"Critical Friend" Kevin

As a young man, I was always jealous of the kids at school who got to celebrate a birthday on a school day. On those days, the birthday boy or girl would receive dozens of "Happy Birthday" wishes, and often the whole class loved the birthday student because he or she brought a birthday treat for all to share. Not to mention, the teacher usually gave the birthday student some sort of special treatment...or so it seemed. My birthday is on July 24. So, I did have some years where the teacher would recognize my half birthday in January. However, I never felt as special as I assumed those other kids felt who celebrated an actual birthday at school.  When I became a school administrator, I no longer had to wonder what it was like to be at school on my birthday. I was here on Wednesday, as we still have a lot to do to get ready for the school year. However, my first Borgia birthday was much more than a routine day.  On Wednesday, I got my first real taste of what it means to be part...

Those of you familiar with "Remember the Titans" may be able to relate to the family atmosphere that can be achieved when teenagers are brought together to achieve a common goal. And though the band did not have to deal with the adversity present in "Remember the Titans," they did get away from their normal lives and regular routines to get to know one another, and to create a show that the Borgia community will be proud of! Our band director, Sue Bright, did an amazing job mixing together the hard work of the week with time for the students to get to know one another. Just when the band needed a break, she sat the kids down, shared a little from the Bible, and then reminded the students the importance of being a team...and of being a family.  This year, nearly half the members of the band are new. A mix of freshmen, a couple transfer students, and a couple returning students who are new to band combined with the returnees this week for the first time. However, by t...

Perhaps the most important thing a new principal can do in his first month on the job is to meet people in the school community. Conveniently, our school is full of people, even in June and July. Whether they have been at school for a camp, to work, to change a schedule, or to discuss an internship, the people in our school have kept it abuzz throughout summer break. However, I could not rely exclusively on these chance meetings to acquaint myself with our entire community. So, I invited our teachers to join me individually. In doing so, I hoped to learn more about the people who comprise our school, and I learned some really interesting stuff: *Mr. Buchheit is going to perform the complete works of Shakespeare abridged the weekend before school begins. *Mr. Stevison comes from a family of educators. *Mrs. Marquart (formerly Ms. Volkman) has a photography studio of her own and has 23 weddings coming up! *Mrs. Addison also has a degree in photojournalism. *Mr. Bitzer ...