This week has been one for the books.
Upon returning to work Monday morning I started feeling a bit congested and sneezy. By Tuesday, it was a full-blown, first-of-the-season cold. Ugh. I have not gotten sick in quite a while, and now I get a stomach flu virus and a cold within two weeks of each other. Needless to say, I could not take any time off yet (sub plans are NOT in the stars this early), so I toughed it out (miserably, I might add).
The whole week, the school is in chaos as we are preparing for the Grand Opening celebration on Thursday night. No one knows exactly what's going on, as the network has taken over the preparations, but we know it's going to be HUGE. By Wednesday afternoon, there are people
running through the hallways laying enormous electrical cords, covering emergency lights and setting up other sorts of lighting. On Thursday, our wonderful director calls me into his office to ask if I would be willing to speak to the news cameras if they ask. Whoa. So much for keeping under the radar this year. Mind you, I still have a horrible head cold - which I jokingly bring up. In the end, I concede and walk away wondering how this is all going to shake down.
The evening rolls around and it is downright chilly. Eric comes down around 5:00 in hopes of missing traffic, and we go get a quick dinner. The program doesn't start until 7:00, so we just hang out in the general area until the big wigs start showing up. Mayor Rahm Ehmanuel. Governor Pat Quinn. Numerous Senators and Representatives. Aldermans from a 1/2 dozen districts. I was "assigned" to the 8th grade girl saying the pledge of allegience to help calm her nerves and help her practice. Consequently, I was right in the middle of all this madness. It was pretty damn cool. I stayed behind stage with her and talked to every big wig that came by and offered her a "good luck - you'll do fine."
FINALLY, at 7:30 the show starts. The Director is more animated and inspiring than I've ever seen him, followed by the boy scouts raising the flag and Alejandra saying the pledge. The music teacher's professional Mariachi band begins to play the national anthem as a crystal clear tenor voice flows over the crowd. The crowd is silent, facing the flag with every single hand covering their hearts. When the music ends, the crowd explodes into applause and the Director steps down. The next hour consists of big wigs talking, saying thank you to other big wigs and finally leading up to the Governor's speech. By this point, it's so cold and has been so long that I don't remember what is said.
Upon returning to work Monday morning I started feeling a bit congested and sneezy. By Tuesday, it was a full-blown, first-of-the-season cold. Ugh. I have not gotten sick in quite a while, and now I get a stomach flu virus and a cold within two weeks of each other. Needless to say, I could not take any time off yet (sub plans are NOT in the stars this early), so I toughed it out (miserably, I might add).
The whole week, the school is in chaos as we are preparing for the Grand Opening celebration on Thursday night. No one knows exactly what's going on, as the network has taken over the preparations, but we know it's going to be HUGE. By Wednesday afternoon, there are people
running through the hallways laying enormous electrical cords, covering emergency lights and setting up other sorts of lighting. On Thursday, our wonderful director calls me into his office to ask if I would be willing to speak to the news cameras if they ask. Whoa. So much for keeping under the radar this year. Mind you, I still have a horrible head cold - which I jokingly bring up. In the end, I concede and walk away wondering how this is all going to shake down.The evening rolls around and it is downright chilly. Eric comes down around 5:00 in hopes of missing traffic, and we go get a quick dinner. The program doesn't start until 7:00, so we just hang out in the general area until the big wigs start showing up. Mayor Rahm Ehmanuel. Governor Pat Quinn. Numerous Senators and Representatives. Aldermans from a 1/2 dozen districts. I was "assigned" to the 8th grade girl saying the pledge of allegience to help calm her nerves and help her practice. Consequently, I was right in the middle of all this madness. It was pretty damn cool. I stayed behind stage with her and talked to every big wig that came by and offered her a "good luck - you'll do fine."
FINALLY, at 7:30 the show starts. The Director is more animated and inspiring than I've ever seen him, followed by the boy scouts raising the flag and Alejandra saying the pledge. The music teacher's professional Mariachi band begins to play the national anthem as a crystal clear tenor voice flows over the crowd. The crowd is silent, facing the flag with every single hand covering their hearts. When the music ends, the crowd explodes into applause and the Director steps down. The next hour consists of big wigs talking, saying thank you to other big wigs and finally leading up to the Governor's speech. By this point, it's so cold and has been so long that I don't remember what is said.
Mr. CEO takes the mic back and begins to explain how when UNO celebrates something they do it in a BIG way (boy, he's not kidding). He asks the crowd to turn toward the building and the lights go down. What follows next is the most impressive grand opening for a school I have ever seen. Smoke, light show, confetti streamers shoooting out into the crowd. Then finally, lights on the roof, followed by another round of smoke, and a pretty impressive fireworks display, all done to heart-thumping house music. The crowd went crazy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO2b0jpIRec
After all is said and done, we all go to our classrooms and they open up the school to the 500+ people that are still there. Inside, all our rooms are immaculate, and they have a videor looped in every classroom of the 100 parents that petitioned the capital for 6 weeks in order to get the money used to build this school. Finally, at 10:00 we are so exhausted that we call it a night and head to our homes. What a grand, Grand opening.
http://www.wbez.org/story/shiny-charter-school-southwest-side-92058
http://dimitrephotography.smugmug.com/EventsUNO/UNO-Soccer-School-Opening/19053842_4gTm2C#1481821995_kbq7dnx
After all is said and done, we all go to our classrooms and they open up the school to the 500+ people that are still there. Inside, all our rooms are immaculate, and they have a videor looped in every classroom of the 100 parents that petitioned the capital for 6 weeks in order to get the money used to build this school. Finally, at 10:00 we are so exhausted that we call it a night and head to our homes. What a grand, Grand opening.
http://www.wbez.org/story/shiny-charter-school-southwest-side-92058
http://dimitrephotography.smugmug.com/EventsUNO/UNO-Soccer-School-Opening/19053842_4gTm2C#1481821995_kbq7dnx
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