Ahhh, Bishop Stang High...a mid-sized Catholic high school located in North Dartmouth, MA. Many people may have heard of this place, but only those who attended Stang really know how it works. The uniforms, the theology classes, the teachers, the sports...and the list goes on. Well, speaking of that list, here are some ways that only the students of Bishop Stang High School can relate to.
1. Having to need a pass to drink water...
Yes, you read that right, a pass...to drink water...It only took one idiot 40 years ago to sneak vodka in a water bottle to ruin it for all students for years to come. So it didn't matter if you were just thirsty or maybe you were even dehydrated, you still needed a note from your doctor in order to keep a water bottle with you during the day...
2. SPERRY'S...
OK, so even though almost everyone, male or female, wore Sperry's every day to school, you had to make sure they were the "right kind." You could wear the leather kind, but GOD FORBID if they were canvas...that would result in a uniform violation...makes sense right?
3. The uniform policy....
To be honest, the uniforms weren't that bad; a nice polo shirt, a skirt and tights for the girls, and khaki's for the guys. Well at least that's how they used to be, I'm glad I got out of there before button downs and ties were mandatory. But even though the polos were comfortable, if they weren't tucked in...written up. Tights were ripped...written up. Guys weren't wearing the proper socks...written up.
4. The morning announcements...
Every morning during home room, all students were greeted by the *beep beep* "Good morning, today is...in the year of our Lord...please stand for prayer". Followed by so many announcements in which probably only 12 percent of them were important.
5. Pep Rally Days...
It was always exciting during spirit week, looking forward to either the Fall or Spring pep rallies. But at Stang, the normal high school events were always accompanied by something odd...like throwing pies in teacher's faces, or even shaving teacher's heads...
6. Going to Mass...
Considering Stang was a Catholic High School, going to mass at our resident church, St. Julie's, was a regular occurrence. Mass could be looked at in 2 ways; 1. "uhhhhh mass, this is so boring" or 2. "yes we get to miss class." But whether or not you were excited to miss class you could always count on at least one person getting yelled at for falling asleep or getting annoyed at that one kid who had to have the "last clap" when accomplishments were announced by the principal.
7. Study period...
The best invention in all of high school history. Last period study was even better, leaving school an hour to go get Tropical Smoothie with your friends? Amazing. Especially if you had second lunch and managed to get someone else to sign you out...even more amazing. But, unlike most schools, first period study was mandatory to attend...why? God forbid we missed sitting in the library talking for an hour and 15 minutes...OK.
8. Gym class...
Oh wait, we didn't have one. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome not having to randomly sweat during the school day, but if you weren't an athlete you were screwed. Being required to take a sport was not fun, so that meant weight training classes, which consisted of walking around the school wasting time until class was over. For the people that did play sports, well I'm sorry, because...let's just say Stang was never known for its "great sports teams."
9. Being a regional school...
The friends you make at Stang are always amazing, but what wasn't all that great was living on Cape Cod and having friends that lived in Rhode Island. Hanging out and not having a license was always a struggle because getting your parents to drive you over an hour away was never an easy task. Once you did get your license you finally understood your parent's misery and driving over an hour seemed like too much, so hanging out in school was necessary.
10. Lastly, St. Julie's parking lot...
Yes, the church parking lot. Not only was it home to black ice in the winters, but it made for a long walk in the below freezing temperatures in snow storms, because school was never cancelled. St. Julie's was also home to a few car break ins...you would think that being a church parking lot and all people would refrain from smashing windows and stealing electronics...nope. St. Julie's was also a spot for other "mischievous" activities to say the least. Apparently, the church parking lots attract sinful behavior after all.
