Tuesday, June 7, 2016

for CCHS Grads, Magic and Dartmouth GREEN

Many in Concord, Ma spent the weekend thanking teachers because its senior class graduated over the weekend. The CCHS Class of 2016 received their diplomas on a New Moon, and I chaperoned "All Night Live" from 11:45 pm to 3:15 am. I ran the raffle table with Wendy Grannis Page until 2:30 am when I had the honor of holding the Limbo Stick.


I AM going to find the name of the winner and post it because anyone who watched with, knows he was certainly a magician the way he slithered under the stick.
Before I left, I attended the drawing for the $500 cash Grand Prize and $300 Bose Headphones. I had a bit of a vested interest since I gave advice all night long. "Envision winning!" "Believe it to see it!" "BElieve in Magic, Harry Potter Style!" as they put their tickets into the Potions and Spells pot.
One boy had me kiss his ticket for good luck, and a few others offered bribes with a cut of the winnings, including Evan Maione who called me Mrs. Cappetta, bringing back my own teaching days at Fenn. Little did they know that neither Wendy, nor I were not going to be the ones to draw the ticket. That was Karla Silas Slade's job.
The winning number for the Bose Headphones was 280, but I don't know the winner's name. I thought it was pretty cool, though, since my birthday is 28. Just some fun play with numbers.
On my way to ALN I realized that I hadn't changed my t-shirt since I'd been packing and moving all day, so I arrived in my Green Dartmouth t-shirt, not as old as freshman fall, but certainly old, looking a bit more like a graduate than a chaperone. When they called Carmen Braceras' name for the Grand Prize, I smiled. Guess who is headed to the Big Green in the fall?
Believe in Miracles. That's what I've been saying lately. Just believe to see.
"Believe" in the power of prayer, love and friendship. If we love fully enough to let go of the existing paradigms of what we know, we might just be able to ignite a shift. What kind of shift? A shift in energy in the atmosphere Shakespearean style enough to neutralize cancer. To calm anxiety and soothe depression. To ignite world peace. Or should I add Chaucerian style. Jim Killian style.
Who is Jim Killian? He was my favorite English teacher at Piedmont High School, as well as Ann Reynolds best friend when she taught at PHS. He made English come alive with the "Literature of the Grotesque" including "Goodman Brown" by Hawthorne, "Portrait of An Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce, and "The Turn of the Screw" by Henry James.
Standing on his podium, he dramatized these stories with narrations as good as Alan Cummings! I can hear Mr. Killian's voice in my head, reciting Chaucer's words as if it were yesterday,
"Whan that April, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
And batherd every veyne in swich licour,
Of which veru engendred is the flour;
Marty Lempres, Kaz Lawler and I were all in Mr. Killian's AP English class. We were 3 college seniors who had applied to Dartmouth early decision, thus I felt fierce competition with my brilliant classmates. It never occurred to me that we could all get in Early. I later learned that Marty knew of my acceptance to the Class of 1984 long before I did. His swimming coach told him there were 3 accepted students, including a girl.

I was the only girl who had applied, and my parents thanked God the day they found out because it was if the granite of NH was already in my veins, most likely the minute I was born, I wanted to go to Dartmouth that badly! Since the day I saw Tom Witter in his Green Dartmouth jacket sophomore year at a PHS Football game. Just ask Carolyn BaxterMary Alice Sullivan McNeil and Juliet Settlemier Ivey
Or perhaps it was a past life thing. Believe in Magic. Just saying!
Congratulations Carmen and others from the Class of 2016 going to Dartmouth including my great friend Max Gomez '19. It is a special and unique place, made even more special because I share it with my brother, Jake Reynolds '90.
p.s. I AM so grateful that I bridge the 83-84-85 classes with Amy Schroth,Patty ShepardLaura Vail WoosterCindy Bergman MacManusNeal Hesler, and my former Fenn student BRett Andrews Charlie Wolff and I could go on... but won't.