…And the Winner Is...

Supply Drive: Generosity can come from anywhere. When it presents itself, the power it delivers can lift mountains. Sponsored by the West Genesee PTA/PTO District Council, Committee Chair Deb Troiano and her cast of volunteers funneled the generosity of our community members (including a $500 donation from Kohls) into another very successful School Supply Drive. Over 185 families were served this year, and I am very proud and thankful for this group, led by Deb and backed by all of the PTA/PTO's in the District.

The stress on parents to make sure that their children have the correct school supplies when times are tight can be daunting, but thanks to the community that stress can be eased. The group is already looking forward to next year.

Back-to-School Activities: We have been through the Marching Band Preview and the intra-squad football family day, with freshman orientation and Kindergarten orientations are right around the corner. So that must mean that the school year is about to start! I am extremely excited to get this school year rolling. I meet with all of our employees this Thursday, and then it will be a long weekend. Before you know it, we will see all of the students back here.

Initiatives: We are looking to bolster many of the initiatives that we began last year, and we are also looking forward to trying a few things a little differently. Within the first half of this school year we will begin construction on our long awaited Capital Project. I will certainly keep you up-to-date as that schedule progresses.

The Great New York State Fair: If you like to go to the New York State Fair and haven't had a chance to attend yet, it feels a little cleaner than in past years. There are more flowers, more places to sit, and some interesting new rides to try. Lucky for me, they still have my favorite Gianelli Sausage stand, so I give the whole experience an "A".

Enjoy this beautiful weather week, and I will see all of you right after Labor Day weekend!

Chris

College Sports and the Trickle Down Effect

This past week really felt like summer! I did everything that I possibly could to stay outside as much as possible. I conducted all of our exterior building inspections, checked in on camps, visited the Marching Band, observed school bus safety training, and met on site with some of the area project managers. This week I have to spend some quality inside time preparing for our new staff orientation, opening day, and meetings with our building administrators. All good stuff!

Last week an interesting ruling came from the high courts regarding the NCAA and how athletes can be treated, compensated, and taken care of in the future to read the ruling click here.  In a nutshell, colleges might be able to pay student athletes (in Division I basketball or FBS football), allow student athletes to collect royalties when their image, likeness, jerseys, or autographs are given, used, or sold. So what, right? The NCAA makes millions of dollars off student athletes and some feel their scholarships alone are not enough compensation for what additional revenue they bring to their college, university, or the NCAA.

No matter what your opinion is on this topic, please step back for a moment and put yourself into the shoes of a high school junior. A three-sport athlete high school junior. A junior who plays football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring.  If you are that junior athlete and you now know that you might be able to be compensated beyond your athletic or academic scholarship for your services, are you still going to play those three sports or are you going to shut two of them down and really concentrate on the one that might give you a Division I opportunity?

Our students are not back from summer vacation yet, but I would love to get their take on this question. If I was that talented, I really am not sure what I would elect to do with my high school athletic choices. I think I would still play the sports as long as I enjoyed them. It is an interesting question to ponder.

What would you do? Would you change to an easier major so you can spend more time on the sport that you might be getting paid to play? If you are interested, keep an eye out for developments as the NCAA works through the process of making changes.

Keep enjoying your summer and know that we are here getting everything ready for when the students return.  Hopefully, in my next post I will be able to give you an update regarding our Capital Project.

Have a great week!

Chris