I started Conway-Phillipsburg High School in 1957 in the old brick building built in 1920. The school board kept to pass school bonds for a new updated school on the outskirts of Conway, MO. but to no avail.

It was our Senior year of 1960-1961. Most of us classmates had attended in the old dilapidated building all twelve grades.

Being silly teenagers, one school day on our lunch hour, we decided to go on strike, and protest for a new school. Our teachers didn't care because they were wanting a newer facility themselves.

I didn't have a car. Very few girls back them did. I went home and asked my dad if I could drive his brand new 1961 Catalina Pontiac. He gave me his permission. What could happen going ten miles?  I thought I'd only be  hauling a few of my classmates. But when I got to school, four girls piled in the passenger seat, and six boys into the backseat.

We were packed in dad's car like sardines. We proceeded down old RT 66 Highway to Phillipsburg, MO, ten miles away. They'd merged the students from each town together.

We arrived okay, and got out, marching around, protesting for a new school. After thirty minutes of protesting  we got back in our cars, and started back to Conway, barely moving at ten miles
per hour, in a caravan.

All of a sudden the car in the front stopped abruptly, and there was a  chain reaction of cars, trying to get stopped. I hadn't had my driver's license long, and I was nervous in dad's car, anyway.

I barely got stopped. One boy in the back seat said, "That was a close one," when the car behind me rammed us from the rear.

Then we went back to school. I had to go home and face the music with dad about wrecking his car.

My high school graduating class of 1961, graduated in the old school. But five years later, in 1966 they passed the school bonds, and built a new modern school in Conway.