Paving the Way for Next School Year
Even though for many it still feels like summer has only just begun, Andrean is already in the process of preparing for next school year, through internal improvements and academic preparations.
Andrean has long been a great place on a personal and academic level, but now the administration is tackling the visible aspects. The almost garish bright red and yellow stripes on the walls are being painted over in a more aesthetically pleasing, neutral color of beige. The peeling lockers are being painted over in pale gold, and walls will be painted over in a red hue. The overall effect will be a more modern and neutral appearance that is meant to appeal to anyone who walks down the halls of Andrean.
More developments concerning next school year came in the form of a letter from the bishop of the diocese announcing the decision on Andrean's next principal. It’s no secret that administration at Andrean has been variable lately. We have had three principals in the last three years, so following the resignation of the latest one, Mr. Piwowarski, Bishop Hying has opted out of appointing another principal for the upcoming year, at least for the first semester. The assistant principals will keep their positions in administration, and that should help foster stability in the Andrean community for this school year.
Each year at the beginning of the summer, Andrean holds an event in which the newest members of the Andrean family can get acquainted with each other before the school year even begins. This year, the freshman picnic took place June 5. The picnic was hosted by Mrs. Wojkovich, dean of admissions. Andrean ambassadors also helped. Andrean ambassadors are students who work closely with Mrs. Wojkovich throughout the school year in order to welcome prospective students and parents to the school. The incoming freshmen introduced themselves with the help of icebreakers, and discussed sports and classes- the things they were most excited and nervous for. By the end of the picnic, they were exchanging numbers and excitedly awaiting the moment they'll walk through those doors as students on the first day of school.
The Three-Wide Cleaning Crew Takes on Summer
In the last couple weeks of school, a call was made over the announcements. “Any students interested in summer job opportunities at Andrean may come to the main office to fill out an application,” the voice crackled overhead.
And come they did.
Interested students added their names to a fast-growing list, dropping their applications onto the pile of consideration. They then received an email from Mrs. Perez, building and grounds coordinator, inviting them to interview on Tuesday, May 31.
That morning, a crowd of students gathered in the cafeteria awaited the interview- only lasting a few minutes- that would determine their employment prospects for the summer.
The unspoken question was answered the next morning. On June 1, ten students received employment offers, and the three-wide cleaning crew began. Roman Griffin. Lindsey Forbes. Eric Malatestinic. George Mitchell. Jake Sherman. Danielle Collins. Brogan Houpt. Michael Mantel. Nate Figlio. Elijah Scurlock.
These ten students differed in grade level and extracurricular interests, but they came together to work.
In the beginning, the job was just that- a job. The crew worked hard, often steaming under the hot summer sun or boiling inside the building that lacked air conditioning. The lunches they took together were quiet, with only the sound of chewing and chip bags being opened passing the time.
Slowly but surely, things began to change. Perhaps it began with the introduction of a crew name. As they removed furniture from classrooms, they stacked the desks next to each other, three in a row.
“Three wide!” Boz, Crew Coordinator, would call. “Three wide!” was the responding cry.
This evolved into the Three-Wide Cleaning Crew.
“No cell phones Wednesday,” a supervisor who goes by the name Cheese announced, sick of the silent lunches where everyone seemed stuck to their phone screens. Soon, they were laughing and joking with each other, creating inside jokes and nicknames that no one outside of the crew understood.
Strangely enough, the Three-Wide Cleaning Crew became a sort of chess club. A move here, a move there, six people spending half their lunch crowded around a chessboard spread over the back of a golf cart to see who would win a close match between Griffin and Sherman.
The fun they had in no way diminished the amount of work the crew accomplished during that time. Rather, it helped the work go faster. For example, while removing furniture from classrooms, Boz sometimes chose two team captains, who would choose team members. They would then go down the hall, each team taking a different classroom, and removing furniture became a sort of race.
The crew has scrubbed lockers, swept floors, painted walls, laid sod, and much more. They have made a lot of memories and gotten a lot work done in the month or so they’ve been at work thus far, and there is still a lot of summer left for the Three-Wide Cleaning Crew to conquer.