— I had the pleasure of being paired up with Dr. Charles “Moody” Alexander, who, coincidentally, was on my shift last year in the Highland Park Middle School/McCulloch Intermediate School cafteria. The sight of the longtime orthodontist behind the counter inspired many kids to display smiles that he helped beautify.
— As advertised, the students at Highland Park High School are remarkably polite. When a kid occasionally didn’t say “thank you,” Dr. Alexander drove the point home by thanking them as he handed over their chicken fingers and fries.
— The HPHS cafeteria has a clublike atmosphere, thanks to the speakers blasting everything from current hits by Katy Perry and Adele to the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and that head-bobbing song from A Night at The Roxbury. (“What is love? Baby, don’t hurt me …”)
— I wondered if I had somehow traveled back in time because of the inordinate number of students wearing pastel polo shirts with pastel sweaters tied around their necks. All was explained when I saw the Homecoming Week poster that designated today as Prep Day. Imagine how disoriented I would have been if I had volunteered on Tuesday (Twin Day) or Wednesday (Camo Day).
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