Yesterday was a hard day. I arrived at school and was waiting for my home room students when the principal announced an emergency and asked all students to congregate in the big gravel parking lot next to the Muroski Building. Home room teachers were to gather their students and take attendance.

Thus started three hours of living hell. There is no shade in that parking lot and it is surrounded by low jungle so there is no escape in the brush. There is one tree on the south side but that shade was claimed by several classes. There is a trail that runs through to The Grotto but it is out of sight of the administrators so we couldn't use it.We counted our students and stood around waiting while police and fire department personnel swept through the building.

After about an hour they let us take the students into whatever shade we could find. Then they blocked off one lane of the road in front of the school and let us take the kids down there. There was more shade there and we could sit on the grassy hillside. Finally about 11:00 we were allowed back into the building.

We still had to finish the school day so they reduced class time to 40 minutes and we had all four of the blocks we normally would have had.

We were hot, thirsty, and sweaty. The kids, being kids, had been telling me they were thirsty, hungry, tired, hot, and wanted to go home. I guess they figured I was standing in an air conditioned bottle with limitless cold drinks and plenty of shade and snacks. They must not have noticed my sweat soaked shirt and the way I eyed the empty bottles and cans that lined the roadside.

It was a bad morning for all involved. I developed what I thought was a good reply to the complaints. I said, "I didn't call in the bomb threat and I'm sure none of the faculty and staff did either. If you want to complain find the student who did this to you and complain to him or her."

On another note: Since we shanty singers use the word 'rollicking' quite often you might be interested to note the origin. I get an email every day from A Word A Day with a word and its origin. This was today's.

rollick
PRONUNCIATION:
(ROL-ik)

MEANING:
verb intr. To move or act in a playful, carefree manner.

ETYMOLOGY:
Probably a blend of romp + frolic.

USAGE:
"When Olivia Newton-John attends, she'll be joining the hundreds of others who rollick in the audience to the tuneful songs that have become part of the American ethos."
John Soltes; For Ashley Spencer, 'Grease' is the Word; The Leader (Lyndhurst, New Jersey); Oct 17, 2008.