Hunger Headline (12-13-10)

Most mornings, I begin my day by checking out the Kansas City Star, online. This is a tradition that goes way back to before I discovered the good life here in Northwest Kansas.

I usually am only interested in the sports page, to see the latest news on my beloved Royals and Chiefs. However, I also peruse the front page headlines.

Almost always, the Kansas City Star features a story about violence, or death, or violent death. Murder, rape, molestation, these are what great me in the morning before I click on “Sports.” It makes me all the more glad that I live where I live and that my own paper, our beloved Hill City Times, features good news about blood drives and charity functions, bake sales and ribbon winners. If anybody ever wants to know why a Kansas City boy would chose to live in such a small and isolated place, they need look no farther than the front page of the KC Star.

On Sunday, I was hit not with murder or theft, but with something equally chilling: hunger. The headline read: “Childhood hunger affects thousands in KC area.” According to recent census and department of agriculture statistics, “in the six-county metro area alone, an estimated 100,000 children live in homes where cupboards too often are bare, where the parents may not know where the next meal is coming from. One-third of those children live in extreme conditions where some days they go hungry.”

Imagine. One hundred thousand children who don’t know where there next meal is coming from. And that is just in the KC metro area. One can only imagine the problem nation wide.

I can better deal with the headlines about violence, corruption, and greed. Somehow, they seem more American to me. They are the norm for big cities, and those headlines barely even register. But the idea of children going hungry just doesn’t match my image of the U.S.A.

“I think people have this image of starving African children,” a KC mother of three said in the article. “They don’t see us. They don’t see the kids here in America who are hungry.”

So it got me to thinking about hunger. Everyday I monitor meal times at the grade school. We serve about 60 kids every morning and almost all 200 kids (Pre-K-6) at lunch. While we always insist that the kids take at least one bite of everything, I see a lot of food discarded.

I suppose this is a good thing. Our children are well fed. They are able to push back from the table without having to eat every last scrap because they are confident that there will be food on the table at home, and food tomorrow and the next day.

I thank God that I don’t see kids here in Hill City who are going hungry. To the contrary, some seem to be just a little picky about what they put in their stomachs, my own children included. It reminds me of the old line that some parents used to get their kids to clean their plates, “Finish eating your spinach (or broccoli, or liver, etc.), there are starving kids in China (or Africa, or South America, etc.)”

I don’t like to read about how there are starving kids in America. Of all the horrible headlines I’ve read with my morning cereal, that one really stuck with me.

We are currently running a food drive at the grade school until the end of the week and currently, we haven’t collected very much. So I encourage you to go to the store, or go to your pantries, and find some food to donate to those who don’t have enough to eat. With each item you donate, I hope it will remind you how fortunate we are to live in a place where we aren’t faced with headlines about hunger.

Smile (12-06-10)

This week, I got to briefly live a dream. I got to teach music.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I loved teaching English, and I truly enjoy my work as a principal, but I have been a musician in one way or another almost all my life, just not a very good musician. While I don’t have enough talent to be an full time music teacher, I am just capable enough to step into a music classroom and even teach the kids a couple of things.

This was prep week for our annual K-6 Vocal and Band Christmas Concert. Mr. Warren Stafford came in to play accompaniment while Mrs. Jessica Shank directed. When Mrs. Shank had to step out, Mr. Stafford graciously requested that I step in to “direct” the kids as best I could.

Now I have been directing kids in drama productions for a long time, but never before had I had the pleasure of directing a choir, even one of youngsters. It was a bit of a dream come true. I recalled all the choir directors I have had in my life and I imagined what advice they might offer the young Hill City singers.

I didn’t have a baton, and I didn’t know exactly what to do with my hands. As I said, I know I am no music teacher. There is a difference being able to do something and being able to teach others how to do it. I have given enough mediocre guitar lessons to know that that is not my calling. I can follow a conductor, but a conductor I am not. I marvel at the talent and coordination it takes to lead a group of vocalists, and we are fortunate in Hill City to have such gifted music educators.

However, from the first note, I realized that there was one thing I could teach these kids. No, it wasn’t pitch, or tempo, or volume, or dynamics, or breathing. They were doing great in those departments. Mrs. Shank has these kids so whipped into shape that Mr. Stafford and myself weren’t really needed. At one point, Mr. Stafford couldn’t find the sheet music to a song, and so the kids, without missing a beat, sang the entire song acappella, from memory, and with perfect pitch. Well, at least as perfect as any group of K-2 students can have.

No, I could only improve their performance in one way: I told them to smile.

This occurred to me as they were belting out “Joy to the World,” so serious, so determined. The anthem rang like a military exercise. I was impressed, but also a little intimidated.

“Smile!” I yelled, “This is a JOYOUS song! Show joy! Be happy!”

They followed my lead and I was dazzled by the cutest, warmest, most personable smiles you will ever find assembled in one place. Their little faces glowed as the words poured from smiling mouths. The singers seemed to soar with the music then, and they went from mere singing to truly expressing the joy of the season and the joy of the song.

Now, when I was in choir, we were told to smile for two reasons. First, and foremost, it lifts the soft pallet – the upper part of your mouth – to turn the mouth into a sound chamber. “Pretend you are an orange on your tongue,” I remember being told. “The bigger the space between your teeth, the bigger the sound!”

The second reason to smile was for simple aesthetics. “Your Aunt Bessie didn’t come all the way from Des Moines to see you frown!” I clearly remember one colorful choir coach colloquializing. “She wants to see your pearly whites!”

Or something like that. I’ve had so many directors that I can’t remember exactly all their advice, but I do know that people tend to like you better when you smile. Also, smiling tends to make you feel better when you sing.

So with Mr. Stafford handling the musicality - “Let go over those four bars again, shall we?” - and I handled the “feel good about yourself” department. I had the kids standing straight, chests out, hands either at their sides or behind them, bodies still (or as still as some of the more squirmy ones could get), chins held high and mouths opened big. Most of all, though, I had them smiling.

Operation Blue Lips (11/29/10)

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, our grade school decided to go for the world record. The world record for the most blue lips, that is!

We were helping raise awareness for Pulmonary Hypertension, a lung disease that decreases the amount of oxygen that is able to reach the tissues of the body. The most recognizable symptom of this condition is, you guessed it, blue lips.

To raise awareness, the Pulmonary Hypertension Association (PHA) has been asking people all over the world to “PuckerUp4PH.”This entails people putting on blue lipstick and kissing a PHA mailing card.

PHA is hoping to collect 40,000 of these cards which would set a world record. HCGS decided to help.

Now, over the years, our grade school has helped with many causes. We have jumped rope for the heart, and collected pennies for Haiti. We have collect socks and pop-tabs. Currently, we are in the midst of a food drive for the American Red Cross and a penny drive for Toys-For-Tots.

But the PuckerUp4PH campaign is probably the most unique thing we have done for a worthy cause. The kids really got into it, patiently allowing some high school volunteers apply blue lips stick (with individual hygienic applicators), kissing their card, and then allowing their picture to be taken, complete with a blue-lipped smile.

Now, not everyone participated. My son, for instance, just couldn’t stomach the idea of wearing lipstick, even for just a little while. But most kids were good sports and I’m proud to say that they left for Thanksgiving Break very aware of this lung disease.

So what exactly is PH? It is a disease in which the blood pressure in the arteries in the lungs elevates, putting pressure on the heart. It is fairly rare, and because it shares many symptoms with other conditions like asthma, it takes over two years (on average) for PH to be diagnosed. There is no cure but there are effective treatments, if diagnosed early. Undiagnosed, PH has a worse prognosis that many forms of cancer.

The symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, cyanosis (blue lips) and swollen ankles and legs. Basically, if you have shortness of breath that’s not improving with treatment, talk with your doctor.

All this information was provided by PHA. We have a parent in our district who was diagnosed with PH. This parent turned lemons in lemonade by joining the association and becoming active in raising awareness for the disease. Hill City Schools were glad to assist in Operation Blue Lips. If you have any questions, you can find more information at www.phassociation.org.

Hometown Pride (11-22-10)

When I was a younger man, and less aware of the differences of location, I thought that all schools were as wonderful as those in Western Kansas. After six years at Wheatland High School, I caught the “grass is greener” bug and took a job at a bigger school in the central part of the state. My misguided thinking was that a larger school in a more populous part of the world would equal more participation, more support, and more hometown pride.

I can’t speak for all communities in that part of the state, but what I generally found was less participation and less support. I’m not saying that communities in Central Kansas don’t support their schools. In fact they support them pretty well. But what I found to be true was that they didn’t support their schools as much as those in this part of the state. I now realize that what we have here is pretty rare and very special. There are few places as committed to their schools and to their towns as Western Kansas.

I was reminded of this fact at the 8-Man Division I State Championship game in Newton. I am not going to describe the game. Jim does an excellent job of that in the sports pages of this paper. But what I do want to describe for you is the crowd.

The first thought that went through my mind when I saw the sprawl of red and black was “how does a town of 1400 produce a crowd of almost twice that size?” There were Ringnecks everywhere. I had been told that there was seating for 2000 fans on the home side of the stadium where we were assigned to sit. It wasn’t enough. Every seat (as far as I could see) was taken and there were dozens still standing. We were packed in like lemmings and I felt fortunate to find a seat for my kids and I.

The crowd wasn’t just large, it was spirited, holding signs and waving pom poms, cheering and chanting from the first snap to the final whistle. It reminded me of Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium. The crowd was well behaved, but intense and passionate and rooting for the Ringnecks all the way.

Perhaps the best part of the crowd though, was seen at half time. By then, all the alumni, all the people who had once lived in Hill City and moved away, all these old friends, began to find one another. I saw countless hugs and back-slapping as people still connected by the bonds of their hometown, caught up and said hello. I don’t how many times I heard somebody say, “Did you see so-and-so? Why I haven’t seem them in ages!”

By contrast, the Madison crowd was smaller. As you would expect, they had a big crowd. And their fans were equally enthusiastic and supportive of their team. But one glance told the story. Saturday was homecoming for Hill City, while just another big game for Madison.

And that brings me back to my earlier point. It isn’t that small towns in central Kansas don’t have pride, but compared to what we have here, it just isn’t as much. When a student graduates from Hill City High School, or a family moves away, they tend to have positive feelings about this town. They tend to keep in touch, either through friends or though a subscription to our wonderful paper. So when something like a state championship game comes along, many of them make the effort to attend, to cheer, to support. They may now live in Wichita or Salina, Manhattan or Lawrence, or even KC, but when they heard the Ringnecks were playing for the title in Newton, they answered the call.

As I was writing this article, my secretary Melanie Kennedy related a story from this weekend. Her husband had been watching the Jayhawks play basketball Friday night on TV. Suddenly, the camera found a fan holding a sign touting the Hill City Ringnecks. Then the camera found another Hill City fan holding another Hill City sign, and then found another. Before long, the announcers were talking about Hill City’s historic football run, live on national television!

There is just something about our town and our part of the state that inspires such loyalty. I’m sure they are plenty loyal in Madison and other parts of Kansas, but I doubt any of them could touch us when it comes to pure home town pride.

Go Ringnecks!

Beleive to Acheive (11/15/10)

Have you ever noticed how some schools, especially small town schools, have a sports identity? When I was interviewed at Wheatland, I was taken on a tour that took me past a wall of trophies and pictures of state volleyball teams. “We’re a volleyball school,” I was told.

When I interviewed at Inman, and again at Hill City, I passed a similar displays and each time was informed, “We are a basketball school.”

Smith Center is football, Norton is wrestling. So on and so on.

This week, I had the privilege to attend the Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals annual Fall Conference. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Richard Ramsey, spoke about, “Meeting the Challenge of Change.” Dr. Ramsey had earned national acclaim for his ability to turn around several failing schools, and now he is a retired principal and active motivational speaker.

Dr. Ramsey was full of wonderful expressions:

“If you believe things can change, they will.”

“Care more than is wise. Risk more than is safe. Dream more than you sleep."

“T.E.A.M. – T.ogether E.veryone A.chieves M.ore”

“Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to achieve uncommon results.”

“Dream as if you will live forever, and live as if you will die today.”

“If you don’t like your day, try missing one!”

Dr. Ramsey was one of the most positive people I have ever met. I filled a page, margin to margin, with his positive message.

Afterwards, his talk got me to thinking about school sports identities, and, of course, about Ringneck football. (You’ll be happy to know that almost every principal I talked to was well aware of our recent grid iron success. We were a hot topic!). Dr. Ramsey’s point was that you have to believe to achieve.

While it is important to have good athletes, they have to believe they can be successful. Wheatland always had (at least while I was there) extremely competitive volleyball teams, even during years when the numbers were down. Inman and Hill City are usually competitive in basketball, regardless of who is on the court. Why? Because the coaches and players know the tradition and the expectation. Most of all, they believe they can be successful.

For that matter, Hill City is also usually very competitive in other areas, such as cross country, and Science Olympiad. All the years of doing well at the state level have our kids believing!

Now it is the time for the football team to believe. Dr. Ramsey’s talked about “Inch by inch – life is a cinch,” and “We may have to fight a battle more than once to win,” and “Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.” These words describe the turn around of the football program, from five years ago when coach Shank was hired, through the losing, through the winning but not enough to make the playoffs, through making the playoffs but not advancing past the first game, to the big jump of making it all the way to the championship game this year.

And we are not done yet. Dr. Ramsey provided an apt acronym: “F.O.C.U.S. – F.ollow O.ne C.ourse U.ntil S.uccessful.” We are still following the course. Now, all we have to do is believe to achieve.

So believe, boys, believe. And know that your hometown believes in you, believes with you, and believes for you. Go Ringnecks!

Heroes for My Kids (11-08-10)

A couple of weeks ago, our Hill City Grade School Parent/Teacher Organization hosted a weeklong Scholastic Book Fair. The book fair is a wonderful fundraiser for the grade school as almost of half of every dollar spent is given back to the school in the form of free books. I am proud to report that thanks to the generous support of our community, our PTO sold just under $4000 worth of books, generating just under $2000 in free books for our teachers and for our library.

While I am neither a teacher nor a librarian I was still given a free book. This year, I chose, Heroes For My Son by Brad Meltzer. The author collected the stories and quotes of 50 amazing people into a book for his son to someday read. I was impressed with both the people he chose as heroes for his son, and with the details he chose to include about each.

This is not a long book, and each person is given only a two-page spread with their photograph taking most of one of the two pages. The pages are small and the details are carefully chosen. Mr. Meltzer does a masterful job of encapsulating just what makes a person heroic without overwhelming the reader with information.

For example (and I’m just opening to random pages in the book) Roberto Clemente wasn’t just a great baseball player (12 gold gloves and led the league in hitting four times) but that he died while personally escorting a plane full of earthquake relief to his home in Nicaregua. He had paid for three planes of supplies, but learned that corrupt government officials had seized them. So he personally escorted the fourth plane and died when it crashed into the ocean. Clemente said, If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don’t do that, you are wasting your time on Earth.

Harriet Tubman escaped as a slave, but still risked her freedom to make nineteen trips and help over three hundred slaves escape to freedom. She said, Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

The Wright Brothers knew they would fail. Every time they tested a plane, they brought extra supplies to rebuild, because they knew they would crash and crash and crash, until of course, they didn’t. If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.

And that is just three of Meltzer’s heroes chosen at random. They are all amazing stories, well told, and emotionally charged.

This book got me to thinking about who I would want my kids to read about, who are the heroes I want for them. Of course, they will read this book, and they will learn about countless other amazing people who scarified and accomplished great things.

But, at first, I had hard time coming up with specific names. Would they be athletes, writers, politicians, and celebrities?

No. After some thought, I realized that the heroes I want for my kids would be the friends and neighbors in their lives. Their teachers, their ministers, their coaches. Their local newspaper editor. The firefighters, police, EMT’s, doctors and nurses.

One of the reasons I so enjoy raising my family here is because there are heroes everywhere, positive role models around every corner. It might not make for as a good of a book as the people Mr. Meltzer described, but I want to be sure my kids look for and recognize the heroes working with them in their daily lives.

Heroes like the volunteers for our grade school PTO. Due to their heroic efforts I was able to get this book and write this column. Due to their heroic efforts, our school has $2000 in free books. They are just some of the heroes for my kids.

Star Shot (10-25-10)

The punt was high. A beautiful kick, really, though much of the force went into the height and not the distance. The punt returner locked eyes on the spiraling pigskin, adjusted a few steps and put his hands in position to make the catch.

Meanwhile, a defender from the kicking team raced down the field, nimbly avoiding blockers, honing in like a heat seeking missile on the punt returner. Both ball and defender covered the space between the kicker’s leg and the waiting hands of the catcher in almost the exact same amount of time.

The ball arrived followed by the shoulder pads of flying defender. Bang! Boom! Catch! Smack! It happened so fast as to seem like an optical illusion.

The ball carrier was knocked backward, absorbing the momentum of the human rocket and sent into flight, landing flat on his back. The defender was sprawled in his stomach, a bird that had crashed to earth. Neither player moved. The crowd collectively gasped, stunned by the violence of the play.

After a few tense seconds, the defender, slowly rose to his feet and shuffled away. The ball carrier lay motionless as coaches sprang from the sidelines.

A minute later, they helped the young man to his feet and he slowly walked over to his sideline, no doubt clearing a few cobwebs as he went.

Somehow, inexplicably, as if by magic, the player still held on to the ball.

It was one of the best football plays I have ever seen. It combined great skill with even greater desire. It was a clean hit and a remarkable catch. The play hurt to watch, like watching a car wreck, but it was also indescribably thrilling. If I close my eyes, I can still see the impact, the catch, the two players colliding and sprawling to the ground.

Did I see this memorable sports moment on Sunday while watching the Chiefs? How about Saturday while watching a college game? During Friday night high school ball?

Nope. The play occurred between the Ness City Junior Eagles and the Osborne Little Dawgs during the Solomon Valley Junior Football Championship game. The players were middle school (4^th, 5^th, & 6^th) students.

I tell this story to illustrate what I saw on Saturday night. We had both the consolation and championship games in Hill City, thanks to our Junior Ringnecks perfect 4-0 season.

I had the privilege to announce both games. In the first game, Hill City and Stockton each scored four times and dueled to a double overtime, when Stockton finally edged our heroic boys. Then I saw a repeat performance from Ness City and Osborne, with Osborne barely edging Ness.

In both games, all four teams played as hard as I’ve ever seen any football teams play, regardless of the level. Both games were filled with plays such as the one I described above. Thrilling runs and daring tackles, brutal blocking, and ball carriers absorbing punishing blows.

I wish no one had to lose, and if you gauge winning and losing by the size of heart and the amount of determination then truly all four teams came out #1. But even at the middle school level of football, they keep score, and even in a five team league, they play to crown a champion. To the fans, they may look smaller. We may refer to the games as “rec” or as “pee wee” but to the players, it was their super bowl, their national championship, and their chance at glory.

I don’t know if we as a society put too much pressure on our student athletes to perform and to win. I don’t know if it appropriate to even have “playoffs” and a “championship games” with kids so young and in a league so small. There are no easy answers to these tough questions. What I do know is that whether it was for the coaches, or for the parents, or for the pride of school and town, or whether it was simply for themselves, these players all wanted desperately to win. Their play, whether it brought victory or defeat, inspired me both to write this article and to reflect on the real meaning of success.

In their relentless pursuit of victory, these students teach us all about what it means to succeed. I am reminded of the old expression, “If you shoot for the moon, at the very least you’ll end up among the stars.” While only one team hit the moon Saturday night, the field was covered in stars.

Thank you to all the coaches and parent volunteers and to anyone who supports our student athletes. And thank you to the kids. Regardless of the score, you should all feel like winners. Your great efforts took you to great heights. That is all anyone should ever ask.

Acts of Character (09-27-10)

We have character good and strong.

(We have character good and strong.)

We always try to do no wrong.

(We always try to do no wrong.)

We show our character through our acts.

(We show character through our acts.)

A community of character – that’s a fact!

(A community of character – that’s a fact!)

This was the opening to our “Acts of Character Chant”, a call/response chant performed during the HCGS Acts of Character assembly on Friday.

This was a first for our grade school, and I hope will not be the last. The idea came from our Character Counts Council, who wanted to see our grade school compliment the JH/HS “Make a Difference Day.”

This was also the week for “Make a Difference Day,” and from what I heard, our 7-12 students did just that! They completed over 80 jobs with over 1200 man-hours of service to the community!

Our first idea was to have our K-6 students simply join “Make a Difference Day”, doing age appropriate tasks. But then it was decided that the younger kids should have that to look forward to. It was started by the high school, and then extended to the junior high when those students moved into that building. “Make a Difference Day” is now a 7-12 tradition, and it is time for the grade school to start a tradition of our own.

Today we’ll show our character,

(Today we’ll show our character,)

In lots of ways that matter.

(In lots of ways that matter.)

Though work and gifts and lots of praise,

(Through work and gifts and lots of praise,)

We give to others on this day!

(We give to others on this day.)

We decided to have our “day” on a Friday, and to use the afternoon for students to make a difference. We wanted to tie it into Character Counts, so I ended up calling the afternoon our “Acts of Character Day.” The idea is simple: to be a person of character you have to back up your positive attitude with positive acts.

The grade school “acts of character” incorporated the six Character Counts pillars. Our kindergarten and first grade students demonstrated “caring” and “respect” by making and delivery thank you cards to the police, to the fire fighters, and to EMS personnel. Our 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th graders demonstrated “responsibility” and “citizenship” by picking up trash and weeds from the playground. Our fifth and sixth grade recognized fairness and trustworthiness by making gifts for the Salvation Army and for Sealy House and Dawson place. Through work and gifts and lots of praise, our students spent Friday afternoon showing their positive character.

We’ll keep it going all year long.

(We’ll keep it going all year long.)

Good character does make us strong.

(Good character does make us strong.)

In school, town, and community.

(In school, town, and community.)

We’ll show good character for all to see!

(We’ll show good character for all to see.

Unlike “Make a Difference Day,” which happens just once a year, I hope the grade school students can perform “Acts of Character” throughout the year. Considering how successful our afternoon efforts were, we might have at least one more official “Acts of Character” day.

But more than that, I hope that because of the day, the students better appreciate the value of giving back, paying forward, and making a difference through acts of character. We have an outstanding group of young people in whom we are proud. Lets encourage them to keep the “chant” going:

We care!

(One. Two.)

We care!

(Three. Four.)

We care!

(One. Two. Three-four!)

Thank You, HCGS

Today was “Boss’s Day.” As I thought about this peculiar holiday, I began to wonder who came up with the idea. Was it some conniving supervisor looking to drum up support? Far from it.

According to a quick web search, the credit for “National Boss’s Day” goes to one Patricia Bays Haroski, who registered the holiday with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in order to honor her boss, who coincidentally, was also her father. The idea caught on and within ten years, this moment of appreciation was being celebrated throughout the country and within twenty years it was celebrated in countries around the globe.

I have a difficult time with this holiday, probably because I struggle with appreciation. In my view, it is the “boss” who should be appreciating the employees, and not the other way around. Every day should be “Staff Appreciation Day” with gifts and cards and songs of praise.

Of course, I think this because I work with the world’s best staff, and they deserve all that and so much more.

So when they turn around and buy me gifts and tell me thank you, well I always feel a little unworthy. Each year, after each nice gesture, I chide myself for not doing more to deserve this day. It never fails to inspire me to live up the expectation that I be worthy of a day in my honor. But each year, I still don’t think I’m there yet.

I guess it all comes down to how you define “boss,” a title I have never learned to love. To me the word means, “a person who make decisions and exercises authority, dominates, etc.” as well as “To order about. To be master of or over.”

Neither of these definitions describe me or my leadership style, so every year on “Boss’s Day” I tell the staff to please not consider me their boss. I have never believed in “top down” management and prefer to reverse the paradigm. In my mind, the “boss” is on the bottom, holding everyone else up above them. My job is to support and to inspire, to fill in where needed and to help those above me to reach consensus on important decisions, while making the smaller decisions that keep things running smoothly to allow them to do their job. The workers, in this case the teachers, paras and support staff, are a lot more important than the “boss.”

The truth is that we are all on the same level, working together towards a common mission – to help young people grow and reach their potential. It is not about me, and it is not even about us, it is about them, the students.

So on a day where it is “about me” I can’t help but pause and reflect. I am so blessed to work with such dedicated and talented people. I am so blessed to be in a position where I can make a difference in the lives of so many.

So to the staff of HCGS, I extend a heartfelt THANK YOU. I am honored to be your “boss” and will continue to work to be worthy of your appreciation. And thank you to Patricia Bays Haroski for creating this holiday. While it may make me a little uncomfortable, the reflection and inspiration that follows makes’ “Boss’s Day” a worthwhile moment in my year.

The Original Social Network (09-13-10)

This summer I attended the iConnect iLearn technology conference. While many of the presentations introduced me to some truly amazing computer applications, the focus of the conference was on connecting educators and students through social networking on the Internet. I learned that there is so much more out there than just My Space and Facebook, and that there are social networking sites that were designed for educators.

One such site was Plurk (www.plurk.com). This free social networking site essentially pares away all the extras to focus on communication. The Plurk message timeline is a powerful way to talk with other people and to have entire online conversations.

The presenter who introduced me to Plurk had been using the site for years, traveling the country and inviting everyone he met to join his network.

So now I belong to an entire network of educators all over the country. They post interesting educational sites and videos about teaching and learning, answer questions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and (as with any social networking site) we get to know each other.

A few days ago, one Plurker wrote about the benefits of “community schools.” He was lamenting the busing that sometimes goes on in larger districts, and how some students are transported far away from their home neighborhoods and communities. The comment was that school is more than a place to learn, it should also be the “hub” of a community. It is the central location where people, united by a common purpose, can go for help, learning, and connection.

It was a powerful “plurk.” And it got me to thinking. I’ve always been a believer in the benefits of small schools. Having spent my entire career in small, rural, schools, I have seen first hand the success of our students on a wide range of indicators. Test scores, attendance, grades, performance on national exams, and graduation rates, small schools rank at the top of the list.

Until I read that plurk, I always attributed our success to the size of our school. Being small, it is easier to form those all-important relationships, to really connect with our students. And while that is true, the online comment made me realize that there is more to it than simply size. By virtue of our size, our schools are the default hub of our communities. Almost every single resident of our town has dealt with, is dealing with, or will deal with the schools.

Just in the last few days, two examples jump out. On Friday, our kindergarten and first grade hosted their annual “Grandparents Day Program.” We almost ran out of places to sit, there were so many grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and neighbors. Then on Saturday, our rec department hosted a pee-wee football game. Again, the stands were filled, not just with parents, but with people from the community who had no children in the game. It was something to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

Both events just prove how our schools are so much more than simple institutions of learning. They are a vital resource in our community. They provide entertainment and social interaction. They help people connect to one another and provide ample opportunities to stay connected.

In a sense, community schools, whether large or small, are the original “off-line” social networking sites. People don’t post messages - they talk to one another. People don’t post pictures - they hand around snapshots. The point is, community schools are a place where people connect. They connect with their kids, with their neighbors, and with family. And they do so year around in our gyms and in our auditorium, in our cafeterias, and in our stadium.

So while I love Facebook and Plurk and am invested in the world of on-line networks, I will always put first our community schools – the original social network.

Cards (08-23-10)

Every year, whenever a student gives me a card, whether for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, my birthday, or whatever, I stick it on the big bulletin board that can be seen from my open doorway. This way, I hope that students passing in the hall, or entering the outer office, can look into my room and see their card proudly displayed. I appreciate each and every one I get, so I put them all up. Most years, I have to resort to using part of the wall as well.

I finally got around to clearing my bulletin board today. It is something I meant to get to this summer. I like to start the year with plenty of empty space to use for the cards I am sure to receive throughout the year. Clearing the old cards is not a quick job, as I like to read over every card and note one more time. I save the best for my scrapbook, which as of yet consists of an empty book and a pile of cards from years past. One of these days, I’ll get the cards into the book.

Reading over last year’s cards brought back many memories, both sweet and bitter sweet. Last year brought quite the haul of cards as it marked both a trip to the hospital and my fortieth birthday. Both occasions that elicited massive correspondence.

I am glad I took the time to read them all again. I was amazed at the time and effort put into some of the cards. There were mazes and word searches, and even a couple of rudimentary crossword puzzles, all created to entertain me during my brief hospital stay. There were pictures, some of the card writer, some of their class, and a couple of my entire family, complete with the names of my children, so that I would know who I was looking at.

There were many depictions of team logos for the Jayhawks, the Royals, and the Chiefs. I now realize though, that there wasn’t a single image of my favorite team mascot – a RINGNECK! I suppose I need to do more to let me my students know that while I support the Hawks, Royals, and Chiefs, my heart is at home, rooting on our proud Ringnecks.

I also have apparently failed to communicate that I also support our Kansas State Wildcats. Yes, in a head to head match, I prefer the Jayhawks, but I always try to tell the kids that the best part about a KU v. K-State game is that a Kansas team always wins!

Overall, my favorite image to see is a heart. It is nice to know that I am missed when I am gone, and that I am loved on my birthday. I also enjoy reading the nice things kids say, and those simple messages remind me of what it means to be a good principal.

“That you for taking care of our school.” “Thank you for saying nice things to me.” “Thank you for keeping us safe” were common themes. One of my favorites from last year read, “Thank you for helping me solve my problems.” Another student wrote, “Thank you for showing me around and helping me when I came.” To all these thankful students, I heartily say, “YOU’RE WELCOME!”

Two messages made me laugh out loud. In jest, one student wrote, “Our school is not under control without you!” While this is categorically not true, I still appreciated the implication that I am needed. The second message is even funnier:

“You went from grade school to junior high, and then to high school. Then you got to KU college. Then you met your beautiful wife and then your three kids, and then you became a teacher. Then you moved to Hill City and became a principal to have another child. Look how fast your life went by…”

The classroom teacher, upon reading this, reminded the student that my life wasn’t over yet. The writer added, “And here’s to many more years.”

Yes, here’s to many more years, and to many more cards.

Hug Your Kids (08-09-10)

The thing I appreciate the most about Graham County Fair is that is reminds me of how much I miss being around the kids. I’ll be honest, when the summer rolls around, I’m thankful for the break. And then between coaching baseball, attending t-ball games, and directing the Fourth of July Melodrama, I see a good number of the kids on a regular basis.

Then July sets in, and except for the few kids I might see at my house or at the park or in the pool, I am cut off from the regular interaction. It is not something that I really think about. I show up to work and take care of the few things requiring my attention. I enjoy the slow pace and the quiet time.

But by the end of the month, I begin to feel the emptiness of the school. Things are too quiet. The halls are too empty.

So when the fair rolls around, the first thing I notice is all the kids. They call out my name. They come up to me and give me hugs. They ask how my summer has gone. Mostly, though, they laugh and play and enjoy themselves. I especially enjoy watching the kids on the inflatables. Kids scampering everywhere, their energy seemingly inexhaustible, their joy uncontained. As I watch them, I realize how much I have missed them. I remember how lucky I am to work in a profession where I get to be part of so much energy and enthusiasm. I feel like I have woken from a long nap, and I begin to look to the beginning of school not as something else that needs to be done, but as something exciting and rewarding. I feel like a kid myself, waiting for Christmas to get here, impatient and eager for the sheer celebration that is the beginning of school.

This year, I was given a couple more reasons to appreciate the life these kids bring wherever they go. On Wednesday night, as I was about to gather my kids and head home, I was approached by a couple who identified themselves as having students beginning in our school next year. The man explained that he had moved away from Hill City, but that a tragedy had brought him back. His wife and children had recently been killed in a horrible accident. He had returned to Hill City to try to put his life back together. He had found a new partner and was helping her with her children. He was grateful for them, but still missed his other family. “It’s hard,” he told me. “It’s been hard, it’s still hard, and it’s always going to be hard.”

I didn’t know what to say. I told him to hang in there and that I’d keep him in my prayers. What else can you say?

The next morning, I was awoken early by a phone call with more tragic news. The fourteen-year-old nephew of a friend had been killed during the night in a house fire. We knew the boy enough that the friend had called to give us the news. As horrible as the news was for us, I can’t imagine what the boy’s surviving family must be going through. How does anyone survive the loss of a child? I can’t imagine it and hope I never have to find out.

Needless to say, I spent the day hugging my kids, thanking God for every day I get to spend with them. You never know when tragedy may strike. You never know when anyone of us may be called away. All we can do is love each other and make the most of the time we are given.

So hug your kids. Hug your parents. Hug each other. Enjoy every day. For me, I’ll especially enjoy seeing all the kids and starting

Program of Success (05-17-10)

This is one of my favorite times of year: pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade programs! This is the time of year that we get to celebrate both the performance and potential of our youngest students.

First, I’d like to commend the teachers for all the hard work and sacrifice it takes to pull off one of these events. Special thanks goes to Mrs. Benoit for so graciously sharing the gym, especially for the pre-school program. Also, kudos to Mrs. Shank for helping the kids sing their best in these music intensive shows.

But the real work (and real patience) comes from the classroom teachers, who find the script, make the costumes and props, pick the parts, and lead their students in rehearsal after rehearsal. As fellow director, I can appreciate all the effort and stress, though I am in awe of the fact that they are working with such young performers. I know the energy it takes to work with junior high, high school, and adult actors, and I can’t imagine the raw determination required to work with students whose attention span in minutes usually correlates to their age.

What always impresses me about these programs is how much memorization is required. While our kindergarten and first grade students could read from scripts (yes, all our kindergarten students are reading amazingly well by the end of the year!), the teachers require them to commit their parts to memory. It is just another example of the kind of mastery learning and high standards we have, even for our youngest.

I’ve heard it said that kids will give you what you ask of them, and that is certainly the case for these programs. The lines are learned, the actions are remembered, the songs are sung with gusto and feeling, and the kids are focused, on-task, and extremely engaged. These programs are just wonderful culminating projects that high light all the progress that has been made throughout the year.

The other thing I really like is that the assessment is authentic. Rather than take a “final exam”, these kids actually “show what they know,” and they show it in front of an audience made up of parents, grandparents, relatives and neighbors. Our pre-school, kindergarten, and first grade programs always draw large crowds, and afterward, I never know who is more proud. The parents are proud of their kids’ ability to read, perform, dance, act, and sing, and kids are proud of their costumes and props and generally of their play.

Obviously, as the students get older, assessment becomes more academic. The final projects of the older classes are equally impressive and I would be happy to compare our kids to any other in the country. We have great teachers and wonderful families who send their sons and daughters to school ready to learn.

But, I suppose as a drama guy, I just like a good show. The pre school, kindergarten, and first grade certainly put on great shows, and in the process show the world how successful they have been with their students.

These programs of success just make me proud. I am proud to be their principal, I am proud to have my kids attend this school, and most of all I am proud of the education we provide our kids.

Learning With Style

Last week, I had the opportunity to observe a tremendous teacher teaching a tremendous teachable moment.

To many “t”’s? You can add one more: Trexler, as in Mrs. Trexler, our high school FACS and Parenting teacher. On Monday night, she took the podium at the Frontier Stage to emcee her very first FACS Style Review. Her students had designed and created original children’s outfits, which were modeled by younger brothers and sisters and by the young members of our Head Start program.

Mrs. Trexler would read the name of her student, the name of the model, and the name of the parents. She also described the outfit and described the specific skills the student had to learn in order to complete the project.

As the event continued, the outfits became increasingly complex and ever more impressive. Several students walked across the stage multiple times, with one or more models to show off several different outfits. Some of the students, made matching outfits for themselves, or in some way coordinated with their models to improve the presentation.

The theater was packed and the students positively beamed with the pride. The young models responded to all the attention, strutting and twirling in their new outfits like old runway pros. Cameras clicked and flashed continuously, and everyone left with big smiles and warm hugs.

For me, though, the best part of the show came right at the beginning when Mrs. Trexler explained why she had decided to have her students sew children’s clothing and host a Style Review.

“For years, I had the students in my FACS class sew sweatpants and pajama bottoms. I thought this was a good project, until I began to hear from some of my former students about how their FACS projects usually ended up in the trash. I realized that I had to come up with something better.”

I was so impressed with Mrs. Trexler’s admission that the Style Review was born out a desire to do better. It is the mark of a good teacher to admit when their curriculum is not engaging their students and the mark of a great teacher when they spend all summer dreaming up a project that can capture the attention and enthusiasm of their class.

And capture their enthusiasm is just what the Style Review did. Not only did her FACS students become engaged, many of them became “raving fans” of the project. They boasted to their friends about how much they were learning, and about how much fun they were having in the process. Soon, Mrs. Trexler’s other classes wanted to participate, and before she could say, “seam ripper,” kids were coming to her with patterns and fabrics, and ideas for more and more complicated projects.

She invited some of littlest kids into her classroom for “measurements” and took her students to the Head Start room to work with the young models. Her students began to work with multiple students, creating multiple outfits.

Often, Mrs. Trexler related how this student or that student had become “familiar with the seam ripper when sewing this project,” meaning that the students often had to learn by trial and error. But her students never gave up. The clothes were completed on time and often with surprising complexity.

The Style Review reinforced my belief that when students are excited and authentically engaged, they are willing to stick with a project, even when it becomes difficult. When students truly take ownership, they often go above and beyond, producing amazing things that surprise even themselves.

Most of these students had little to no sewing experience. However, after Mrs. Trexler’s brainstorm for improving their fashion education, her students gained a learning experience they will never forget.

They already have plans for how to improve the show next year. I have no doubt that next year’s Style Review will show to another packed theater just what a tremendous teacher teaching a tremendous teachable moment truly looks like.

Track Heroes (05-03-10)

I just finished searching all my previous principal perspectives and discovered an interesting fact: not once in four years have I written about the sport of track.

You’d think that the topic would have come up at some point. As the junior high activities sponsor, I’ve seen a lot of track meets. I’ve seen many great performances and many memorable moments. Yet, apparently there was always something else going on during the weeks I could have written about track, because this is my first (and long overdue) article about this demanding sport.

Most junior high track meets take place during the day. I knew that this was because that junior high meets tend to last longer, so in order to have a meet of any size, you need to start in the morning. I never really thought about why a junior high meet would be longer than a high school meet until this last Monday, when I was asked to enter into a computer the results for BOTH the junior high meet and the high school junior varsity meet.

After six and a half hours of recording results for the junior high, I switched over to the high school file. I instantly noticed that the list of high school events was much shorter. I quickly understood that the list was exactly half as long as the junior high.

Why? Simple, really. A junior high track meet equals two high school meets because 7^th AND 8^th grade are split. Compared to high school, 7^th grade is kind of like the JV and the 8^th could be compared to the varsity team. High school track meets are EITHER JV OR Varsity, while junior high track meets are both. No wonder it takes all day!

Thus, junior high track meets are as much about endurance as they are about performance. The kids are out in the elements all day. If the weather were always perfect, this might not be a big deal, but Monday was far from perfect. The wind gusted at over 30 miles an hour from start to finish, with temperatures hovering just around 60 degrees.

The weather not only tested the kids. Track meets are exceptional in the amount of volunteer help needs to run the meet. From the adults running the field events, to the timers and pickers in the track events, to the workers in the concession stand, to the coaches on the field, there were many adults braving the violent and chilly conditions. I, at least, could hide in the relative comfort of the press box, though the door was opened and closed continuously as results were brought up, and even with the door closed, some of the bigger gusts made the entire box vibrate and ever-so-perceptibly sway back and forth. It was like being on a boat, suspended forty feet in the air.

Of course, every time I thought to complain, I remembered the kids. These young athletes had signed up to compete in this harsh environment. They had agreed to do it for our entertainment and to bring honor upon their team and to their school. And while our adult volunteers only had to work only during this one day, the students were competing in half a dozen meets, dealing with the pressure of competition and the pressure of the weather for six weeks.

And it is not just the weather on the day of the meet that tested our courageous junior high athletes, but also the weather during previous meets. In the previous two weeks, two other track meets (ours and Phillipsburg’s) had been postponed due to the rain. Because of this bad weather, our junior high athletes were now expected to compete in not just one weekly tournament, not two, but now THREE.

So after they survived over six hours of chilling wind, they turned around and had to deal with the scorching sun in Phillipsburg. Thursday found them running, jumping, and throwing again in a rare evening meet in Wakeeney.

Needless to say, they survived. As far as I know, no one quit and few complained. They just gutted it out, doing their best with sore muscles, tired legs, and weather beaten skin. And knowing junior high students as well as I do, I am reasonably certain that they had fun through it all.

Last week was a heroic effort of endurance and performance. After four years, they certainly deserved a public acknowledgement in this column. And after three track meets in one week, I think we all owe these brave athletes and coaches a resounding congratulation for a job well done.

Spring Retreat (04-26-10)

This last Monday found me Salina, attending the Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals (KAESP) annual Spring Retreat. This is a one day affair, clean and simple with no hotel stay, and a lot packed into a few hours.

The opening address was delivered by a Kansas Teacher of the Year, Karen Tritt, from Shawnee Mission. She had us do an exercise whereby we could only use seven word phrases to describe various things. First we had to describe ourselves. I wrote:

“Believes positive relationships key to successful learning.”

Then we had to describe our school:

“Wise, caring staff helping students achieve potential.”

I could also have written:

“Strong team working together towards amazing results.”

At first, I thought it was a bit silly, limiting us to just seven words. But the more I did it, the more I saw Ms. Tritt’s point: we take communication for granted. Endless conversations, email, text messages, phone calls, we are a very talkative society. Limiting yourself to just seven words makes you really think about your message.

“Maybe I should write seven words perspectives!”

In another session called, “Hands On team Building Activities To Use With Staff and Students” presented by expert Joe Coles, we practiced several “ice breaking” activities designed to help people see the value in themselves and in others. One activity involved being handed three note cards with a positive adjective on each card. We then walked around the room looking at the cards others received and trading cards until we got three words we felt described ourselves. Then we had to explain to the group our choices.

I chose “caring,” “entertaining,” and “unique.” I explained how before I became an elementary school principal, I wasn’t all that comfortable with giving or receiving hugs, but in the first ten minutes in my new building, I was hugged several times. Now giving and getting hugs is one of my favorite things, and I can thank my job for making me overall a more caring person.

The entertaining and “unique” go hand in hand, as I have yet to meet another principal with a background of a director/actor/singer/writer. I don’t know how entertaining I actually am, but I do enjoy putting on a good show.

Finally, the day ended with a reunion of sorts. The keynote address was delivered by none other than my old friend Kevin Honeycutt. During my two years teaching in Inman, I had the pleasure of working as his assistant director. We broke with tradition and began to produce movies instead of plays, and Mr. Parker still shows the movies we made to his tech classes.

Kevin spoke about “Making Connections That Matter” and blew us away with stories of teachers he has met in his national travels who use technology in the classroom to produce life-changing lessons. He told us of a girl who became a much better in English class once the teacher helped her publish a book of poetry, using a free online resource. When the student saw the actual book, she was flooded with pride, until she opened it and saw all the spelling errors.

“From that moment, she paid attention to her English teacher about spelling and grammar,” Kevin explained. “After she fixed all her mistakes, she resubmitted the text and now has a book she can be proud to show her friends and family.”

And that was just one story. His session ended too soon, and overall, so did the retreat. I left feeling energized and hopeful and full of ideas. I am already enrolled in the “iConnect iLearn ‘un’Conference” this summer, with Kevin Honeycutt and host of other educational gurus.

The best part of the day was the “retreat” from the day-to-day grind and the looming challenges which lay ahead. We all need to recharge every now and then, and I am thankful for the Spring Retreat.

Circus Joy (04-19-10)

When I was in the first grade, our teacher read us a story about a boy who ran away from to join the circus. I don’t remember much from first grade. I don’t remember the name of my teacher, the names of my classmates, or even the name of the book. But I remember hearing that story.

Maybe it was because I never actually went to the circus as a kid. I mean I grew up in the big city, and I saw many things. There were school tours to museums to businesses, and annual trips to the American Royal Rodeo. Ironic, isn’t it? A city boy, I had been to a dozen rodeos but I had never once gone to the circus.

So the whole idea of running away with the circus stuck with me over the years, and I remembered this dream on Saturday, when I sponsored the fifth grade Shrine Circus trip to Salina.

Now this wasn’t my first trip to the circus. It was my second. Five years ago, determined to give my children an experience I had never had, I took the kids to this very same Shrine Circus. It was a magical experience that I will never forget, and I was curious if the magic would still be there the second time around.

In many ways, I found this trip to be better. For one, the atmosphere on the bus was buzzing with anticipation. The kids were excited, as it was the first time for many of the kids. This included my six-year old daughter, Jocelyn, who for weeks, had been counting off the days on her calendar. Now that the big day had arrived, I thought she and most of the kids were going to burst with excitement.

I still remember my first time. Yes, I took the kids, and yes, they enjoyed themselves. But for a kid who grew up wanting to run off with the circus, I went to the circus mainly for my own enjoyment. I compared everything I saw to what I had imagined in my mind. I marveled at the acts, and was “blown away” at the finale when they shot a man out of a cannon. Even as an adult, the first time to the circus held a joy that can never be gotten again.

The second time, I enjoyed the reaction of the kids so much more. The acts were fine, and I was still amazed. But I had a lot more fun, this time around, observing the students and my own kids light up in the circus atmosphere. It was like seeing the joy I had felt, in the faces of twenty other faces.

I want to take moment to thank our local masons and shriners. They have been sponsoring the kids on this trip for over thirty years, and it is no cheap endeavor. They buy all the tickets, feed the kids lunch, and even hand them a five-dollar bill for souvenirs.

But more than the generosity, I thank the Shriners for the giving of Joy. They could take the kids anywhere else - fishing, bowling, skiing - and the kids would have a good time. But taking kids to the circus, (a big circus, not the mom and pop outfits that occasionally blow through town) is giving them more than a good time, it is giving them pure joy.

I’m sure many of these students will see other circuses. Most will evertually grow up and become parents who will take their own kids. But I guarantee that they will never forget their first time under the lights. The sounds, the smells, the death-defying acts - they will never be so amazing as they were the first time around.

Without our Shriners, many kids would grow up as I did, missing the circus. We are lucky indeed to have an organization willing to give of their time and resources to bring a little circus joy into the lives and imaginations of the youth of our town.