summer's quiet but busy
Midday.
Midweek.
Midsummer.
So what’s going on around Collegiate?
For starters, the sweltering temperatures that roasted the area most days have dwindled to the high 80’s with a gentle breeze that makes working in the sun bearable and sitting in the shade eating a leisurely lunch seem almost idyllic.
As I begin my walking tour around campus, I meet Glen Dandridge, our manager of maintenance and transportation. He’s headed toward the administrative office as if on a mission.
“What’s up?” I inquire.
“Switchboard’s gone down,” he said. “Can’t make or receive calls.”
“That’s not all bad,” I respond, trying to be funny.
“Won’t be down long,” he replied.
Thirty seconds later, he was back out front.
“Get it fixed?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he said as he walked over to a drain and emptied some gross looking water from a large trash can that held the residue from a since-repaired roof leak. Then, two jobs quickly dispatched, he headed off to extinguish his next fire.
At Keith Evans’ office, I find Debbie Miller and Susan Wiley stuffing envelopes for the August mailing and innocently ask how many sheets go into each.
“Ten to 15,” said Debbie, “depending on how many children are in the family.”
Umm, let’s see. Ten to 15 times 1,500 plus students.
I need to be going now!
After my quick getaway, I happen upon Russell Harper and Connor Kelley, two rising sophomores who have just experienced four hours of Brian Justice’s 20th century world history class. Their plan is to knock out a credit to allow some breathing room this fall in an already very busy schedule.
“But four hours!” I exclaim. “How can you sit in one place for four hours?”
“It’s not that bad,” said Connor, “and you have the whole day in front of you.”
“We get breaks, and it’s definitely relaxed,” added Russell, as they headed off to their next destination, which may include homework.
It’s quiet when I enter the development office. Turns out everyone is off on one adventure or another except Maria Saffer, the director of annual giving. She explains that the pace slows in her building during the summer, but the work doesn’t stop. All she and her colleagues do is wrap up the fiscal year, put out the annual report entitled Philanthropy at Collegiate, and see to a million other details.
“It’s behind-the-scenes work in the summer,” she said. “You might not hear from us a lot, but we’re working hard.”
My next stop is the Jacobs Gym office of co-athletic directors Karen Doxey and Charlie McFall.
“What’s going on?” I say cheerily.
“Résumé, résumés, résumés,” answered Doxey as she eyed a thick stack of applications from candidates for the vacant strength and conditioning position. McFall inhaled lunch awhile ago. Doxey figures she can eat later.
I figure it’s time to move on.
Moving across the Grover Jones Field, I run into (figuratively speaking, thankfully) Jimmy Martin, a 6-5, 310-pound Virginia Tech graduate and four-year starter in the Hokies’ offensive line. When he’s in town, he trains in our weight room. Most recently, he played for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europa. In a couple of weeks, he heads to the Minnesota Vikings’ training camp. Today, he lifted. Now he’s running sprints. Many, many sprints. The Rolling Stones are cranking from his Ipod.
Behind the bleachers I see Allison Moyer watering the crepe myrtles. “They look sad, don’t they?” said our new grounds supervisor. As one who hardly knows a flower from a tree, I simply smile. Allison went on to explain that even though Central Virginia had had its share of rain, hardly any had fallen out our way.
“That and the extreme heat mean extra watering of the fields,” she added. “And it’s been pretty hard on the guys.” The guys, of course, comprise the diligent crew that, drought or no drought, keep the campus lush and green.
It’s almost 1 o’clock. If I hurry, I can score an ice cream sandwich before the Lower School cafeteria closes. When I arrive, though, the cooler is nowhere around, but I do find Roger Hailes, who underwent heart surgery May 3.
“Hey, Doc, ya’ working or just visiting?” I ask.
“Visiting,” he said, “and I wanted to see the English Lit AP scores.”
“How ya’ feeling?” I inquire.
“I could be teaching tomorrow,” he replied.
That was good news, and as we walked back across campus, we caught up on events that occurred during the time he was away.
Camps and classes are in session.
Learning Bridge is brimming with unbridled enthusiasm.
There’s action in the weight room.
Planning for August is in full swing.
It’s a typical summer day along North Mooreland Road.
