Figs From Thistles: School Days and Plays

This past week was National Catholic Schools Week (akin to spirit week for the rest of us), and each week day included events like 'Crazy Hair, Hat or Sock Day,' a talent show, an academic bowl, and an ice cream social.

Monday, the kiddos opted for the crazy hair. Bop looked much like a Gorgon with 10 pony tails of which some were orange and others were coated with silver glitter spray; she was pleased with the end result. I endeavored in vain to convince Log to sport a mohawk, but he flatly refused. Instead, he agreed to have his hair sprayed orange. Matty, not wanting to be left out, insisted that he have crazy hair, too. Though the events were restricted to K-8, I relented and sprayed Matty's hair orange choosing to take the path of least resistance on a Monday morning. I told Matty not to touch the cans of colored hair spray (in Russian) and left the room to retrieve my camera.

Immediately, I was overwhelmed by the noxious odor of the spray and found Matty spraying himself, in the face, with silver glitter spray. He sprayed it so thickly that he looked like the tin man from Oz. Taking pictures became secondary to removing the Tammy Faye caked glitter layer that had become Matty's face. My efforts proved ineffectual, and Matty went to school looking like a cross between an oompa loompa and the tin man.

Perhaps Matty was inspired to alter hair when he came that afternoon because he managed to cut bangs into littlest's hair.

Wednesday, Bop's class enacted 'There Was an Old Lady that Swallowed a Fly.' Bop played the role of the horse that caused the old lady to keel over. The talent show was closed to parents, so I have no pictures. The same day, a classmate of Matty's pushed him off of the slide causing his forehead and nose to be scraped and family pictures to be canceled.

Friday, the kiddos' school performed its mass for the children and held an assembly afterward. Each month, a different grade is responsible for assisting with mass while another is responsible for a program to be performed at the assembly.

This month, the kindergarten class was responsible for the program. Log's class performed a musical in which all holidays and events in the month of February were celebrated in song and dance. Of course, there was mention of Groundhog Day, Valentines Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's birthday, Black history month, and a few lesser known events and people, like dental health month (the kids sang a song about cavities and gum disease) and Ruby Bridges, were acknowledged.

Log won the role of George Washington but was disappointed because his prop consisted of a flag while Abe Lincoln got to break 'the chain of slavery.'

After the assembly, I visited the kiddos in class and snapped a few shots. I entered littlest's classroom and found her wearing a tutu and dancing to Tchaikovsky.

Log's class on stage; Log is sixth from the left.