The Academy

By Sue B. Miller

I attended St. Mary Academy in Monroe, Michigan. I was a resident student for the majority of my teenage years from fourteen to seventeen. I had a reputation of being a rebel, so I was sent there for discipline. This story is about the trouble I got into in those four years. I was raised and taught by the nuns. It took me a while, but I soon realized that my actions had to stop. Slowly, over those years, because of the tough love from the nuns, I literally went from crayons to perfume as the song To Sir with Love said.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 21, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524526177

Sue B. Miller

Born on August 20, 1950, I grew up on the east side of Detroit and went to St. Philip Neri Catholic School. I had an adopted brother eight years my elder. In 1967, we moved to St. Clair Shores. I loved tap dancing, entertaining, music, and sports. At thirteen, I was sent to St. Mary’s Academy in Monroe, Michigan. My mother told me I was going because the nuns at St. Philips didn’t want me back as I caused trouble. After graduation, I worked full-time as a waitress and short-order cook to pay for college. I attended college and received my degree in theology and elementary education. I taught at St. Gertrude’s in St. Clair Shores. That’s where I met my husband. We married in 1972; had our son, Jason, in 1977; and divorced in 1980. I then moved to St. Clair Shores. There I lived for thirty-four years, where I ran a state licensed day care in my home for twenty-five years until I retired.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue B. Miller.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-5245-2618-4

                eBook           978-1-5245-2617-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 07/19/2016

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Contents

Chapter One

Freshman Year

Chapter Two

Sophomore Year

Chapter Three

Junior Year

Chapter Four

Senior Year

Chapter Five

Graduation Day

This book is

dedicated to Sr. Mary Margaret, formerly Sr. Mary Gregory. She was an inspirationto all of us. I would also like to thank my friends both residents and day students who became my sisters. A special thanks to my room mate of four years who kept me focused enough so I wouldn’tget kicked out. not only to mbut everyone else. The acad was our home. Old friend, we love you!

Chapter One

FRESHMAN YEAR

We’re sending you to boarding school, my mother announced one day. You got in so much trouble in grade school the nuns don’t want you back. You’re going to St. Mary Academy in Monroe, Michigan. Your father, aunt, and uncle went to the Hall of Divine, the military school next door. Back then it wasn’t a military school.

The day after Labor Day, I was on my way. I was actually glad. My adopted brother, eight years my elder, went into the army at eighteen. I was glad of that too because he was always mean to me. I guess I was lonely. We pulled up in front of the building five stories high attached to a smaller building connecting the IHM motherhouse, another huge building. There had to be twenty-five acres of property, which the nuns farmed and a lake with a grotto. I thought, I’m going to like it here, and most important, I’m not home. My freshman year was here. My first experience was quite a shock. We had girls from all over the world—Puerto Rico, Trinidad, Mexico, and Australia. I shared a room with three other girls—Tammy, Pat, and Terry.

I unpacked and stowed my clothes and personal items in my locker. Our uniforms consisted of a plaid skirt; a plaid dickey; a white blouse; a navy blue blazer with an emblem on the pocket that read Laus Deo, Praise God; and black-tie oxfords with navy anklets or navy knee socks. It had to be the proper length. When you knelt down, it had to touch the floor.

Our first directress was Sr. Eileen. I learned soon that she was a pushover. I could get away with anything. After we put our clothes in our lockers neatly, Sister came in and showed us how to make our sheets. They had to be made with square corners and complete with bedspread neatly tucked under and over our pillows. I learned soon that she was a pushover.

That evening I headed down to C unit, which was in the middle, separating the freshman from the sophomores. We all gathered there, freshman on one side and sophomores on the other. We weren’t supposed to intermingle. But I would change that fast. We were even separated by floors—freshmen and sophomores on the fourth floor, and juniors and seniors on the third floor. There we chanted compline. In the morning we would gather and chant prime.

The first night was also a shock. We had to be showered and have our personal needs taken care of by eight o’clock. Then it was study time until nine o’clock then lights out. We opened up our windows. September was still quite warm, and the breeze was really great. Then came the other shock. Every hour and half hour, the bells in the tower would chime. That kept me up the first few nights. After that you never heard it. Morning came at four thirty for five o’clock Mass. Then down to breakfast and down to classes.

The first day there weren’t any classes. We just met with our teachers and down to find out what they expected of us. Then down to the bookstore to purchase our books and supplies. They had blue sweatshirts with our emblem on them. I purchased two—one long sleeve and one short sleeve. I love sweatshirts.