Five former students of the long gone Summer Home School that had been located at what is now the southwest corner of Cottage Avenue and Southland Road northeast of Manteca told stories of their yesterdays when they met for lunch at Applebee’s Restaurant.

Barbara Camara Martin and Faith Micheletos Sioures told of entering the first grade together – the only students at that level having skipped kindergarten as there wasn’t one at the two room school.

“We could start another Summer Home School right here,” Martin quipped because of the low enrollment 50 years ago.  

Irene Gikas Sephos compared the trees of her youth at the school to those that survived until today.  “A eucalyptus and one umbrella tree are still there,” she said.

Amellia Gillingwater now lives in Alpine, Utah and had come home to Manteca with her daughter LeAne Wilson to see her sister Hallie Cotrell in Ripon.  Contrell was unable to make the luncheon event.

Claudia Nascimento-Camara she clearly remembers Frances Web as a strict teacher, especially with the boys.  She had been standing on the school’s small stage when she spotted Claudia putting on lipstick.  She recalled that she got so angered by what she was seeing that she forgot where she was and fell off the stage to the wooden floor below.