"HATS ON TO MS. SIMMONS!"

Any kind of head wear was expressly forbidden at Bryant High School so my daily caps gave the kids a kick. One morning I was going in the front door and I saw a girl in a cowboy hat. This is the south and kids wear cowboys hats on a regular basis, but not to school. I told her she'd better lose the hat before class or she'd be in trouble with somebody. Being a sweet kid she said okay and I went into the building. There was another kid wearing a hat. Then there was another one. As I looked around I saw that everybody was wearing some kind of hat or cap, even the teachers! I was swept down the hall in a crush of hatted people and stopped in front of a huge banner taped to the wall. "HATS ON TO MS. SIMMONS!" It was about 12 feet long and signed by the faculty and the student body. They stood around me cheering. For once I was speechless. Finally I was able to thank them for everything they'd done for me. The entire day felt like a carnival. The local newspaper came to school and interviewed me about this terrific tribute. One of the TV stations came and ran a spot on the evening news. A picture of me and my banner made the front page of the paper but more importantly, adults were allowed a glimpse of what I saw all the time; teenagers doing for others. Kids I'd never talked to came by to wish me well. Some told me cancer survival stories about themselves or their family members. They all hugged me. I was enveloped in positive energy that I needed to propel me through the next several months. "HAT DAY" was officially over at 3:30 that afternoon but we moved the banner into the library and put the photos and poems on the bulletin board where I would be reminded of all the love that surrounded me.