THE senior trip

I somehow never wrote about the senior trip... oh yes, the SENIOR TRIP to Orlando: 43 seniors, 5 chaperones, 2 (perverted) bus drivers, 1 bus. We had a blast.

We left on a Tuesday evening... mind you we had a full day of school that day and were missing the next 3 days simply because of a 5 day trip to Florida (a very worthy reason, of course). We drove that night, and arrived at the best McDonald's any of us have ever had the pleasure of dining in. It was lovely inside, and had a separate "bistro" menu that was much more upscale (and yes, more expensive) than the regular menu. All the girls freshened up in the bathroom after the long bus drive, and then we were all off to Wet and Wild.

All of the students and chaperones, besides those that didn't want to get wet (duh) enjoyed Wet & Wild. Ms. Evans, Mr. James, and I went around with the kids on the slides...they got a kick out of us having fun with them and not being scared (some were). Actually, what I had initially been afraid of was the fact that most of these kids couldn't swim...but luckily this never became an issue. I will never forget going down "Disco H20" with Ms. Evans, Remington, and Bill...we made it just so that Rem was facing backwards the entire ride, and his facial expressions were priceless, as was hearing Stacy (a stoic, smart football player) scream all the way down every ride he went on.

We also had fun at Universal Studios, Islands of Adventures, and Grad Night at Disney World. I won't get into all the details, but I spent a mix of time with just Ms. Evans (we rode every ride we could at Disney world...no lines!!!) as well as with the kids and the chaperones. I felt I got to know everyone better, especially Mr. Holton who I now both love and respect...his sense of humor, way of talking, and kindness are unmatched.

I would do it all over again...I don't feel like I "chaperoned" quite enough, although I did more than most of the other sponsors but I could only do so much without support from everyone. Next year, the rising seniors I have heard (and witnessed) are another breed. Yet,
I'll probably be (and would like to be) a senior sponsor again next year, simply because I have a lot of them as students and because I will have the experiences from this year to guide me.

The seniors keep saying, "I'm grown now." (which sometimes, according to Ms. evans, is then followed with "Can I have your number?) I don't know how many of them are really ready for college...they'll find themselves not as cool or as smart or as cute as they are seen at HCHS. It'll be quite interesting to see how they will change, as many of them have told me they will come visit me next year. I hope they do.