Homecoming (a pretty useless post)

So on Friday I went with my Japanese tutor to see one of her student's homecoming programs at a high school about an hour away from here. I don't know if all high schools do this during "5" years, but the whole homecoming tribute was to the classes of 1925, 1935, etc... all the way to 2005 (last year's graduating class). The only reason I am curious about all schools doing it was because on Saturday I went to MGCCC/Perkinston's homecoming game (yes, I was making the tour of the small schools) and they mentioned something about all those same years. But I digress...

So anyway, I'm at this high school program, and it's pretty much a cheese fest from the get-go. So they start off with 1925, read a little bit about what was happening in the world that year, what was going on at that school that year, who was who, sports, etc... Then they would do a couple of songs from that era, with the the students dancing and (some) singing. (BTW - speaking of lip-synching, how did Ashlee do on SNL? Retch!) Anyway, it was a cute idea, but there were plenty of rough spots in the production. But being ex-"in the biz", I was able to overlook most. Several of the kids did very well vocally - including my tutor's student - so it was a pleasant afternoon for skipping work indeed!

Okay - so you get the basics of how the program was laid out.

So all was going well until they got to 1945. During the little skit (I can't remember the song) the pantomime was a teacher at a blackboard in front of several students. On this blackboard was a '60s era peace symbol. Now not having been born until the early sixties, I can't swear to this, but in all of my readings and studyings of the past, I cannot recall a peace symbol prior to the sixties. In fact, I now realize I have no clue where it came from! I know where swastikas got started (and isn't that a shame that the have been so warped?). So, not being an expert on the subject, I'll let that one by with just a little mockery.

When they got to 1955, they mentioned during the opening spiel that '55 was the year the Magic Kingdom opened. Fine. But the line was ended with words to the effect of this having forever sealed Florida's fate as a tourist trap. Wha???? Okay. I wasn't born in 1955, but a childhood of watching "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" (which then became "The Wonderful World of Disney" in 1969) permanently etched Anaheim's Disneyland as "The Magical Kingdom". It wasn't until I actually visited Orlando's Disney World that I could think any differently. Okay, so the folks that wrote this are idiots.

So then we get to 1965. As part of the musical tribute, the marching bard files into the auditorium, streaming up the aisles and lining up. I was pretty excited, because there's just somethin' 'bout a huge marching band indoors that just turns my willie up! But my elation was tempered when it became apparent that the musical tribute for 1965 was Van McCoy's "Do the hustle", which any infant knows was written in the early seventies. Okay, so now the writers of this program are crack smokin' idiots?

Well, I made it through the rest of the program. Even the last segment where the class of 2005 did a quasi-ballet to Jessica Simpson's version of "Boots" from the freakin' "Dukes of Hazzard" soundtrack.

This just sealed the school's fate as the biggest cracker-heaven that ever lived.