Spaghetti Western

We have an annual event at our school:  The FCAT Spaghetti Dinner.  (Or, as my principal from Spain pronounces it – the FCAT eh-Spaghetti Dinner).  This year is the 10th anniversary.  A milestone (or perhaps a meatball-stone!)

And how DOES one celebrate an anniversary?  By going stark-raving bonkers apparently.

First off – it’s a Spaghetti Dinner.  It really doesn’t have one stinking thing to do with anybody’s success or failure on the state mandated achievement tests.  Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE the spaghetti dinner.  It is loads of fun for everyone who attends.  But really – whether or not you spend $5 on a spaghetti dinner will not determine your success on the FCAT.

BACK to the current fiasco celebration.  Preparations started the day we got back to school.  Guest lists compiled – only the best for our principal!  Invited:  The mayor, the entire school board, the superintendant of schools…probably the governor and the president as well.  What’s a spaghetti dinner without a side order of politics (right there next to the salad)?

Guest list compiled and invitations set out…the ambience must be set.  Tables will be set in black and gold.  Never mind that our school colors are green and orange (yes, its a horrid combination).  There will be no orange and green – just gold and black.  The principal will be sporting a brand new chef’s jacket with his name embroidered on it.  The 3 "assistant" (read assistant as we-do-all-the-work-he-takes-all-the-credit) will have green bib aprons with our names on them.  (oops!  the embroidery is orange – that’s some orange and green.  I confess – I ordered the aprons and embroidery).  There will be displays from some of the various programs that our school offers around the cafeteria to add to the studious aura.   Never mind that the woman that did the bulletin boards highlighting various programs put incorrect/oudated info for my program and has yet to fix it……. Won’t that look good to the school board – the Family and Consumer Science teacher is too stupid to know that the food pyramid changed 2 years ago…

And the program!  Well, the principal ordered an award for himself.  Oh!  But it’s a surprise.  He doesn’t know he’s getting the award he ordered for himself. (cough cough cough)  For the first time, we have an official emcee.  And HE will surprise the principal by calling him up from the kitchen where he will be working hard (bitching at me and the other "chefs" or brown-nosing the big-wigs) to speak to the assembled diners.  It’s gonna be a night full of surprises, that’s for sure.

Preparations:  For the past 4 years – my students have prepared the meatballs.  No small feat – approximately 1500 meatballs in what basically amounts to 2 average home-type kitchens.  They are BIG meatballs – 10 per pound, 150 pounds of meat.  THIS year, the principal decided HE would do the meatball mix himself – my students would provide only the slave labor required to make the mix into balls.  Never mind that I argued they would now lose the learning experience we make out of this; learning how to produce food in quantity with exacting quality standards.  Learning the math, logistics, cooperation, and pride that goes with performing such a task.  Nope.  He is going to do the hard work, my students will do the robot’s job.  He told me that it was not SAFE for my students to perform the task.  Think of the liability.  I groused, but to no avilal.

UNTIL the cafeteria manager informed him that she no longer had the HUGE mixer that he was planning on using to do it all himself.  Oopsie!  All of a sudden the liability takes a back seat……and my students are back in business.

Now….as Paul Harvey would say….for the REST of the story.  The local paper is coming to school to take pictures of the PREPARATIONS for the dinner.  If the PRINCIPAL did it all himself, then it would only be HIS picture in the paper.  If the STUDENTS do some of it, well then…… they get some credit as well.  Following me here?  The paper is scheduled to be on campus Wednesday.  I still haven’t decided whether or not to let them into my classroom.  (whowhatwhere – watch the local paper and see….lol)

Maybe I am too cynical.  I dunno.  But that’s what the whole thing feels/looks like to me.  Still – today we made 500 meatballs using only about half my students in only 2 classes AND cut up all the veggies to go into the sauce.  Too bad it’s so dangerous and the students can’t handle it…….

Update to come….