School: Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Arden Street.

This was me in first grade with my one of my favorite teacher’s of all-time, Ms. Coronado.

I remember when me and Melissa won the Spelling Bee and I got a Donatello (Ninja Turtle) action figure as my prize. You couldn’t even imagine how happy I was when I got that. I forgot what she got – maybe a Barbie or something.

In this photo, I’m looking all evil and Albert with a huge cheese smile to the right of me.

In the second row, standing up dead in the middle, you got three of my main men – big homey Lester, one of my best friend’s Tom Cruz, and R.I.P. to the founding member of the almighty basketball trio of OLQM and the Heights/Inwood, “The Big Three,” Jason Lugo. The Big Three consisted of me, Jase, and David Garcia.

To the right of them, you got Hernando Santamaria who I had to “apprehend” one time for bothering the fine women of my classes. Then, Melissa is right next to him – another one of my great buddies who cried every time her beautiful mother, Olga, left her at the classroom door.

My man Giovanni is sitting down on the end of the first row. I mean, I knew him for his Coogi sweaters when he was older, but he was rocking white socks with shoes here. That’s a no-no Papo. Mines were clear dress ones so don’t even try.

Ahhh the days…

This was fifth grade with the spunky Ms. Hughes.

I’m in the top right hand corner not even looking at the camera. I was right next to Carmen who grew up to have some nice “features.” Let me stop before I get in trouble. All the way in the left hand top corner is Diana who I saved from that Hernando character in Kindergarten.

In the second row standing, we got Melissa, Jennifer and Cathy in the middle. Joel Perez all the way on the right looking all Don Dadda-ish. Jessica Garcia, Camille and Jonathan “Stunt Devil” Rivera all the way on the left.

In the first row sitting on chairs, we have the lovely, hair-flowing Miriel Valerio who used to kick me in my shin with her shoes. We got Krisna, Giovanni, and my main man Edward, who performed as Mase and I was Diddy in our school talent show. We did the “Been Around The World” remix and made it to the final round, but lost.

On the kneeling down line (because they were all so evil) was Amandy, the Hip-Hop video starlet, Carlos who was the school’s best dancer, the Bronx Bomber Albert, and Dennis the Menace. A menace he was…

In this picture, whoever made me put my hands like that looking all feminine needs a slap upside the head. It was probably Ms. Mannarino who I couldn’t stand. You can see just by her face that she was just a meanie.

The kid John Forkin was next to me at the time. Albert and Angel were on opposite ends. In the middle, we had the girlies in Becky, Mandy, Diana, Camille, Diana, Cathy, Jessica, Melo, Carmen, Mabel, etc.

In the top row, we had my man Ramon, Sean Lane or Nunez, Iggy, Willie, Maria and el resto.

Fun, fun times.

I remember when I went to High School I used to pass by my old school with Dave and Luis all the time. We really missed that place and for good reason…

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