Spotlight: Fun & Games
Was the Lab School all work and no play?
could survive at the Lab School, they could survive anywhere.
Just like you might recall teasing your substitute teachers when you were in school, the “Lab Rats” enjoyed pulling harmless pranks on their student-teachers. They flew paper airplanes around the classroom and organized schemes like pencil drops. Sometimes they would even stand up in their chairs when the teachers’ backs were turned.
From Left: Pete Hutton, Debbie Connely, and Altha Jane Cravey.
They acted out in other ways, too. Student-teachers were often required to serve as hall monitors during the lunch breaks, making sure students stayed out of trouble. Labbies played a game called “German Border Guard” where they tried to sneak into restricted areas of the building without the student-teachers noticing. They did not always get away with it! One alumnus recalls being chased by a hall monitor after she and a friend got caught sneaking out of bounds.
To this day, alumni joke about how they were not just “Lab Rats” but also “Lab Brats.” They sure gave the observers something to observe! But as former fifth grade instructor Dr. Dale Downs said: if student-teachers could survive at the Lab School, they could survive anywhere.