I often equate the school year to a plane ride, and this time of the year is systems check time. This is when we kick the tires, walk around the aircraft, and figure out what is needed in order to have a successful flight. Right now things are looking good. The Marching Band got a great start, summer school and summer camps are nearing completion, and we have concluded the annual Board of Education Retreat.
Our data from the completion of last year is very positive, with a District record of 94.5% June high school completion rate (it will be higher after we account for our August graduates), which sets us up nicely to challenge the first year of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which replaces the old No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). I will present much more about this when all of us are geared back into thinking about school.
Mid-summer is also when we have completed both the Boys and Girls John Pepper Lacrosse Tournaments. The boys and girls were very successful and the boys weekend that we just had also served as a great time to bid a final farewell to Boys Lacrosse coaches Mike Messere and Bob Deegan. Somewhere between 700 and 1,000 former and recent players, parents, and community members spent Saturday night reminiscing and celebrating the careers of our coaches culminating with a large retirement dinner that was held at SRC Arena. Our Athletic Director, Mike Burns, also a former player, spoke to the crowd and gave Coaches Messere and Deegan custom made and inscribed Native American lacrosse sticks. Congratulations to them! Also, we are getting closer to completing the process to find our next Boys Lacrosse coaches!
If you still aren't convinced that we are just past the mid-point of summer, take a look at "Fred." Fred is a regular at my favorite golf course and he has seen me hit some great shots, and plenty of junk shots as well. He really doesn't show any emotion either way. If you don't have this blog to read, or a calendar to tell you it is the beginning of August, you have Fred and his antlers that are "in the velvet", which is nature's way of telling us that there is still some summer left; but we should start thinking about the fall. Hopefully, Fred makes it through the fall and winter, and I can then grab another picture of him around this time next year!
I hope that you have gotten a chance to rest a little and recharge. Keep enjoying this beautiful weather, and I will start writing a little more about back to school starting next week.
Thanks for reading!
Chris
