It is something special

Southwest is a high school. It is a brick building with bunches of additions over the years and several unattractive. The front lawn has trouble growing grass, there is insufficient parking and not exactly neighbor friendly or user friendly all the time. It is a multi-use building in a tightly packed residential neighborhood. It is used continuously from 6 am to 11 pm 5 days a week and frequently the same hours on Saturday. Only about 10 Sundays a year see open activities. It is just a building.

But there is something special. The kids talk about long-range plans and their own futures. There are numerous conversations about the conditions throughout the world and responsibility to make a difference. The faces in the hallways are a variety of skin colors and the languages many times are other than English. There are short skirts and full body coverings. There are layers of beautiful cloths that are unallowed in some countries to way too much exposed skin. But there is something special about Southwest.

The weekends are full of parties and breakups and get back togethers. Girls and boys are exploring themselves and each other in ways that are ageless. Monday is hectic with confirmations of emails and tweets that were kind and unkind. The he said and she said flows just like any gathering of teenagers in the last 200 years. But we go to class.

In the travels of a day, the kids are involved and silly. They are connected and immature. They care about one another and say stupid things. But they also say hello and thank you and excuse me and where are you going to college?

Southwest is a special place. It is quiet but there is a tension of trying to be better. There is a silliness that amounts to being young that has taken place in the halls for over 70 years. But there is also a serious concern that there are people in this world that do not have decent drinking water.

You can't walk these halls with hearing the voices that challenge you to do more, to be more, to care more, to make a difference more. The voices say I want to make a difference. I want to be that difference. I want to go to class and I want to learn .... something.........

Southwest is a special place.