Friday: The Golden Idea

After a morning beach project, we toured nearby Fort Polaski. Walked past a young alligator basking in the sun. As we listened to an actor speak on history of the fort, someone’s walkie-talkie crackled to life, and everyone heard the leader’s voice say it was time for the students to return to the cars. The poor actor lost 90% of his audience!

Drove to a nearby picnic area for a cookout. After lunch the kids broke back up into groups and entered the adjacent march, to collect crabs and other wildlife samples for study. Some got muddier than others, and many boys wore muddy handprints on their shirts.

Tammy and Sandy again assisted the straight-laced videographer. Tammy is an East Cobb mom with long blonde hair (on this day pulled back in a ponytail, sticking through the rear opening of her pink-trimmed Auburn cap). Looks like the former Georgia State tennis player she was. Sandy looks like the English teacher she is, and is greatly loved by her students. She wore her glasses and straw hat trimmed in pink decorative fabric familiar to the students. Sandy joked she was old enough to be Tammy’s mother, though Tammy said that was a stretch.

While the two weren’t peas-in-a-pod, they hung together all weekend like BFFs, enjoying their videographer assistant duties a little too much. As we cleaned up the area at the end of the day Tammy and Sandy planned out their futures, which apparently included Hollywood, limousines, gowns, chocolates, rehab, and guest spots on Oprah.

My mind raced back to my days at church youth camp, where this was golden skit material. I quickly shared this with Mrs. Switzer, whose role I aspire: guardian of skits. She agreed, and called over dark-haired Meg, the fun-loving senior. Meg enlisted blonde Marykathryn to play Tammy, and both began studying the chaperone ladies for the skit.

As fate would have it, a few minutes later students gathered as Sandy’s daughter performed somersaults. Sandy proclaimed that she could do better, and proceeded to execute several of her own. Then Tammy emptied her pockets and tucked in her shirt as the crowing crowd cheered her on (and her teenage daughter Abby cowered in embarrassment). Her somersaults were even better, and the crowd roared. Then tall Willis Norman tried some.

I was standing next to the boisterous Andrew. He loudly called me by my Living Science nickname, and the crowd joined in. “Krypto! Krypto! Krypto!” I’d never tried a somersault in my life, and wasn’t quick-witted enough to think of anything else. I made a half-hearted attempt, making sure to wind up on the ground for comedic effect.

Jim, another chaperone (and school trustee), stood on his head. Senior gymnast Brittany ended the performance impressively, by going from a split to a handstand.