It’s a fall day in 1978 at Metro Alternative High School in Cedar Rapids where I teach.
I’m standing outside the front door of our first home, the old firehouse, with Rick and Carolyn and Vern. We’re handing out the newspapers to the students as they enter when we see Jake, crossing the street carrying something furry looking.
Jake has been a student for a couple of years and you never know what her theme for the day will be.
Turns out it’s a Goth day. Jake is dressed in black with a long black coat. Her piercings include a nose ring, a lip-ring and numerous rings in her left ear. Purple lipstick and the strong odor of Patchouli complete the picture.
She holds up the furry critter and greets us with, “Before you say anything I want to remind you that we are supposed to be nice to neighbors…So I was, and she, Mrs. Barlow, over in the yellow house, to show me her appreciation and friendship, gave him to me. He’s a ferret. And he’s homeless. At least he was.”
Rick starts to say something but she stops him.
“Let me finish, okay?
“If I can just keep him in a box or something I can stay for classes.”
I must look like I’m going to say something, so Jake says, “Hold on a minute. You’re gonna remind me that we also have to leave pets and babies at home. That doesn’t make sense this time. ‘Be here and be busy’ is a really big rule and I think it cancels out the one about no pets or babies.”
It looks like, from the reaction of the other teachers and Vern the custodian, her argument is working. Vern says he’ll find a box in the basement for it. So off they go to the basement and the rest of us to our classes.
Rick takes a group to Indian Creek to get water samples.
My writing-slash-theater class works on an adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood.
Another class works on a petition to the City Council for a stoplight.
Things seem to be going well until the very last class of the day.
Joyce, the secretary catches me scurrying to my class which is just a couple of feet from her office. She hands me the office phone and reminds me that she is leaving early. I said I would take any calls.
The phone has a long cord, so I take it into the classroom-slash-library-slash-meeting room and plop it next to the aquarium with the exotic clicking Madagascar cockroaches.
About halfway through the period we hear someone yell, followed by running, a couple of crashes and then Jake’s voice, “He’s just scared. Don’t chase him. Close that door.”
My students start getting up to help and I stop them.
“It sounds like Jake has it under control. Let’s not make it worse. It’s a really small animal. She’ll get him.”
Then we hear Jake, “Find something for him to eat.” Then, after a few minutes, “Got him. Thanks guys.”
We let the students go a few minutes early and some of us drift into the classroom to talk about the day and whatever else might come up. But before we can get started, Jake comes in with the ferret.
“Just thought I’d let you know. He’s okay. Just a little scared, but okay now. I decided on a name for him. Alice Cooper.”
We spend a couple of minutes while Jake lets each of us take turns petting Alice Cooper. I have to admit he’s pretty cute.
As soon as Jake leaves, the phone rings.
I get up.
“I’ll get it.”
“Metro High School. Mary speaking… I’m fine Ed. What can I do for you? …You want our activities director?”
Rick pushes back his chair and takes the phone.
“I guess that would be me, Ed. I helped organize the big Bingo event a couple of weeks ago…So you sell what? (Pause)
“Banners, Letter sweaters, class rings?
“The thing is, Ed, we don’t have a formal athletic program. We don’t have a gym and even more importantly, we don’t have showers. So I don’t know what we would do with letter sweaters.”
He looks at us for reactions.
Scott mouths BANNER? Carolyn adds RINGS?
“How about your banners and class rings Ed? We might be interested… Motto?”
He looks at the group again. Carolyn points at the sheet on the wall with three Metro standards.
“How about this, Ed?
‘Metro High. Be here, Be busy, Be a good neighbor.’ Then in parenthesis under that.
(Leave pets at home and babies in the daycare).”
…
“Mascot?”
Rick covers the phone. There are a couple of half- hearted suggestions. “Hawks? Really? Panthers? Tigers?” Nothing really resonates.
Then Carolyn says, “Isn’t it obvious folks? Ferrets.” Everyone agrees immediately.
“Ed. Our mascot is the ferret. F-E-R-R-E-T. Can you send us a proposal for the banner and for class rings? Gold with a ferret on a field of onyx.” There is a long silence… “Okay, Ed. Goodbye. Nice talking to you too.”
“Ed says they’ll look through their templates for a ferret. He should be sending a proposal in a few weeks.”
That was in 1978. When I retired in 2002 we were still waiting.