. I recall my mother and her talking, "do you think he can remember all of this?" Mrs. Nida replied, "of course he can. If I had any doubts I wouldn't have given the part to him." Guess what, I don't think I missed a single line.

Every so often she would bring in pictures of her grandchildren (Jack's children) and would tell us stories of funny things that they had done, especially after summer break.

During my third and last year as a student under Mrs Nida, I remember that I truly enjoyed Fridays. She would always give us a candy bar after lunch. (I still love a Zero bar) Then she would get the record player and we would sing along to songs like Old Susannah and Billy Boy, one of my favorites. There were a lot of times when she would ask us about our fun times that we had with our families.

During the time when they were building Interstate I-79 through Amma, it was very noisy and the school was right in the middle of the construction area. Even though we had all the windows open, Mrs. Nida would read to us from different paperback novels that she kept in her desk. Once she had got us involved in the story, we would forget all about the construction going on outside. I enjoyed her readings on many Friday afternoons.

Every year during summer break, I would get bored with being at home all day as Mom was busy washing clothes or something. I would ask Mom, "can I call Mrs. Nida to see if she is ok? I haven't seen her all summer." To my surprise, she let me, so every summer break and even for a few years after she retired from teaching, I would call to check on her from time to time. Being a young boy, I never thought that maybe she was just as busy as my mother. But none the less, she always had time to talk to me on the phone, and it made me feel proud that she spoke to me as a little man.

I have many very special memories during my school years at Amma Grade School. Mrs. Ruby Nida will always have a fond place in my heart. She was a very special lady.



Mrs. Ruby Nida, teacher - 1968
Back Row L-R: Donald McCune, Bobby Drennen, Vernon O'Dell, Roy Shaffer, Wayne Mullins, Terry Mullins, Timmy Ashley.
Front Row L-R: Teresa Sarver, Bonnie Harrison, Rhonda Honaker, Merrill Parker, Jeff McCune, Ricky Parker, Brad Runnion.



Mrs. Ruby Nida, teacher - 1969
Back Row L-R: Debbie McCroskey, Dreama Parker, Naomi Hall, Edmond Hall, Teresa Sarver, Brad Runnion, Timmy Ashley.
Front Row L-R: Jeff McCune, Terry Mullins, Jerry Brannon, Bonnie Harrison, Bobbie Drennen, Donna Harrison, Donald McCune, Ricky Parker



Amma School 1970 - Grades 1 thru 8 - This school was closed after this school year.

Back Row L-R: Ricky Brannon, Eddie Helmick, Debbie Jett, Timmy Jett, Mervin Hall, Lois Parker, Robert Hall, Debbie Drennen, Robert Hood.

Middle Row L-R: Mr. Iverson Linger, (Teacher), Donald McCune, Bonnie Harrison, Wayne Mullins, Linda Hall, Merrill Parker, Linda Mullins, Brenda Mullins, Nancy Ashley, Bobbie Drennen, Donna Harrison.

Front Row L-R: Kelly Vineyard, Connie Harrison, Ricky Parker, Naomi Hall, Terry Mullins, Jeff McCune, Jerry Brannon, Edmond Hall, Brad Runnion, Dreama Parker, Maxine McCune, Mrs. Maxine Byrd, (Teacher).
Submitted by Jeff McCune