Tray Riding at Villa

I've written before that I attended an all-girl Catholic high school in Staten Island, New York. St John Villa Academy. I loved Villa and as much fun as I had, I also received a great education.

But fun was my purpose for attending Villa, my reason for getting good grades (my parents would take me out if I didn't), the reason I never faked sick again to get out of going to school. Fun.

I had a bunch of silly, fun friends, but my biggest cohort for fun and trouble-making was my friend Linda. Linda and I had a way of pushing things almost too far. The fact that we were always so respectful when caught, accepted our punishment and really didn't do "bad" things, just extremely mischievous and funny, helped the teachers and staff more than put up with us, I think most of them really liked us, got a kick out of our antics. I say most, because I know there were a few who definitely did not like me.



I remember one time I had a water pistol ring. It looked like a big fake diamond ring and I walked up to a nun while she was just about to start teaching her class. I said, look at my beautiful new ring, she did and I squirted her right in the face. Of course she took my ring away, I got demerits (the box for "other" always the one chosen for my demerits, as there wasn't a category for squirting a nun in the face with a fake diamond ring). But when I went to the office after the school day to collect my demerits and hopefully get my ring back, the dean actually chuckled as she gave me my demerits, barely getting the question out, "Tricia, did you really squirt Sister So and So in the face?" That's all I needed, she laughed which just made me laugh more. I got my ring back!

My friend Linda stayed friends with a few of the sisters from Villa and years later they told her there were many mornings when it was snowing, school would be closed, and they would all be talking at breakfast in the convent about how they were looking forward to a quiet day. Then one of them would say no, Gillen and Harris will be here, they'll show up knowing school is closed. We did. We had to go to school only to be told to go home. We had to make sure it was closed, had to make sure we didn't miss an opportunity to cause some minor trouble.

Snow time at Villa was even more fun. There was a big hill below the convent that went down onto a stone path which was surrounded by a stone wall, about 2 feet high. Sleigh riding on that hill was the most fun, well tray riding, we didn't have any sleighs at school.

Tray riding is tricky. You can't steer and you can't stop. And coming down off a wall and then onto a stone path could cause some minor or major damage. Luckily we never got hurt since it wasn't exactly an approved sport at school. You would come flying down that hill, hit the wall part which would give the tray and you a little lift up, made you soar. Unfortunately you landed on the stone path, hard! But we were teenagers, the pain was worth it.

We had to swipe the lunch trays from the cafeteria and at first it was no big deal, we had our lunch and instead of putting the trays back we went tray riding. Eventually we were caught, I mean we were doing it right outside the convent windows. I can only imagine one of the nuns taking a moment to look out the window at a beautiful snowy hill and trees and seeing girls flying up over a stone wall onto a stone path. The lunch trays were under guard now. Linda and I especially watched during lunchtime! Although, there was the grammar school cafeteria! No one knew about Linda and me in there, well not at first. We went in there for our trays one snowy day only to be facing one of the guards from our cafeteria, shaking her head. No more tray riding.

Linda and I had gotten many tray rides in and I guess the tray guards saved us both from back pain, bone damage or worse. I don't think we even got demerits for that one.

In the right conditions tray riding can be lots of fun! Make sure there are no obstacles in your path, that you come down the hill in a large, cleared area that is flat and will naturally slow you down. That's the smart thing to do.

Funny how things change when you grow up.

The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know…
- attributed to Socrates, by Plato

Thank you lunch tray guards!