Chapter 8

Classes, at Dante High School, began the morning of Friday, August, 29th and lasted half a day. The day was meant to familiarize the new students with the layout of the school, the location of their personal and gym lockers, meet their teachers and get their books and syllabuses. For a few, it was also a day for putting in for changes in classes.

I had no problems finding my way. All of my classes were set up as nearly perfect as possible. That included both my lunch and gym periods. Need I bother admitting to a little wish craft to get things to be so well suited to me? I cannot wish for good grades, but I can, and did, wish for a schedule and courses that would fit my future needs.

Tuesday, September 2nd, the first real day of school.

My day started with English with Mrs. Anderson. From everything I had learned, she was the best English teacher in all grades. She would eventually be my AP English teacher, too. World History was my next class with Mr. Wojtowicz as the teacher. He was another teacher considered top in his area of expertise, and would eventually be my AP History teacher. Next was Algebra with Mrs. Pierson. She was considered an outstanding instructor, but she was not one of the AP teachers. Lunch followed, and I brought lunch rather than eat what the school provided.

I found and sat with a bunch of friends of mine. Some were fellow soccer players, others I had gotten to know better since my transformation. I would have enjoyed Drake’s company, too. However, he had the second lunch, so that wasn’t going to happen.

The table they managed to grab was one of the round ones capable of sitting 12 -- if you were familiar with one another. We were familiar enough. If you count me as being at the 12 O’clock position, going clockwise was Cindy, Dawn, Janet, Carrie, Thomas, Lindsey, Pricillia, Mona, Paul, Yevette, and Yvonne (twins).

I wasn’t the only one who brought lunch from home. The fact was that those of us on the JV soccer team nearly always brought out own food. We’d been learning about healthy eating as applied to fitness and sports. Even in the offseason, we worked out daily. Our food intake had to have a high-calorie count along with proper nutrients without a lot of processed junk required by athletes who expected to be at the top of their games.

That isn’t to say that we didn’t go out and eat at McD’s, Taco Bell, Five Guys, Wendy’s, and such. Or that we avoided pizza, nachos, and other fun foods. We just limited them to once or twice a week.

One of the best parts of the JV team, at our table, was the way we shared our food. Our parents, not just moms, planned out our lunches with one another, which was done to allow us to share our lunches in what could almost be called a buffet. It also meant that we had extras that we shared with anyone who needed it. I won’t name anyone, but there are always those who can’t afford to buy school lunch. We just made sure that we helped them out. I know my mom insisted on making sure that I had enough for me and one other in every lunch.

Tom and Paul were on the men’s JV team, so they were able to hold up their own when soccer was the subject of discussion. We did our best to include our non-soccer playing friends and not focus solely on our favorite sport.

We did like to talk about the latest hot guy in the movies, or on TV, mostly to yank the chains of the guys who were with us. Favorite music, TV shows, and typical gossip were mainstays of our conversations. Though, occasionally, we’d delve into discussions of sex. I think the guys were stunned at how dirty our minds were. Then again, I know how they thought the fairer sex acted.

Usually, they would never see or hear, outside of private situations, what we exposed them to at our table. Of course, this happened over time, and not all at once. You can be sure that by the end of the first quarter that they had no question that girls shit, pissed, and farted, let alone talked about the intricacies of giving head, or how to properly eat pussy.

Tom and Paul finally stopped blushing at the end of the semester, which was unfortunate, in a funny way. It was a hoot to see them go red in the face. More so the day that one of the girls let rip while sitting next to Tom. He couldn’t get away because Carrie was sitting in his lap. It doesn’t matter if it stank or not. Everyone around us looked at him! The poor boy.

After lunch, I had to get my books for my next two classes, which were Biology and Geometry. As before, the teachers would eventually be my AP teacher in their areas of expertise. For biology, I had Miss Phuong Than. Her parents had immigrated from Vietnam in the early ‘70s and were naturalized. She was American born.

My geometry teacher was Miss Duanphen Chamnansilp, who came to the USA from Thailand. She was a very strict but excellent instructor and had earned her multiple Doctorates in math-sciences. She could be teaching at a university but chose to come here instead.

My final class of the day was PE. For those who were part of any of the school’s sports teams, we had our own field house, which was separate from the common gym used by everyone else. The Johann S. Grossman Field House was a state of the art training facility. The funding came from the Estate of J.S. Grossman, as you can probably guess. Not only that, but the estate had set up a trust that would guarantee the maintenance and upkeep of the building and equipment for the next decade or more.

The J.S.G. Field House had an interior that could be used for multiple sports. It’s where we would host our volleyball, basketball, and wrestling matches when we were the home team. We also had an enclosed Olympic pool with three and five-meter boards. Because of this, we hosted all the swimming and diving events at our school in the region. I wouldn’t bother telling you about the stadium, except that it was where we play soccer. It wasn’t just for football.

I haven’t mentioned golf, tennis, and track and field, which are all part of our school’s sports line up. I am not ignoring them, but I’ve covered enough already.

Dante Stadium is better than your average high school football, soccer, field & track stadium. It can seat 5000 with ease. It has two sets of locker-rooms. One set for women and one for men. That’s home and visitors for both sexes. I’ve heard that we get compliments on our facilities from visiting schools regularly.

The stands are covered to help with rain and snow and on the back side, partially underneath them, are the men’s and women’s lavatories and the snack bar.

The field is astroturf, while the track is a rubber type surface. On one side of the field, there is a section that that is designed to be pulled up to expose the Track & Field’s sandpit used in such events as Long Jump.

Trenton has three schools. Dante HS is the largest of the three and is situated in the “better” side of town. That is to say that it is the monied side. It’s also the newer and fastest growing portion. The other two schools are at best 1A division schools, while DHS is a 3A division school in terms of Football, Basketball, and Soccer. Those families who can afford to have moved to be in my school district. That’s good for us, but not so good for the other schools.

Alright, I’ve covered our field house, except for the workout rooms. While we have some free weights, there are not that many. Mostly we have machines that are designed to give us as good a workout as free weights, but without the dangers inherent in them. Even then, we still are required to work in teams of two or three.

There are also multiple stair-masters, treadmills, and rowing machines. Before they decided on which machines to bring into the new field house, they did an in-depth study to determine which ones were actually useful and which ones were possibly harmful or provided no benefit, which is why you don’t see ellipticals, abdominal, leg extension, or Smith Squat machines. To ensure we learn and perform all exercises correctly, we have a team of trainers. At the beginning of each semester, they do a lot of one on one with the students. After the first month, they keep an eye on us to ensure safety and are on hand to answer questions and help us with our progress. Additionally, we have a sports medicine specialist in the house.

For those of us who play soccer, we’re in the offseason right now. That is no reason to slack off, as our coaches keep reminding us. Even during the summer break, we were expected to stay in shape. To that end, if you were on one of the teams, or moving up from middle school and would be on one, you could come to the field house and use the facilities. I had been using it all summer.

For the next 90 minutes, I was doing my aerobic training schedule. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I would work on strengthening my core, arms, and legs. I would come in for two hours on Saturdays to use the pool, as well. Swimming is a great non-impact exercise.