Binghamton Flashback: East Junior High School

Today we flash back to the original site of East Middle School or as it was called East Junior High School on Robinson Street in Binghamton.

It was so long ago its even hard to visualize East Junior High School, the location at 160 Robinson Street is now the home of the Weis Market Plaza.

I still remember the first time I walked through the doors, and through a row of second year students who proceeded to sock me in the arm as a walked by each one proclaiming “Greenie Punch”

If you looked up the word, you will not get the same description of what any 7^th grader that entered the school during the 60’s and 70’s went through for the first few weeks of the new school year.

I remember coming home with black and blue bruises on both upper arms during the Greenie Punch initiation phase, I begged my mother not to say anything, because it would only make things worse, and I wore my bruises as a right of passing into middle school.

East Junior High School originally housed 7^th 8^th and 9^th grades, but the year started there they moved ninth grade over to North High School, reducing the number of students and most likely sparing me from more Greenie Punches.

East also has a swimming pool which I believe was the only school in Binghamton that had one at the time.

I lived on the east side within walking distance of the school, and I don’t think there were many kids bused at that time, most of us met up with friends along the walk.

I would sometime ride my bike and go home for lunch, there was a cafeteria, but I don’t remember ever using it.

East junior was our first experience with multiple classes, and we stored our books and items in a locker with a combination lock. Something we never experienced through elementary school as we stayed in one room with one teacher most of the time, and kept our item in our desk compartment.

I’ll never forget some of my teachers and my first experiences with girls, it was a fun time and anytime I drive by the old location on Robinson Street, I think about my days at East Junior High School.