New School

I live in the fastest growing school district in Kansas. Meaning, my house pays taxes to build an endless chain of future children's museums and start-up churches.



I thought I knew where Pioneer Ridge was, because Em told me it was right past Madison Elementary. At least that's what I thought she said.



Right past, not really. You go north for a ways, into some farms that recently grew corn and soybeans, but now grow tract housing.

It's going to be a 5-8 'middle' school. I went to Junior High at Hocker Grove, where Lobsterism was born, which was grades 7 and 8. My first year at Shawnee Mission North was 10th grade, but all the kids from Junior High came over en masse, because they went to a 8-12 High School. They had a bunch of crap about Hocker Grove Junior High closing and becoming a 'middle school.'



We were given ballots to fill out for a proposed name change. We all agreed on 'The Grove.' Drop the 'Hocker.' Who the hell ever knew what a hocker tree was anyway, right?

The idiot in charge, who I shouldn't name to protect the assheads of the world* decided we meant to keep the school named 'Hocker Grove.'

Everyone, including students, tried to disabuse him of this notion, but Karl Krueger has never been disabused of a bad idea to my knowledge. He's probably retired by now, to the thorough relief of students and teachers alike. And I'm not talking out of my ass here: after I got through hating him as a student, he took a job as my Dad's boss. Dad wouldn't have liked teaching even if he'd had a competent principal, but it sure didn't help to have a certifiable boob like Krueger on board.




Being a fast growing district, we've changed schools like crazy. At one point, it was an elementary-intermediate-middle-high deal. Now middle school is a fifth-eigth affair, with each grade getting a wing of the building to better separate the 14 year old predators from the 10 year old prey.

No, I don't think it's truly a predator/prey relationship. They seem to be bending over backwards to make sure it's not. Like each grade gets a wing, and their lunches are by grade and so on.

Em was about too excited about the new school. Lockers with combinations, and everything new and big. When her Mom told her she was about to be confined to this building four three years, she beamed.





*But of course, I must name him. He's Karl Krueger, and if there was ever a less able administrator, you'd have to go to the Soviet Union to find such a person.