That first year of school has always been a major milestone.

In Fair Haven, kids in the 1960s walked on a rope to kindergarten at what was called the Youth Center, now the Fair Haven Police Station.

The rope was traumatic for those of us who weren’t allowed to walk beside our best friends. And the official lady toting the rope-load of us, Mrs. McDaniel, was kinda scary to us little cretins.

It was an unforgettable experience. Actually, to some it was unbelievable, if not for photos as proof of this daily ritual walk.

The last year for the rope walk to Youth Center for those half days of that first year of school (back when no one went to pre-school) was the 1965-66 school year.

The first year of kindergarten at Knollwood, if you lived in that section of Fair Haven, was 1966-67.

And not only was the walk a different one, so was the classroom in a small portion of the big kids’ school and so were the pictures.

Here’s a shot of an a.m. Knollwood kindergarten class in that first year out of the Youth Center.

Recognize anyone? How about those hairdos? Parents back then seemed to have a penchant for clips, flips and bad bangs. A few of these folks are still around. And one of them runs the Fair Haven Facebook page.

Robert Chartier was principal at the time, though neither he nor the teacher, Mrs. Eulner.

Chartier was a very mellow, wise man who knew all the kids’ names by heart and always had a smile and calming demeanor. He went on to be one of the most, if not the most beloved superintendents in the district’s history for many years.

Congratulations to the kindergarteners who just completed their first year in big kid school!