Weaving Kevlar

This post will be published in the Feb. 26, 2009 "PAW Print" Newsletter:

I’d like to take a moment to call your attention to something extraordinary that has happened at Endeavor, which I like to think of as “weaving kevlar.”

Our extraordinary school was founded based on a set of ideas about how to educate children well through experiential learning and the development of self-confidence with good citizenship. Based on that thread of good education, it’s to be expected that the school would attract parents who want the best possible education for their children, and that it would also attract excellent teachers who thrive in an environment where they are empowered to succeed.

As our children learn and grow, they develop friendships and lo and behold, their parents start developing friendships. And gradually we find ourselves having woven a social fabric through the school that’s strong and resilient because it’s based on core values that are rock-solid. Hence my thinking of it as weaving kevlar. In this ever-uncertain world we live in, I take great comfort in being a part of the kevlar we’ve woven at Endeavor.

On a separate note, we’ve formed a nominating committee to start the process of identifying the parents who would welcome the honor of serving on the PAWS board during the coming academic year (after July). The committee is headed by Ashley Garff, and includes Jennifer Viemont, Leann Bove, Lori Tolson and Michelle Boggis. Please consider this very gratifying way to be involved in the school.

All the best,
John

Seize the Moment

This post will be published in the Feb. 12, 2009 "PAW Print" Newsletter

I am an occasional sports fan - usually too busy to follow any sport through its season and having moved enough times as an adult to have never bonded with any “home town” team. But I do try to watch the Super Bowl no matter who is playing, and I don’t think I will ever forget this past Super Bowl XLIII.

There were many great plays in the game, but the history-making whopper was when Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison intercepted a pass in the Arizona Cardinals’ end zone and took off like a bullet all the way to the Pittsburgh end zone 100 yards away for a surprise touch-down right before the end of the first half. It was a stunning and improbable moment made even more amazing because Harrison is a linebacker – a big guy who blocks opponents on the defensive line. They’re not expected to be fast & agile like their offensive teammates.

But with just seconds on the clock, Harrison seized the moment to become fast & agile and make Super Bowl history. As NBC re-played the interception and 100-yard dash over and over again and the commentators whipped us armchair quarterbacks into a frenzy, something else became quickly apparent.

It wasn’t simply a great moment for a talented linebacker, it was also a great moment for teamwork. Every 15 or 20 yards or so along the entire length of the field, Harrison’s team mates kept showing up to knock out the Cardinals that tried valiantly to tackle him. In those moments, James Harrison was able to seize the moment once he caught the ball to turn it into a touchdown because he had all his team mates behind him. But just as importantly, it was the Steelers’ winning team spirit that got them to the Super Bowl in the first place.

It’s that same winning team spirit that has brought Endeavor this far as an improbable success story sandwiched between the K-Mart and the K&S Cafeteria, having only opened it’s doors at the end of last July. And it’s that same winning team spirit that will ensure that anyone at Endeavor seizes the moment when they suddenly find themselves holding the ball and the end zone couldn’t be further away – and then the team comes together and delivers the goal. It's happened already many times at Endeavor in this past semester and it will continue to happen over and over again on our road to success.

You know what to do when you catch the ball. I can already hear the crowd cheering...