Any Given Thursday, Part 2

As I was walked out of the Jacobs Gym at midday to pick up where I’d left off on Thursday of last week, Bryant Logan, Collegiate’s irrigation specialist, wheeled by in his golf cart with his big news from a trip to the Robins Campus that morning

 

“You want to hear something really cool?” he began enthusiastically.

 

“Sure,” I responded.

 

“So I found a garter snake underneath a log I was clearing away,” he began.

 

That was enough to get my attention. A couple of hours earlier, I’d been on the trails at Robins, and though Bryant explained that his encounter happened at the parking lot just off Blair Road, a snake sighting anywhere on the property doesn’t make me feel all that great. Snakes aren’t exactly my favorite creature. In my way of thinking, the only good thing about them is that their skins make really cool looking boots.

 

“It was obviously not venomous,” Bryant continued. “It had a slender head and round pupils. Once I started messing with him, he flattened his head into a triangular shape and tried to impersonate a viper. He was hanging out with a skink, which is a common lizard around here. They were buddies. The lizard took off as soon as I found him. The snake stayed because he was trying to put a bluff on.

 

“I knew vipers have heat-sensitive pits in their nose. They see with thermal energy. There was no way a viper could see me 4 or 5 feet away and track me and strike at me. I didn’t know that a garter snake would strike and look like a viper if provoked, but I looked it up and discovered that they would indeed do that. When he flattened his head out, it made me think twice. I guess his bluff worked.”

 

Bryant headed off to his next assignment, and I walked across the footbridge en route to the Lower School. The new, improved Grover Jones Field looked great. Workmen have skinned the original asphalt from the Jim Hickey Track, which was actually the track itself – and five lanes, at that – before the rubberized surface (plus another lane) was added in 2001. Before long, the oval will have a new base, a new surface, and freshly painted lines. It’ll be aesthetically pleasing, easier on the legs, and level.

 

It was hot as blazes and humid to boot, so I ducked into Nunnally Hall where I saw Frances Coleman, a Lower School colleague who heads the one-week Mega Math Mania program, which was currently in session.

 

“What's going on?” I inquired.

 

Frances explained that 30 rising 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th graders were enrolled and divided into groups of 10 that rotate through five stations each day, which extends from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. She also said there’s a waiting list for the camp each summer.

 

“This is one of my favorite weeks, truly,” she said.

 

“Wow! How can math possibly be fun, especially during the summer?” I asked, explaining that numbers were never my forte (unless, of course, they’re on a stop watch).

 

“We teach math through games,” she said. “A lot of time, the kids will say they didn’t do any math, but they don’t realize they’re playing with numbers, problem-solving, and reasoning. They love it. It’s great because there’s no pressure from school, and they can just enjoy it and have fun with the math.”

 

OK, I thought. I’m glad somebody can actually have fun with math. Never worked for me, but I’ll take your word for it.

 

I then headed for Centennial Hall where lunch was being served. My purpose two-fold: score a fudgesicle and catch up with my long-time friend Ernest Crump. Ernest is member of the housekeeping staff who, among other duties, helps keep the lunchroom clean. He has a calm demeanor, pleasant disposition, and positive attitude. Any conversation with him is a good one. For me, it’s always a feel-good moment.

 

My last stop was the Summer Quest office in Luck Hall where I found Jake McDonald, the program’s associate director.

 

“How’s it going?” I asked.

 

“We’re making sure kids are having fun…and staying busy and safe,” he replied.

 

“So what’s the best part of your job?” I said.

 

“Matching the enthusiasm of the campers,” he answered. “We feed off their enthusiasm. It brings your own energy level up. They’re happy to be here. Definitely reminds you why we’re doing what we’re doing. It certainly encourages you to keep up the quality.”

 

There was a knock on his door. A visitor had a question, which Jake fielded with customary courtesy. I said good-bye and headed off, grateful that I share the Collegiate experience each day with a community of friends.

         -- Weldon Bradshaw