We were the class that all the teachers loved, the Windham Middle School, Class of 1995. We were the ones who put up with the building of the new addition and the ones who welcomed the sixth grade, who were attending the school for the first time. We weren't just a bunch of kids who went to school together; we were a class. Everyone knew everyone and everything about each other. We knew who our friends were and who our enemies were. Our class always worked together and made things work. We always thought we would be together forever.

As eighth grade grew to a close, all we heard about was Salem High School. We were only the second class from Windham that would be attending. Our friends talked about their plans to go to private schools or to move out of town. Those who would be staying were nervous. What would it be like? Would we be accepted? Would our class remain close? We had heard all the stories of the hated freshmen getting picked on by the upperclassmen and of the teachers' being mean and heartless.

When we arrived at school for freshmen orientation, we found that all the Windham kids were on one side of the room and all the Salem kids were keeping their distance. The school was so big; would we ever find our way around? We were no longer the Class of 1995; now we were the Class of 1999.

The next day we returned to school for the first day and met the upperclassmen. They were so tall! We were used to being the biggest and the best, but now that was all changing. We found that the upperclassmen really didn't bother us, and slowly the Salem kids began to accept us. They were no longer considered traitors for making friends with us.

The first few weeks of high school were tough. We got lost a lot, and sometimes we felt that we didn't belong. But now we are used to the school and feel better about the whole situation.

We all miss being so close and know that we will never be able to go back to the way things were. We are not the same kids who knew each other completely, but things do change and we have to accept those changes as part of life. Fortunately, we will always have the memories of eighth grade and the years we spent together in the Windham schools as the class of 1995. c