Hugs All Around (11-06-06)

The other evening it occurred to me that I almost always go to events where half the crowd goes away dissatisfied. And of the other half, not everyone leaves happy.

I’m referring, of course, to sports and competitive activities. Roughly half the audience of any game will leave defeated, dissatisfied, and sometimes, downright angry. On the winning side, many will leave grumbling about the coaching, the officiating, or the fact that the players could have played so much better or won by so much more.

But on Thursday night, at our annual League Music event, I had the pleasure, the delight, the absolute privilege of watching five of our league schools join together in cooperation to produce a concert of breathtaking beauty. Choirs from each school joined a Fort Hays director for three hours of afternoon practice and an hour of evening performance that was nothing short of superb. Each choir was given the opportunity to perform two songs on their own, and then they joined together to treat the audience to five wonderful musical experiences. I can not express how impressed and how proud I was of our young people on this occasion.

Afterwards, everyone was happy. People shed happy tears over the heartrending rendition of “Go Bless America”. They laughed about the lighthearted numbers. People hugged and high-fived, shook hands, and generally congratulated each other, one and all. As I looked for our Hill City students, I had a difficult time distinguishing them from among the students of the other four schools. Everyone was joined together in one big, happy group.

Most importantly, from a principal’s perspective, I did not hear a single word of discontent or witness a single furled brow. It was beautiful.

As I drove home, I thought about how League Music would have been different had there been judges to rank the choirs. I am grateful that our league chose to make the experience about learning and cooperation and not about bragging rights and championship plaques.

Our children have more than enough opportunity to measure themselves against each other. We have ample chance to establish and enjoy school rivalries. Kids get a lot of practice at winning and losing. Practicing (or not practicing) sportsmanship, is a routine exercise in our society.

But how often are our kids asked to work together? How often is cooperation the name of the game and the price of success?

Of course, I must admit, competition is more of a draw. As a single school, the fans who might travel to see an away game would have outnumbered the fans who traveled to watch all five schools at League Music. For all the satisfaction, only a handful got to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the experience. To be honest, I almost overlooked attending the concert. I feel fortunate that I was got to be one of the few who shared in a moment of league camaraderie.

For one night, all was right in the world. The music was beautiful and our hearts swelled with pride. We can always look forward to League Music as a time where everyone will leave happy and there will be hugs and high-fives enough to go around.