What would it be like going to high school and having your mother or father walking the halls alongside you?  Most of the time, teenagers would be so against the idea of having their parent seeing into their school life; they would know all of your friends, even the one questionable character that you keep hanging around, they would see you sitting among the litter on the ground in the hot Arizona sun at lunch, or they would even see you flirting with that special guy/girl that you can’t wait to see everyday. Hidden under the scary reality of walking the halls alongside your mom or dad could be some cool perks about them being there throughout the day.

Teachers and administration have special treatment compared to the students. They may have a master key that gets you past those doors that the questionable is behind. They have a teachers lounge and a classroom that they can keep their belongings in that isn’t the size of  a shoebox, or “locker.”

Dorian and I interviewed 4 teenagers whose parents are regulars here at school and they all surprisingly shared one detail that they enjoyed the most about the luxury of their parents having a classroom or space that is their own. That was the refrigerator! Guess that’s not so surprising since it is a well-known fact that teenagers love to eat.  Alyssa Botkin, Junior, stated “My dad’s refrigerator is one nice thing about having him here.” Her father is Mr. Botkin, the Athletics Director.  We can all agree, keeping your soda cold is a must!

Junior Halley Hughes, daughter of Mrs. Hughes, stated, “My favorite thing about having my mom here is that I always have a place that I can keep my stuff. She is always there in case I need to vent after a class.”  She also happily spilled, “My favorite memory with my mom was going down to the office to receive our state rings for golf. It was a special moment that the whole team shared together and one I will remember with my mother.”

Hayden Estrella, sophomore, is the son of  Principal Estrella here at Sahuaro. He spills, “My dad being at school doesn’t really change my high school experience because I never see him. Lots of people know that I am his son, and they have their own opinions on that. One thing that does suck is that I never get invited to parties. I wouldn’t snitch or tell my dad about them.”

Michael Kruszewski, junior, is the son of one of the PE coaches, Coach Kruszewski. He has many memories with his father here at Sahuaro, but a few stand out to him. He reported, “My favorite memory with my dad is when kids in his PE class get balls stuck in hard to reach places so I get to climb up to get them.”

What us teenagers thought would be the worst case scenario might not be so bad according to these kids. Overall, having your parent at Sahuaro could be more of an advantage.