Laurelwood was a great school and I enjoyed my three years there but I suspect that it was in spite of and not because of my adherence to its social rules that I maintained my virtue as a young man. Not only were we housed in separate dorms which was probably a good thing but I did wonder why the need for the white line that ran across the sidewalk dividing the boys side of the campus from the girls side and the need for separate entrances to the Administration building where most of the classes were held. God forbid that anyone should step across that line except on official business.
It wasn’t that you couldn’t talk to the opposite sex it just had to be real casual, and for a very good reason and not related to what most teens have on their minds. For this reason everyone enjoyed the Saturday night social. Unless it was a movie, which was held in the chapel, most social activities were held in the gym, and the big event was sanitized dancing, known as marching, with a lot of John Philip Sousa. I marched miles while at academy to the beat of John Philip and particularly to the beat of El Capitan. The main incentive to join in the marching was that you might even get to briefly hold your girl friend’s hand during some of the marching drills as you crossed through in one of the hand shaking routines. Back and forth, around and around, crisscrossing this way, crisscrossing that way, up and then back, single file, then by two, then by four and maybe even by eight or even more. And finally at the last the always looked for hand shake routine, and them it was over for the night with a carefully guarded look to that someone special and then back to the dorm until next week.
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