Kumbaya

Today was the district wide employee celebration.  It was held in Utah Valley University's McKay Events Center (or whatever it is called these days).  That is because the school district I work for is so freaking HUGE!  There are over 6,900 employees serving over 66,000 students!

Oi!

Those are figures that don't mean much to me on a daily basis.  After all, I don't see all those people!  I serve on a faculty of about 30-50 people and teach about 1,000 students (actually, down to 800 this year)  It is only once every 5 years or so, when the district administration pulls us all together for one of what my brother-in-law calls a 'Kumbaya' meeting that the staggering numbers become a reality for me!  The district brought us all in from our various schools across the valley in 123 buses.  123!  They filled the parking lot!

Paul calls them 'Kumbaya' meetings because the purpose of the meeting is essentially a beginning of the year pep-rally reinforcing the administration's confidence that the district employees will make a positive impact in the lives of the children whose lives we will touch.

There are 8 clusters in the district.  A cluster is a high school and all its feeder schools.  I teach in the Westlake cluster.  My kids attend American Fork High School in the ... you guessed it ... American Fork cluster.  All the high school cheerleaders and student council members were at the celebration to represent the students we serve and to complete the pep-rally feel.  They tossed prizes into the stadium seating and I raked in a frisbee, a water bottle, a pom-pom, and a t-shirt.  I gave the t-shirt away since it was the wrong size for me.  What can I say?  We had excellent seats!  I saw Helena's friend, Brayden, there.  He is the AF High student body president this year!  I said 'hi' to him and I even think he remembered who I was.  Not bad for dissociative memory.

So.  We had lots of fun and now we have lots of 'pep', too!  Let the school year begin!