By Howard M. Romaine
On mapquest, McGavock lies halfway between downtown Nashville, and Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage. A huge place by this writer’s standards, with 14 acres under roof, and way over 2,000 students, it was calm on the evening before the President’s visit, with students wandering the halls in the late afternoon, an 18 wheeler of special occasion events pulled up in front the gymnasium, where the Principal, Robbin Wall, who attended an even larger school in his hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, told this writer that 700 or 800 students would be given tickets to see the event, and there seemed no sense of electricity or angst among the several dozen students still wandering the halls in the early evening around 4 PM.
MAPQUEST LINK TO LOCATION OF McGAVOCK
With four special tracks, or specialization, such as hospitality, with a large Tennessee map showing the diversity of jobs available in the industry, and offering language instruction in Russian, German, French and Spanish along with a bevy of other specialized courses, or Advanced Placement possibilities, it seemed a bit incongruous to see the pants below the underwear and buttocks types, white and black, in the halls, perhaps waiting for rides home, but there they were.
Other items the school prizes is it long history of prize winning marching bands with appearances in many bowls, and post season events, all detailed on the Wikipedia site.
McGavock High Web Site
http://www.mcgavockhs.mnps.
Finding my way thru the cement cinderblock construction back to the principal’s office took a few minutes, and the very size of the building, and its spare character also took one’s breath away, harking back to high school days a half century ago, with row on row of black lockers in one area, and yet signs for “Latino Achievement at McGavock, next meetng Tuesday Jan. 21, and advisor, Wednesday, Jan. 22,” posted against the cement block walls, along with other postings for art, special classes, athletic teams, (‘softball sign up bring health release’).
Asking a few students directions led me to the office, and a young man, Codi Kimmell, who took the copy of The Tennessee Tribune, I had with me as an identification, and he quickly referred me to his superior, Robbin Wall, a tall man, who came out, took my hand, telling me he had been in the education business 35 years, and at McGavock five years now. He said Mr. Kimmell was one of five assistants, one for each academic specialty.
He seemed calm, awaiting the President’s visit the next day, surely the biggest event likely in this school’s recent history. He had been called just the pre-ceeding Saturday, the 25th, and told McGavock was one of the schools being considered for the visit. All day Saturday he was busy answering questions, and dealing with the Presidents advancemen, or ‘advancepeople,’ answering questions, and being told he’d be informed by email of their decision.
Saturday night, the 25th, he found out that McGavock had been picked, and so “all day SundayI was meeting with the President’s staff people, working on the event, including the Secret Service.”
Dressed casually in a light colored suit and tie, Wall was cordial, calm, and yet candid about his excitement. “The closest I’ve ever been to a President,” he said, “was watching him on a TV screen.” As he walked away, he mentioned the enormous support the school had been given by the community over the last five years, aiding its growth and improvement, and perhaps lending to its choice as the place for the President’s visit, highlighting his emphasis on education.
Suggesting we’d see each other the day following, we separated, and I walked to my car, and drove back toward Nashville, hoping to find a glass of wine to digest the information, and outline a story. I had not even bothered to mention to anyone I met that W.E. B.DuBois had spent a summer teaching in Lebanon, the city where McGavock now occupies such a large space, as the largest such high school in the state, according to Wikipedia. I was afraid that no one would know who DuBois was, perhaps.
MIRKO
Just before the Roman Catholic church of Korean immigrants, in a mall was MARKO, an Italian chain restaurant popular in Georgia, with a new franchise serving wine and beer, where “fresh pasta is our obsession,” and a very unique hamburger with fries allowed me to interview the two waiters about their routes there, and the President’s visit.
Ana King was a graduate of Pope John Paul 2nd of Hendersonville, Johnny Cash’s old home town, and she was just back from Chattanooga, after a year off after high school, and was thinking how to take up an arts oriented profession. Her waiter mate, John Locke, had just graduated recently from Middle Tennessee State University, and was sometime part manager, sometime waiter, and had no firm opinion on the President’s or other proposals on raising the minimum wage. A vigorous young man from West Tennessee, he had been informed that the President’s motorcade from Nashville would pass the restaurant sometime in the afternoon, and he was hoping for a good day serving food to the out of town visitors, but with no particular expectations.
GUN ISSUES IN THE SCHOOL
On the shelf in the entrance to the Principal’s office I had picked up a sheet of paper, on which I scribbled a few notes, and later noticed this undated statement: “It is with sadness that I inform you of the death of Kevin Barbee, one of our 10th grade students. It has been reported that apparently there was an accident involving students and a weapon that discharged inflicting Kevin with a fatal wound.”
“For those of you who knew Kevin, we ask that you remember and celebrate his great smile, his laugh, and his lighthearted personality..
“For those of you who did not know Kevin, we ask that you respect others feelings of sadness and support other school mates with understanding attitudes..
“It is very difficult for all of us to face the death of a young person. Today, there will be a support team of psychologists, counselors, and other staff from Metro Schools to work with our staff members to provide counseling and support to students…
“I know you will join me in extending our heartfelt sympathy to Kevin’s family..” Sincerely, Robbin Wall / Principal McGavock High School
Graph of Teaching Moods in Local Magazine
On Wall’s grouping of materials to hand out regarding the schoo, was Nashville’s City EducatorsWinter 2013-2014 magazine which included a revealing chart on page seven which seemed reflective of the national mood also. Showing a high point in August and September as the school year began, the graph quickly dropped in October, November, and December to Disillusionment.
In January, February, March, April and May, the chart climbed slowly to Rejuvenation, Reflection, and then to Anticipation in June and July.
Surely the President’s trip is designed to give a lift in mood, similar to this, and McGavock High seems poised to offer him a local platform to suit.