Old Home Week

Last week sure felt like it.

A boy I went to high school with called me out of the blue. And I found 2 very funny (and very sad) videos done by other classmates on YouTube. This, frankly, is remarkable. Why? Because I graduated 23 years ago, from a place called the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. It is billed as the country's first public, residential high school.

2 years (11^th and 12^th grades)
Residential ("boarding")
"bright" kids (think: the Star Trek generation)

When I was there, it was new- really new. I was in the 3rd class.

When my class arrived for our junior year, half of the girls found out that their dorm was not yet ready and that they'd be living in the Carolina Duke Motor Lodge down the street (it was a motor lodge; need I say more?). What kind of parent leaves their 16 year old kid to live at the Crusty Dusty Motor Inn for 3 months?!

The same kind who approves of this...

Renovations in the dining room were complete, but not to the kitchen. So for all of my junior year, we had cold breakfasts and lunches (cereal, sandwiches, ...). For dinner, we walked up the street to the local grammar school: EK Poe Elementary School, affectionately known as Icky Poo. That says it all, I think, but at least it put us half way up Ninth Street, a pretty cool place (esp when you're 16 and living away from home for the first time!)

Our mascot is the Unicorn. We have never had a football team, and someone thought it'd be clever to have t-shirts made that said "NCSSM Football: Undefeated since 1980." And now that's part of their alumni begging campaign. It's not funny, people. It's sad. Very, very sad.


And on another sad, sad note: my Tarheel grrls lost. I just wish the game hadn't been such an ugly one- Ivory was out most of the first half with 3 fouls. Last night, the Florida boys reclaimed the National Title; OSU fought the valiant fight, but. Tonight Rutgers will face Tennessee. After watching Rutgers run all over LSU, I can't wait to see what happens tonight. Again, I love me some Pat Summitt, but you gotta admire C. Vivian Stringer. She put 4(!) grrls on LSU's leading scorer and shut their whole system down. 4 on 1. It was amazing!