Great Things Going On
I would like to begin this week by pointing to the great work Center Schools is doing during the early release days we have every other month. On these school days the 6-12 teaching staff conducts Individual Career and Academic Planning (ICAP) work with its students. During these ICAP sessions our children have opportunities to explore what it is they might do after high school. ICAP day activities usually include exciting motivational speakers, and time for small cohorts of students to learn more about the many available career paths they might choose to take. One of the greatest aspects of this work means that if a Center Schools student decides they would like to consider becoming a nurse, an auto mechanic, a doctor, or an architect, he or she learns exactly what it will take academically to achieve this career outcome. Research shows the sooner a student starts thinking about their future, the better chance they have to achieve it. This is why we begin ICAP work as early as 6th grade. The chart I have attached illustrates just how much processes like ICAP have done to keep Center High School graduates on a trajectory to achieving their life dreams, as it shows that as recently as 2004 only 20% of our students were still engaged in college or career training two years after high school while 2010 data shows that more than 71% of our students are still engaged in college or career prep.
The second aspect of our occasional early release schedule allows our teachers to gather together in professional learning communities to plan to teach our curriculum, review student outcomes, and to share their professional expertise with each other. Last Wednesday the Haskin Elementary staff focused much of its time grading writing assessments and discussing how writing can be taught more effectively. At the same time the 6-12 staff engaged in how to implement changes to Colorado’s new teacher and administrator evaluation system through work guided by ARC director Joy Werner and Center Virtual Academy director Chris Vance. Great school systems purposely set up processes during which their teachers get an opportunity to work together to solve problems. Center teachers get such opportunities several times per year, mostly in the form of early student release days.
The second aspect of our occasional early release schedule allows our teachers to gather together in professional learning communities to plan to teach our curriculum, review student outcomes, and to share their professional expertise with each other. Last Wednesday the Haskin Elementary staff focused much of its time grading writing assessments and discussing how writing can be taught more effectively. At the same time the 6-12 staff engaged in how to implement changes to Colorado’s new teacher and administrator evaluation system through work guided by ARC director Joy Werner and Center Virtual Academy director Chris Vance. Great school systems purposely set up processes during which their teachers get an opportunity to work together to solve problems. Center teachers get such opportunities several times per year, mostly in the form of early student release days.
While our teachers were hard at work on campus this past Wednesday several of our administrators guided and participated in work geared at helping all San Luis Valley secondary principals effectively implement the requirements of SB 191 style teacher evaluations. Skoglund principal Carrie Zimmerman and CHS principal Kevin Jones helped to organize and present this work and I have no doubt their doing so is of great benefit to all other children in the San Luis Valley and to our own kids here in Center.
Last weekend Center High School teachers and Kiwanis-Key Club sponsors Diane Parker and Kindra Rounds brought CHS Key Club officers to Pueblo for a leadership roundup. I want to thank Diane and Kindra for the great work they do with this student community service organization directly linked to the good folks at the Kiwanis Club of Center. I know sponsoring trips such as was taken to Pueblo can be a lot of extra work on their behalf.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful start to the season our Center High School football team has experienced. Following victories over Salida, John Mall, Lake County, and Crowley County our boys are 4-0 heading into league play. No doubt the toughest part of their schedule still lies ahead of them with San Luis Valley foes like Centauri, Monte Vista, and Del Norte yet to come. However, in all my years in Center I have never seen such a young and small numbered team play so well for the blue and white. Great job boys, keep up the good work!
Last weekend Center High School teachers and Kiwanis-Key Club sponsors Diane Parker and Kindra Rounds brought CHS Key Club officers to Pueblo for a leadership roundup. I want to thank Diane and Kindra for the great work they do with this student community service organization directly linked to the good folks at the Kiwanis Club of Center. I know sponsoring trips such as was taken to Pueblo can be a lot of extra work on their behalf.
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the wonderful start to the season our Center High School football team has experienced. Following victories over Salida, John Mall, Lake County, and Crowley County our boys are 4-0 heading into league play. No doubt the toughest part of their schedule still lies ahead of them with San Luis Valley foes like Centauri, Monte Vista, and Del Norte yet to come. However, in all my years in Center I have never seen such a young and small numbered team play so well for the blue and white. Great job boys, keep up the good work!
Big Things We Are Working On
Last week we received outstanding news from the Saguache County Board of Commissioners as they reported to us that county school swill be receiving 100% of the remaining Secure Rural Schools funding yet to be distributed for the 2012-13 fiscal year. This decision was arrived at after a lot of open discussion between the county and school districts and I am hopeful that because of PILT backfill dollars it ends up being as beneficial to the Saguache County general fund as it will be to maintaining the school districts here in Center, as well as in Moffat, Mountain Valley, Sangre De Cristo, and Gunnison.
The Past Week
On Monday I ended up taking some leave time as I had a home improvement project I needed to tackle prior to fall temperatures setting in. I also spent half the day working to prepare for a visit to our Race to the top of the Valley program by United States Department of Education officials, then working on final adjustments to our district federal programs application and federal programs annual report.
On Tuesday I had a monthly meeting with Save the Children foundation about our Early Steps to School Success program. I also took a trip to Colorado Springs to view and evaluate a model classroom and ended up striking up a possible knowledge sharing agreement with the Ellicott School District.
Of course Wednesday was ICAP day at Skoglund Middle School and Center High School, and an early release day for the entire district. I worked half the day before embarking on my ironman triathlon endeavor in Oklahoma City, and much to my surprise the entire student body and teaching staff prepared a wonderful send off for me. As I’ll discuss in my Extra Points section, this beautiful gesture had a greater effect on me than I could ever have imagined.
I took personal leave time to travel to Oklahoma City late Wednesday and Thursday with Becky and Priscilla (who was celebrating her birthday) as I had a date to compete in the Redman ironman triathlon I have been preparing for during the past 20 weeks.
On Tuesday I had a monthly meeting with Save the Children foundation about our Early Steps to School Success program. I also took a trip to Colorado Springs to view and evaluate a model classroom and ended up striking up a possible knowledge sharing agreement with the Ellicott School District.
Of course Wednesday was ICAP day at Skoglund Middle School and Center High School, and an early release day for the entire district. I worked half the day before embarking on my ironman triathlon endeavor in Oklahoma City, and much to my surprise the entire student body and teaching staff prepared a wonderful send off for me. As I’ll discuss in my Extra Points section, this beautiful gesture had a greater effect on me than I could ever have imagined.
I took personal leave time to travel to Oklahoma City late Wednesday and Thursday with Becky and Priscilla (who was celebrating her birthday) as I had a date to compete in the Redman ironman triathlon I have been preparing for during the past 20 weeks.
The Week Ahead
I spent a great deal of time Sunday evening in Amarillo, Texas conducting my payroll duties ahead of further processing by director of finance Betty Casanova. Monday is another personal leave day for me as I will complete the trip home to Center. On Tuesday I will spend part of the day in Alamosa, along with Carrie Zimmerman and Haskin Elementary teacher Jessica Stevens, as a U.S. Department of Edcuation team will be conducting a formal visit related to our Race to the top of the Valley work. On Wednesday I am back in Alamosa for a short Even Start board meeting. ARC director Joy Werner and I serve on this board because by doing so we have been able to provide many wonderful learning opportunities for Center area adults through the resources offered by the good folks at La Llave. On Thursday the Colorado Legacy Foundation is visiting the San Luis Valley to see the progress we are making in relation to a SB 191 administrator and teacher evaluation grant BOCES is administering. I will be participating in that visit as well.
Our Core Beliefs
Center Schools core belief number 4 states that EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day. Though a very broad statement, this is a simple rule for all of us to live by. If I work in the district business office I must be sure I conduct my duties in an excellent fashion, as the entire district is counting on me to make sure all the funds the district is blessed with are available and accounted for to help us achieve our goals for academic improvement. If I work in the transportation department I must strive for excellence in an effort to safely deliver our kids to and from athletic events in a fashion that is neither wasteful nor neglectful to their safety. If I work on the custodial staff I must strive to keep the building clean, well maintained, and safe in order to offer the best possible learning environment for our students to thrive in. If I work on the cafeteria staff I must strive to supply our students with delicious yet nutritious meals, at a cost that is not detrimental to the districts funding patterns. I could go on and on about this one. In Center Schools all these folks I have listed, including our secretaries, instructional support staff, technology staff, school board members, teachers, administrators, and yes, even our students, must strive to do the best work we can do for the benefit of each other every day. This is key to creating world-class educational opportunities for our children.
Extra Points
In keeping with the theme that EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day, as I mentioned earlier in this week’s edition I travelled to Oklahoma City to compete in the Redman Iron Distance Triathlon. This event consists of a 2.4 mile lake swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run (a full marathon) all in one day.
I have often said I think every once in a while people, whoever they are and whatever their circumstances may be, should engage in working toward accomplishing something that is seemingly impossible. In fact I would like to share with you three quotes by amazing people that best illustrate what I am talking about. The first is by John Wooden, the former UCLA basketball coach who motivated his teams to win 10 national championships over a period of 12 years. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” These words of wisdom tell me that just because you know you may not win a race doesn’t mean you should not even enter it. Because I believe in this so much I have had it printed on the back of our Center Beginner Triathlon t-shirts for many years. We all must understand that perhaps sometimes the greatest victory can be in just doing the best you are personally capable of doing.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “sometimes you MUST do the thing you think you cannot do.” Be they in athletic endeavors, work life, or personal life, people will always be faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. In those times we are faced with no choice but to deal with our circumstances. When faced with that, all we can hope to do is to continue moving forward.
Finally, a friend of mine recently reminded me that Yogi Berra is claimed to have said, “baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” In so many ways this makes no sense, certainly not in mathematical terms. But in just about every way I can imagine it really does. What Yogi is really professing is that the battle for success, your personal striving for excellence, is usually won or lost in your mind. If you have already made the decision that you can’t do something, I would say there is a 90 percent chance you won’t do it. If you have already decided you CAN, well then the sky is the limit.
So perhaps by now you are wondering how it went for me in Oklahoma City? After one of the worst night’s sleep in my life I entered the water at 7:15 AM with all of the other ironman competitors, some expecting to win, some merely hoping to finish alive. The air temperature was 56 degrees, but the water was a balmy 73! Because I am not a great swimmer, and mostly blind without my glasses, the 2.4 mile distance actually took me on a path closer to 3 miles as I zigzagged all over the course. However, I came out of the water after 2 hours and 5 minutes, just 5 minutes behind my goal time, though about 20 minutes slower than my “greatest hope” time.
After a “relaxing” transition of about 10 minutes I set out for the 112-mile bike ride. Every triathlete has a favorite discipline and the bike is mine. My personal goal was to average 15.5 miles per hour while not putting forth too much effort, as I knew would need a lot of energy to complete the long run at the end of the day. The first 56 mile lap of the course was quite pleasant as there was hardly any wind. However, a strong gust picked up during the tail end of the second lap and I found myself falling well below my goal pace. As Eleanor said, “sometimes you MUST do the thing you think you cannot do.” Thus, I had to work real hard during the last 30 miles just to come in 30 minutes slower than I would have liked to, at a time of 7 hours and 30 minutes.
As I struck out on the 26.2 mile run I looked at the timer and saw that I had only 7 hours in which to finish if I were to be deemed a true “Ironman.” If any of you know me very well, you know the only thing I really don’t like about triathlon is the whole running thing. In the past I have actually run a marathon in as fast as 5 hours and 25 minutes (fast for me). However, that was the only thing I did on that particular day. By contrast, last year when I did a half iron distance triathlon my half marathon time was 3 and a half hours in length. Under such exhausting circumstances the best I could find myself hoping for was a finish at around 7 hours, putting me right up against the threshold of becoming a qualifying finisher.
I have often said I think every once in a while people, whoever they are and whatever their circumstances may be, should engage in working toward accomplishing something that is seemingly impossible. In fact I would like to share with you three quotes by amazing people that best illustrate what I am talking about. The first is by John Wooden, the former UCLA basketball coach who motivated his teams to win 10 national championships over a period of 12 years. “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” These words of wisdom tell me that just because you know you may not win a race doesn’t mean you should not even enter it. Because I believe in this so much I have had it printed on the back of our Center Beginner Triathlon t-shirts for many years. We all must understand that perhaps sometimes the greatest victory can be in just doing the best you are personally capable of doing.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “sometimes you MUST do the thing you think you cannot do.” Be they in athletic endeavors, work life, or personal life, people will always be faced with seemingly insurmountable challenges. In those times we are faced with no choice but to deal with our circumstances. When faced with that, all we can hope to do is to continue moving forward.
Finally, a friend of mine recently reminded me that Yogi Berra is claimed to have said, “baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.” In so many ways this makes no sense, certainly not in mathematical terms. But in just about every way I can imagine it really does. What Yogi is really professing is that the battle for success, your personal striving for excellence, is usually won or lost in your mind. If you have already made the decision that you can’t do something, I would say there is a 90 percent chance you won’t do it. If you have already decided you CAN, well then the sky is the limit.
So perhaps by now you are wondering how it went for me in Oklahoma City? After one of the worst night’s sleep in my life I entered the water at 7:15 AM with all of the other ironman competitors, some expecting to win, some merely hoping to finish alive. The air temperature was 56 degrees, but the water was a balmy 73! Because I am not a great swimmer, and mostly blind without my glasses, the 2.4 mile distance actually took me on a path closer to 3 miles as I zigzagged all over the course. However, I came out of the water after 2 hours and 5 minutes, just 5 minutes behind my goal time, though about 20 minutes slower than my “greatest hope” time.
After a “relaxing” transition of about 10 minutes I set out for the 112-mile bike ride. Every triathlete has a favorite discipline and the bike is mine. My personal goal was to average 15.5 miles per hour while not putting forth too much effort, as I knew would need a lot of energy to complete the long run at the end of the day. The first 56 mile lap of the course was quite pleasant as there was hardly any wind. However, a strong gust picked up during the tail end of the second lap and I found myself falling well below my goal pace. As Eleanor said, “sometimes you MUST do the thing you think you cannot do.” Thus, I had to work real hard during the last 30 miles just to come in 30 minutes slower than I would have liked to, at a time of 7 hours and 30 minutes.
As I struck out on the 26.2 mile run I looked at the timer and saw that I had only 7 hours in which to finish if I were to be deemed a true “Ironman.” If any of you know me very well, you know the only thing I really don’t like about triathlon is the whole running thing. In the past I have actually run a marathon in as fast as 5 hours and 25 minutes (fast for me). However, that was the only thing I did on that particular day. By contrast, last year when I did a half iron distance triathlon my half marathon time was 3 and a half hours in length. Under such exhausting circumstances the best I could find myself hoping for was a finish at around 7 hours, putting me right up against the threshold of becoming a qualifying finisher.
As you can imagine I proceeded to push myself as hard as I could. I was physically spent, but mentally I just could not see myself not giving it all I had. Part of what made it possible to keep going and to give all I had left was thinking about people back home here in Center. I will never forget the sendoff I was given by the staff and students on Wednesday. Seeing the kids holding signs, listening to the great cheers our pep squad offered up, and feeling the support and encouragement I received from everyone I know was beyond meaningful. I knew in my heart that if I failed to complete the race within the 17 hour time limit everyone would have known I gave it my best shot. However, as I was stumbling my way through the last 13 or so miles of the run all I could think about was that if it was in any way possible, I was going to get it done. If I failed it would not be on account of not giving it my best.
I finished the run at about 11:45 PM in just 6 hours and 30 minutes, 30 minutes ahead of the cut off time of 17 hours!
In the end it was the many wonderful people who I am blessed to have in my life that gave me the inner strength to do the most amazing thing I have ever done, or may ever do, physically. Despite the fact I should have slowed down, walked, or outright quit, my legs just kept moving because my mind told me stopping was not an option.
In the end it truly was 90 percent mental, the other half being physical.
I have heard it said that the ironman triathlon is about limits, exploring them, exceeding them, and perhaps even coming to the conclusion that there really are no limits! Completing one, for me, may also be a good way to live out a core belief. We folks in Center know that EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day.
What is my next personal goal you ask? I am clearly a competitive person and starved for attention so I have decided that the next thing I will check off my bucket list is learning how to ride a unicycle. The Center Homecoming Parade would be twice as good if there were two unicyclists in it each year!
George
Ironman Triathlete, and future unicyclist!
I finished the run at about 11:45 PM in just 6 hours and 30 minutes, 30 minutes ahead of the cut off time of 17 hours!
In the end it was the many wonderful people who I am blessed to have in my life that gave me the inner strength to do the most amazing thing I have ever done, or may ever do, physically. Despite the fact I should have slowed down, walked, or outright quit, my legs just kept moving because my mind told me stopping was not an option.
In the end it truly was 90 percent mental, the other half being physical.
I have heard it said that the ironman triathlon is about limits, exploring them, exceeding them, and perhaps even coming to the conclusion that there really are no limits! Completing one, for me, may also be a good way to live out a core belief. We folks in Center know that EVERYONE must be committed to excellence in ALL they do EVERY day.
What is my next personal goal you ask? I am clearly a competitive person and starved for attention so I have decided that the next thing I will check off my bucket list is learning how to ride a unicycle. The Center Homecoming Parade would be twice as good if there were two unicyclists in it each year!
George
Ironman Triathlete, and future unicyclist!