Go Shells!

I grew up near a small village called Roxana in Southern Illinois.  During my school years, I attended Roxana District’s grade school, junior high school and senior high school all located within a couple blocks of my parents' house.  I spent most of my summers swimming at the Roxana Community Pool and playing softball in the high school diamonds.  As with most childhoods, everything that has been and continues to be is called normal.  So, although it had much to offer to the rest of the world, its most notable (and noticeable) contribution was the oil refinery located at the edge the football field --- normal.  And, as I reached high school, cheering for our mascot the “shells” and referring to our mighty mascot’s dominion as “shell country” was also completely normal.  It wasn’t until this member of the Honors Society graduated college and returned to her high school track that she realized how abnormal it was to have an oil company for a school’s rallying cry. (During my four years at the high school we didn’t have a live mascot, but then again, we did have a refinery tank painted with our school colors… maybe that counts?)