Too Big for It's Britches

Last weekend, my husband and I had to attend my daughter's first open house at her high school. We thought it was important that we both attend given the fact that she is a freshman and we wanted to meet all her teachers up close and personal so they could see why she is the way she is (yes it's all our fault). Pat us on the back for a job well done, right?

We were a bit nervous, because we had been warned by many people that this High School is huge! Looking back, heelies would have been appropriate or a scooter. Apparently the School District, in it's infinite wisdom decided the school needed to be ENLARGED because of the ever expanding population here in rural Dutchess County, NY. No the locals aren't up to anything funny....it's people from counties south of us moving up for the better pricing, which really isn't all that great right now. The School District & the powers that be, kept having this same brilliant idea, year after year after year. Hey, I have an idea! Let's add an addition (round of applause) times five. I believe the suggestion that another High School should be built was mentioned at some point, but that could be just urban legend as the person that purportedly made the suggestion is no longer "around". They keep slapping on these additions so now we are at the point where this High School is beyond ginormous (not a real word). My daughter's freshman class consists of a mere 800 + kids. I don't know about you, but I get concerned when 10 or more teenagers start congregating - let alone 800 in just one class! We'll need to take a week off for the graduating ceremony....ugh.

Anywhoo, my husband and I went armed with this knowledge, and were scared to death. The first clue that this was a mess in the making was the "attendants" who were directing all the other scared-to-death parents into the parking lot. I do believe they were ex-marines. God forbid you even looked in a general direction of someplace you would not be allowed to go- they knew it...and waived their florescent light saber in the direction they would make you go whether you liked it or not. As we were walking toward the main entrance or "The Bubble" as some like to call it, there were dozens of parents outside chatting away on their cell phones. What on earth could be so important? We were about to be swallowed whole by this school - were they saying goodbye to loved ones? The ironic thing is, to me anyway, there was a giant "No Smoking" sign and my mind went where it often goes. There was a time, not too long ago, parents would be puffing away outside "The Bubble", not talking on cell phones cuz there weren't any. Hmmm....will there be a sign 10 years from now with a cell phone in a circle with a line through it - and what will replace that?

As we were trying to navigate our way to the classes my daughter takes and me marveling at the fact she made it home after the first day and search teams weren't needed to find her, my husband mumbled that they should really hand out GPS devices. He cracks me up. By the end of the night, I was exhausted and we were late to about 3 classes, and missed Gym because it was in Weight Room 1 and we could not for the life of us find Weight Room 1. We saw Weight room 2, 3 & 4 not to mention, Gym's 1, 2 & 3 as we were going by Cafeteria A & B, not to be confused with Cafeteria C & D......EEEEK!