Linda Hisey, Class of ’80, Reminisces About Her Purple Pounder Days

PURPLE POUNDER PRIDE -- Three decades after her graduation, Linda Hisey is still proud of her alma mater.

Ursula Santos

PURPLE POUNDER PRIDE — Three decades after her graduation, Linda Hisey is still proud of her alma mater.

“Pounders! Pounders! Spirit that shows, we’re the class of eight-zero!” Linda Hisey proudly chanted her class cheer. All grade levels had their own class cheers that they hollered out during pep rallies back then. It is no surprise that the freshmen got some tough love from the upper classmen.

“They picked on us terribly! Not only were we freshmen, but we were the class of 1980 and they were 70’s. It’s been a long time since there was a new decade of class,” Linda jokingly stated.

She was no stranger to the halls of Central, considering she had two older siblings. To add to her high school experience, she was very involved within the school.

“I was in a lot of clubs such as the National Honor Society and the art club, and we did the backdrop for Senior Day. I was nominated for Miss Central, won Miss Valentine, better known as “Miss Cupid”, I was part of the Student Council, and the bank staff, which I worked alongside Mr. King,” she commented.
“That is how we got to be good friends.”

Of course, Linda gushed about the school dances .

“You just felt all grown up coming to these dances, such as Homecoming. We had to have a date, and that was tough. The guys had to ask the girls out, buy the tickets and corsages, and it was very traditional,” she vividly described.

As she discussed her senior year, she openly shared some of the senior pranks.

“Some people wrote on somebody’s football field with salt and killed the grass,” she spilled. “When there was a substitute teacher, we would change desks and answer for somebody; we would become someone else that day.”

Linda’s high school years were filled with excitement and unforgettable memories, but she also learned how to show respect and she used the education she acquired in Central on a day to day basis.

“It meant a lot to say that you went to Central High School. It’s important to follow the rules and be a respectful citizen in the community,” Mrs. Hisey concluded.

“All the skills I was taught in Central opened new career opportunities for me.”