Welcome back to school!! Can you believe it’s that time again? I certainly can’t. It seems as if only yesterday we heard the shouts of glee as the last bell of the 2009-2010 school year rang and our kids ran out the Hayfield Secondary doors into the days of summer. Now, after sun, sand, s’mores and (hopefully) lots of serious reading time, that first bell of 2010-2011 is here. Are your kids excited? Are you excited?

I’m not sure if it’s even on TV, but there used to be a back-to-school Staples commercial with a Dad sailing through the store, riding a shopping cart with “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” playing in the background. Two very unenthusiastic kids were trailing behind as Dad tossed fantastically wonderful Staples-brand school supplies (all at very reasonable prices) into the cart. If you look around, parents do seem to be more psyched this time of year than their kids. I wonder why that’s true. As my Mom says, “I’ll give you three guesses and the first two don’t count.”

School symbolizes routine: parents love it, kids don’t. Simple as that. For our kids, the attraction of summer – whether it’s the sleeping late thing, the going on vacation thing or the no homework thing – is anything but routine. And pretty exhilarating. And kinda tiring. And at times boring. C’mon all you young people out there – you sorta miss school, don’t you?

There’s something cool about the newness of each school year – from both a parent’s and a child’s perspective. It’s a clean slate. New teachers – for both kids and parents. New classes – for both kids and parents. (I must admit I’m a bit nervous about geometry this year – that’s where I kind of fell off the math track in high school, and I hope my Dad’s still available to help!) New lockers, hallways, schedules, lunch tables, buses and, yes, routines. Some will earn an A+ over the course of the year; others won’t make the grade. But, they will all blend to become another year in the life of each and every one of us at Hayfield Secondary.

Here’s to a routine we all share…Hayfield! And a big shout-out to our new Head Hawk, Mr. Dave Tremaine!