605 W. New Hampshire Av. DeLand, FL 32720
Southwestern
Middle School since 1988
Southwestern 7th Grade Center 1969 - 88
Southwestern High School 1964 - 69
Euclid Junior Senior High School 1962 - 64
Food Days by Don Tutt
There has never been a shortage of food at Southwestern. I can only speak to the years from 1972 until 2007. From the late 1970's until the mid 1980's a Christmas party cookout was the tradition. Tom Craft and Don Tutt would bar-b-que a pig all day for the evening gathering. The entire staff of Southwestern 7th Grade Center would attend. Through the years we had volleyball matches, square dancing one year and always a bonfire because December was a little chilly. The fare was all potluck as everyone brought a favorite dish. How many of you remember the bologna delights, that was Gil Dominquez' specialty?
ISE days were always a cause to eat. We would bring our lunches, sometimes go out, and then we started an annual make your own pizza day. we would make 6" pizza shells ( at first this done in the tiny home ec room dating from the early 60's). It was pretty labor intensive. We then shifted to making the shells ahead of time. Everyone who wanted to participate would sign up to bring in a favorite topping. On the duty day we would gather about 11:30 and construct our pies, bear up under the tremendous heat in the small room, and then have our communal meal. We eventually moved to the cafe because of the size of the ovens and space for preparation. Bettye Corley was the cafe manager at the time and she invited us in and showed us the ropes. When the new construction of the media center was complete we prep in the cafe and when the pies were done we transport them to the media center for some eating fun and great sharing time. We continued this food tradition until 2007, almost a quarter of a century of family eating.
Two other eating duty day traditions were started in the mid 90's until 2007, they were wrap and roll day and make your own baked potato. Like the pizza day, we had a sign up list for all who wanted to participate. The baked potato day was usually around January when it appeared that some pretty large spuds were available at the local supermarkets. The one comment made that first year was "you can't make a meal from a potato" only to find that person unable to finish their "meal". Wrap and roll day involved sub rolls and 12" wraps while participants signed up to bring in their favorite ingredients. We would produce our creations and sit down elbow to elbow at one long table covered in brown wrapping paper and eat and laugh and complain and leave early. We even had screened tee-shirts (a baked potato one, a wrapped roll and a pizza wheel) for the food captains who helped clean up Baked potatoes are still a tradition during one of the FCAT day lunches for the faculty.
During Mr. Presley's time as Principal of Southwestern Middle School , he started an end of the year luncheon celebration. It started as an in house gathering like the other duty day food fests, but soon became attended by county personnel who were invited to join us in another food tradition. It started pretty simply. It was to be a fish fry. Mr. Presley had a fish supplier in the Daytona area. Hush puppies were added. Mr. Tutt found a DeLand Winn Dixie with good prices on fresh shrimp (her daughter had attended Southwestern). Later crabs were added. Mr. Presley added different species, like whitefish, flounder and catfish. He added fried shrimp. Corn bread both sweet and buttermilk were added. Cole slaw. Sweet Tea. Grits. It was a feast. And the best thing, everybody was part of it. Every year, for almost 10 years, people always chipped in to help set up, some waited years to be invited to be on the cooking crew, everyone helped to break down the event, as we were using the school way cafe after it had been cleaned and readied for the summer break. Washing in the big sinks was a social event.
And now during the Ms Oatis years it is extremely hard to find a week where there isn't food on the table in the workroom. Special days honoring students, parents, clubs or other functions are always a valid reason for food (many times supplied by local businesses). The Black History Month luncheon, started during Mr. Presley's time still continues. It is potluck shared by all our staff and many District Personnel. Thanksgiving Turkey meal distribution has been a tradition dating back to Mr. Stephenson when he was the SGA sponsor during the days of the 7th Grade Center. If you volunteer at Southwestern Middle School to this day you are bound to be well fed