Chapter 16

"And ... time!" Jake said. "Pencils down. Place your answer sheets inside the test booklet with your name at the top."

He walked around the room collecting the test materials. The students stretched and yawned.

"This concludes the Skills Assessment Exam," he said and proceeded to read the remainder of the state-mandated closing to the test. "As soon as they ring the bell, we'll head out to lunch and then finish up the class tournaments. Find something to do that's quiet; other classes may still be testing."

Jake finished a handful of administrative things, then boxed up the tests. A few minutes later, they principal announced that all the tests were complete and that lunch would be served. The week of the SAE was always chaos.

Many of the students mentally checked out. Some of the teachers, too. The tests were given in the morning. The afternoons were reserved for the class tournaments, when teams of students could compete in various competitive activities ranging from basketball to baseball to volleyball to Quiz Bowl to the JROTC obstacle course.

The class who accumulated the most points in all the events got their year engraved on a trophy in the main hallway. This year's junior class had won the year before and was on the verge of winning back to back. There were two final events: volleyball in the auxiliary gym and girls and boys basketball in the main gym.

Following the principal's announcement, the class filed out of Jake's classroom and headed towards the cafeteria. Ann Marie was waiting for him in the hallway. Because of her seniority, she had a senior home room, which meant she didn't have to give the SAE. Her kids showed up on Monday and Tuesday mornings for graduation rehearsal, then only came to school for the class tournaments. Jake suffered with a homeroom full of sophomores.

They went down to the teacher's lounge and sat around with half a dozen of their colleagues. Everyone was ready for the school year to end. They compared notes and were trying to figure out their schedules for the next year.

An hour later, the games started in the gyms. All of the teachers took a turn alternately cleaning up their rooms, patrolling the hallway for roaming students and rotating through the gyms to keep an eye on the kids there.

Half an hour before the last bell rang, everyone was called to the main gym. It easily accommodated the entire staff and student body. A few years ago, it would have been packed, but now there were a few empty rows in the bleachers. The flagging economy caused many people to take their kids elsewhere in search of jobs.

Jake and Ann Marie joined the rest of the staff along the back wall of the gym. They talked idly among themselves and with some of the students. The principal praised the school for their effort during the state-wide tests, wished the seniors luck for the next year and reminded those students who would be returning that great things were expected of them.

Then he began handing out a few awards. Some were to the star athletes and students who earned some of the more prestigious scholarships to local colleges. He announced that the juniors had once again won the class tournament. That brought cheers of "three-peat" from that section and jeers of "you suck" from the other three classes.

"We have one final award to give out," Mr. Pressman said into the microphone. "Miss Armstrong would you please come out here."

The students cheered; she was one of the favourite teachers in the school.

"Miss Armstrong, each year the county board of education recognises an outstanding educator for their exemplary work in the class room," he said as Sally Barnett handed him a plaque. She made sure to wink at Jake as she stepped to the side. Mr. Pressman handed the plaque to Ann Marie. "After being nominated by your peers and selected by a committee made up of administrators, teachers, students and parents, it is my pleasure to present you with the Lincoln County Teacher of the Year award."