The Devil’s Advocate has a series called “When I Was 17,” where we interview the staff of LHS and see what they were like in high school. This issue is about Leominster High School French teacher, Connie Gramit. 

Connie Gramit is a French teacher who has had a passion for the French language since she was in high school herself. 

Gramit attended Norfolk High School in Norfolk, Nebraska. She said that her graduating class of 1976 had a total of 276 graduates. 

In school, she recalls being an “art and French nerd,” along with being a part of a pep club that supported the cheerleaders. She also tried out for the tennis team, but unfortunately didn’t make it. 

She enjoyed playing chalk walk, kick the can, and touch football with her friends. She went to  church on every Sunday. She also said she would go to rodeos every Saturday when she lived in Missouri before moving to Nebraska during her sophomore year. 

When she was in high school she had her first job, “Just one summer, it was at Dairy Queen.” 

We asked what she liked to do for fun to which she responded, “It’s painful to party. I like being with a small group of people better. Maybe do pottery on a Friday or Saturday night.”

We also asked her what kind of music she listened to. “I listened to Chicago a lot…Wait, what’s it called? The Highwaymen, I liked them.” 

She also recalled her transition from a rural high school to college. “I lost 35 pounds! I was mortified!” she said. 

When asked one thing she would tell her younger self, she responded, “That 99% of the things I worried about were non-essentials and it’s okay to have acquaintances and 1-3 close friends.” 

She felt like she didn’t have the right to tell a current LHS student anything and said, “And that reflects today’s culture.” 

She concluded the interview by saying, “I’m grateful for how much I’ve grown as a person.”