Parents Become Students for One Night

The bell rang and the halls became instantly flooded with people. There was a flurry of activity as the makeshift students rushed to their next classes. Fortunately for the confused ones, there were helpers at the ready. In a strange ‘Freaky Friday’ twist, the “students” here were actually parents, and the helpers their children. Such was the scene last night at Seekonk High School’s Open House.

Freshman students Tim Salit and Nicole Mowry, who wandered these very halls just weeks ago in a confused daze, greeted the throngs of parents, offering help when needed. In honor of their Spanish class, they added an extra twist – ponchos and sombreros.

“They’re a bit lost,” Salit said of the parents, “but they’re finding their way.”

Nearby, students from S.P.E.A.K. (“Students Practice Equality And Kindness”) were also on hand to help out. They distributed class schedules, a school cell phone policy and clothing drive bags. Other students sold Seekonk 200^th Anniversary wares to raise funds for the music deparment, or gym bags for the Junior class.

Math Department Head Linda Horton, a 38-year veteran of the school, said for the most part teachers were sharing their academic and behavioral expectations with parents. Since the parents had already received and signed off on ‘Expectation Sheets’ earlier in the school year, last night was mostly review.

However, some teachers like Michelle Salisbury, Social Studies Department Head, did have something new to show off. Salisbury was demonstrating how to access and use the first available online textbooks. Because her department purchased new U.S. and World Histoty books this year, they also received tandem e-books. According to Salisbury, not all publishers offer e-books, but she hoped that it was a growing trend in the industry.

“That way the kids don’t have to bring their books back and forth from home every night,” she said.

Many of the parents with older children were glad to be there, but had been through the event several times. Parents of younger students were naturally more enthusiastic.

Lori Minutoli’s daughter is freshman with a love of French. But, it was the health and biology classes that impress Minutoli the most.

“The health teacher said his mission was to inspire the children to do great things, and the bio teacher had a great background in research. She was very excited about teaching the kids about DNA and molecules,” she said.

Tom Andrikopoulos was surprised that the Culinary Arts classes not only used full kitchens, but had more than one. He was also impressed by French class.

“They go beyond the language, grammar and sentence structure. They learn about the culture and history of the country too. It was a pleasant surprise,” he said.

By the end of the evening, parents had experienced the entirety of their children's class schedule. If nothing else, they surely learned to appreciate the final bell of the night, when they were able to gather in the halls and chit-chat with one another. But for their size and age, they looked just like any other students.