610-687-9660
The Saga of Lost and Found
Lost and Found Day at Woodlynde can be stressful for many people.
By Phoebe Douthwaite
Staff Writer
Lost and Found Day at Woodlynde can be stressful for many people.
You walk into assembly at the beginning of the day to see multiple piles of clothes and are instantly stricken with panic. “Oh, no!” you think to yourself, “Did I lose something? Will I be called out? Why is the world so dark and demonizing?!”
You sit down and try desperately to hide behind the oversized sweater you are wearing that numerous teachers have repeatedly tried to disarm you of. You hear Mr. Richardson’s drum stop and the whole APR goes silent. Head of School Dr. Fulco starts assembly with the Moment of Silence, and morning announcements commence.
You are left in dread, wondering if any of your items lie just below the feet of the Dean of Students, within sight of every one of your classmates. The announcements pass, and Dr. Fulco cracks another one of his corny jokes before it is time for Lost and Found to begin.
As Mr. Shank goes down the line of strange knick-knacks, left-footed shoes and ninth grade science binders that have been left around the school by various students, and Dr. Fulco humorously attempts to fit into a tiny leather jacket with black tassels across the sleeves, you search desperately for an escape route. A name is called, friends point, the Lower School erupts in laughter, and Mr. Shank throws a sweater at a kid in the crowd.
Finally, the Lost and Found portion of assembly ends and, thankfully, your name is not called… this time. Mr. Shank wraps up assembly with his famous “Make it a great day,” and everyone slowly files out of the auditorium and starts toward first period.
Lost and Found during assembly has morphed into one of Woodlynde School’s bizarre, yet beloved traditions, where lost items are returned to girls and boys around the school.
A frequent victim of this day is senior Efrem Leventhal. Even though he is constantly being called out in front of the whole school so his lost clothes and school supplies can be returned to him, Efrem believes the way that Mr. Shank singles out kids whose name is written on their lost items in order to give them back works effectively enough.
“I think they handle it well,” he explained.
However, senior Kyle McCaughey doesn’t like what the administration does with most of the clothing that has not been reclaimed.
“They don’t handle it well. They just throw [the clothes] out sometimes. I mean sometimes Jackie [Smith, Woodlynde’s custodian] brings it to her church, but I think they should donate [all the clothes] or give it to poor children.”
Mr. Shank offered more insight on how he handles the Lost and Found behind the scenes.
After the school day is over, Mr. Shank pulls out all the Woodlynde clothes so they can be washed and stored for students who need spare clothing. He then offers the rest of the clothes to Jackie so she can donate them to her church, where they will be given new homes.
If Jackie is unable to take the clothes, then Mr. Shank “chucks” everything in the Dumpster.
He understands that some see the way he handles the left-over clothes as a waste and that he is villainized for this. However, Mr. Shank was quick to say that he’s not going to have piles of unclaimed clothes building up in his office, and he doesn’t have the time to drive them down to a donation center, so he simply throws everything away.
TAKING CHARGE
If people don’t approve of Mr. Shank’s way of handling the leftover clothes, they can certainly take matters into their own hands.
If some students were willing to take the clothes to a donation center, Mr. Shank would be more than happy to allow it. However, the best solution would be for students to simply write their names on everything they own.
Then you, too, could have a chance to hear your name called out in assembly for something you’ve lost!
-
-
FooterAccreditation
-
Woodlynde School is a private, co-ed college prep day school located in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that serves intelligent, talented students with learning differences in grades K - 12. Woodlynde provides a comprehensive, evidence-based Kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school program in a challenging yet nurturing environment for students with average to above average cognitive abilities (IQ) who have language- or math-based learning differences (such as Dyslexia, Dysgraphia or Dyscalculia), Executive Function Challenges, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Auditory Processing Disorder. Even for those students without a diagnosed learning disability (LD), Woodlynde offers expert and caring teachers in small classroom settings that support academic success. Woodlynde School also offers a post-graduate (PG) program in partnership with Rosemont College as well as a regional Summer Camp for students who learn differently.
©2023 Woodlynde School All Rights Reserved
Comments