Crazy collections

Students know there are some things you just can't bring to school -- but they do it anyway.

Teachers and principals across the region have drawers full of water pistols, toy figures, games and even pagers that they've taken from students. More often than not, it's the children in elementary school who bring the toys that eventually get taken away, but even up into middle school and junior high, teachers still have to confiscate items from students.

Some of what they collect gets returned, but over the years many teachers have compiled quite a collection.

Students at Central Junior High School say that principal Gerald Richards probably has one of the best collections of CD players around.

Diann Bradshaw, principal at Scott City Middle School, has a drawer full of belongings that have found their way to her office. Opening up her drawer she found finger skateboards "and all the equipment that goes with them," a pocketknife, a skull key chain that doubles as a laser light, a water gun "that's always a standard," cigarette lighters and CD players.

"It's listed in the handbook not to bring nuisance items to school," she said. "And this is stuff that wouldn't get taken away if they didn't get it out in class."

The body splash perfume is probably one of the more unusual items, but it was being sprayed on other students, so it got taken away from its owner.

Some of the items have already been returned. If it's not something too terrible, Bradshaw will return it at the end of the week, she said.

The students aren't too bad with their pranks at this time of the year, she said. "The worst time is during fair week," she said. "They come up with all those novelty items and bring them to school to show their friends."

It's not the novelty items that are collected by teachers at Notre Dame Regional High School but instead gifts that students gave.

Students helped Brother David Migliorino, principal of the Catholic Notre Dame high school, start his collection of monks that line several shelves of a bookcase in his office.

The collection began nearly 20 years ago when he was a grade-school teacher on the East Coast. "The kids would say I looked like the perfect monk," he said. So one year an eighth-grade class gave him a cookie jar that looked like a monk.

Over the years teachers, students and parents have added to the collection salt and pepper shakers, creamers and an assortment of trinkets. "Whenever anyone goes anywhere they bring me one," he said.

Migliorino has bird feeders, statues and even monks on swings. The bird feeder sits in the outer office and usually holds candy. The two monks on swings hang from the ceiling in his office.

One of his favorites is Brother Beatnik, a monk doll complete with a beard and sunglasses.

"I've even got some for my car keys so I'll have 'monk keys,'" Migliorino said.

There are plenty of monks and nuns in religious settings or with sayings also. A few even have sayings written in Spanish.

"You name it and I've got it -- every kind of monk," he said.

One parent is even supplying him with an assortment of "Little Francis" stuffed dolls that resemble a monk. Migliorino passes them out to students who have shown good behavior or who do exceptional work.

Down the hallway, Cynthia King has a collection of masks lining the walls of her classroom. King teaches drama at the school.

The collection began when her brother sent her some masks from Okinawa, Japan, where he was stationed. She had asked for a headdress from Thailand but got the masks instead.

The masks from Japan "are even formed on faces and hand painted," she said.

The masks come in varying colors and sizes, some with elaborate designs painted on them.

King has added some masks to her collection, but the majority are gifts from students and friends. Two of her latest were gifts: one from her sister who had brought it back from Hawaii and one from a former student who now tours with Disney on Ice.

The masks line the back wall of King's classroom so that they're the first things students see when they enter but aren't too distracting while she's teaching. "It's a fun thing so I can see them when I'm teaching."

Migliorino said the collections are fun for teachers because it's a way to remember students after they've graduated.

"I'd rather have this than money. It's a lot of symbols and memories," he said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126