Editors’ Note: This disclaimer was not originally included in the article. It was added at the end of the school day. As the dateline suggests, this article is an April Fools’ prank and has no basis whatsoever in actual fact. It is entirely fictitious.
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On the fourth Thursday of every April across the country, parents load their children in the car and head to work. Most kids get very excited for Take Your Child to Work Day, as it means a day off from school. However, what if the roles were reversed?
NASH Student Council recently posed the question to the school administration: What if, instead of parents taking their children to work, children could take their parents to school?
“We’re always looking to try new things, and we heard of a school in Wisconsin that attempted a ‘Take Your Parent to School Day,'” StuCo President Dean Cammarata said. “We were blown away by how cool the idea sounded.”
But winning the approval of the NASH administration proved to be a challenge for Cammarata and his fellow officers.
“The principals were concerned about the overflow of people in the school, especially during the lunch periods,” Cammarata said, adding that StuCo is considering blocking off the faculty lot, renting large party tents, and having a few hundred pizzas delivered around 11:00 a.m.
Nevertheless, the NASH administrative team saw an opportunity in StuCo’s proposal.
“Everybody was disappointed that MORP was cancelled in February, so we hope that Take Your Parent to School Day will make up for that loss,” NASH Principal Mr. Buchak said.
The administration approved Take Your Parent to School Day for April 15 — the Wednesday after Spring Break.
“Our past three parent surveys have indicated that parents want to have more involvement in their child’s education,” Buchak said. “When they ask their children ‘What did you learn in school today?” the answer is usually ‘Nothing.'”
Buchak’s hope is that Take Your Parent to School Day will change all of that.
“The parents will be learning, as well as socializing, right here alongside their children all day long,” he said. “That’s what education is all about.”
Parents, too, are thrilled with the innovative idea.
“I am intrigued to see my daughter’s school day firsthand,” said Alyssa Chapman, mother of NASH junior Paige Chapman. “Open House is too short, and it just doesn’t feel like a school day. Take Your Parent to School Day is what a lot of adults in the community really want.”
Unfortunately, student reviews have so far been mixed.
“While school isn’t where I want to be every day, it can be a nice break from home,” said junior Garret Warner. “I appreciate the time away from my parents, and it’s now being taken away from me.”
Another junior, who asked to remain anonymous, was more blunt in their reaction to the new plan.
“If they actually go forward with this idea and bring parents into the school all day, I’ll be skipping that day,” they said.
However, Stefani Germanotta, a senior enrolled in seven AP classes, is concerned about how her teachers will react.
“My English teacher said that she’ll give us bonus points if one of our parents attends class, but my science teacher said he will offer us nothing,” Germanotta said. “I don’t think that’s fair.”
According to Buchak, the tentative plan is follow the Activity Period bell schedule for the parent day on the 15th.
“We’d like to have teacher booths set up in the gym during the extended activity period,” he said. “A lot of our parents have expressed interest in getting to know not only the teachers on their children’s schedules but the entire faculty as well.”
There is even a rumor that the NASH Ready tickets, which have been a hit among students this year, may involve parents on the 15th.
“We’re still working out the details,” Cammarata said, “but the idea is to encourage parents to attend the day at NASH by giving them the chance to win prizes, similar to the way the tickets are being used with students this year.”
NASH library secretary Mrs. Davis, whose daughter Nora is a junior in the building, is especially excited about the inaugural Take Your Parent to School Day.
“Although I see my daughter every day, I’m thankful to have the opportunity to observe her teachers from a student perspective,” Davis said. “I hope that Nora has at least one test that day, because I’d like to take it, too!”
Raymond Polishinski, father of NASH junior Rose Polishinski, is taking a simpler view of the day.
“It should be a lot of fun,” he said, “but I’m mostly looking forward to having the day off from work.”
