Homecoming

Ah the Fall, truly a brilliant season to be alive. The morning air is crisp, the ground soaked with dew. The leaves display the brilliance of each tree and paint a masterpiece nothing short of divine. As one drives, flashes of oranges and browns decorate the homes and landscape; it is clear that there is much to be thankful for.

Fall's aesthetic beauty is powerful, but it also commands a certain visceral connection, touching the inner heart strings of America. Our being yearns to connect with the places we come from, and the people near to our hearts. No where is this connection more powerful than in the Delta, and no where is this greater displayed than the greatest fall holiday: Homecoming.

Before coming here, I had enjoyed many homecomings. Alumni come back to their alma mater, a parade goes through the downtown, a queen is crowned, everyone is happy. Homecoming at (I can't say this publicly) High School, though, is another ball of wax altogether. "Homecoming is a big deal on the Delta, and it doesn't get much bigger than here" said our district Superintendent at the gym this morning. "Homecoming is like Hanukkah in Mississippi", exclaimed a student in my first period class. Apparently Homecoming week is an excuse for the school to practically shut down. There's no telling how many students I've heard complain, "it's Homecoming week, we don't have to do work!". Students don't wear uniforms, they are significantly rowdier and more tardy, and really it borders on sheer chaos.

Here's an example of the changes this week has brought: Yesterday, while classes were changing out, I noticed students accumulating and all looking in the same direction. Usually this body language means one thing: fight. As I took the things out of my pockets to go break up the disruption, I found out there was indeed no altercation, but a battle of a different variety. There is a signature dance of one of the neighborhoods called the Moorhead Swag, and indeed the disruption was actually students who were Moorhead Swagging. This Swagging created such a stir that students were watching and not going to class. It was so great that the principal made an announcement about it this morning to the entire school: "If you want to Moorhead Swag, you can Moorhead Swag yo' butt on out the do' and back home, 'cause we ain't havin' any of that up in here". Verily, verily.

I've surveyed several of my classes, asking them, "how many of you will actually be at school on Friday?" The majority have claimed that they will not. Time will tell, but for now I am not planning on a ton of learning to take place tomorrow. We may have an early release, we may not, it will be interesting to see how things shake out. Either way, it will be good to experience a Delta Homecoming done right.

As a side note, I've decided I'm going to start including songs/albums of the week because this is my blog and I do what I want. This week's album is Sam Cooke's Night Beat. Invest and enjoy.