In February we explore the Value of Fairness. Dwight David Eisenhower, American 34th President said“Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace” This idea will be our guiding principle in the high school, hoping that the idea of fairness and justice is present in all our interactions.
We look forward to:
LEAD Conference trip Washington Feb 1-7
MID-Quarter Grades Posted Feb. 3
ABSH Knowledge Bowl (Pinares) Feb 10-12
Winter Break Feb. 10
Friendship Week Feb. 13-17
JSA Trip Feb. 14-20
President’s Day Picnic Feb. 21
Operation Smile Mission Feb. 23-Mar 2
AASCA Soccer Tournament (CR) Feb. 29-Mar 4
I would like to share with you the speech given at our last honors assembly. January is at its end, but it is important that we stick to our resolutions throughout the year:
I come before you today not with a speech, but with an idea…well more of an exercise really. Before I present it though, let’s review how we are doing, individually, with the value of perseverance.
Perseverance is one of those characteristics that is found in most people that history has deemed exemplary. Einstein was quoted by saying “It's not that I'm so smart; it's just that I stay with problems longer.” And Helen Keller, who after losing her sight and hearing as a baby managed to be a famous published writer said “Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find joy in overcoming obstacles”. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist, poet and leader of the transcendentalist movement in the early nineteenth century wrote “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” And John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United Sates, viewed patience and perseverance as having a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. I am sure if you type in the word perseverance into any search engine in the internet you will find myriad quotes of historical characters ranging from Euripides and Buddha to Julie Andrews and Newt Gingrich. It is not only that the word perseverance is one of those catchy, popular remarks that make great book titles, and hallmark cards, but that most people believe that it is the one value that will determine success in the real world.
Let’s take for instance the students who in a couple of minutes will come here to get awards. To finish an entire semester without getting a single discipline “signature”, means these amazing young adults persevered in their quest for punctuality and following instructions. Many began the year with good intentions, some even managed to have a clean record for a few months, but only the few unfaltering students, who kept at it daily, managed to finally get the award. Similarly, we all know that high academic achievers maintain their high scores not relying on their brains, but never failing to turn in a single homework and reviewing the material periodically. Their perseverance for striving for those high grades is what brings them up here today. Moreover we all can remember a friend, a classmate, a student, a family member who after being initially rejected for a particular activity, they were not discouraged, continued to practice and got better, and finally managed to achieve the goal they were seeking for.
So, let’s think about how we are doing in this regard. Do we always stick to our goals? Do we begin something, and later kind of forget to follow through? Are we constant, or do we crumble on our resolves when it gets tough?
Don’t feel too bad. We all waver, we all vacillate.
After reading MalcomGladwell’s work The Tipping Point, I began to think about our shared reality, the reality of our community. The work suggests that for every happening there is a point where things “tip” on one direction, and that makes all the difference. This “tipping point” is closely related to the people involved, the community as a whole, and the individual decisions we all take. If you are like me, you find yourself complaining about many things these days, and feel powerless to change what we complain about. To do this, as parents we need to re-think about the times we waver, we vacillate. I thought about it long and hard and many questions came up: Do my no’s mean no ALL the time? Do my January resolves to lose weight or to begin an exercise regime ever get to February? Do I give the time needed to my priorities, or do I lose sight of what’s important?
If everyone is asking themselves these questions too, what do we do about this lack of perseverance? How do we “change” our hesitations and “tip” the things positively for our community?
Now here is my idea, what I want to leave you with today: Choose one action, one thing, one characteristic you are not happy with your firmness on and that may improve our global situation. Think hard, really hard. Find out if it is important enough to stick with. AND FOCUS YOUR ENERGY on PERSEVERING on that one thing. If we ALL do this, we might be able to “tip” our current situation that as a school, a city, a country that needs changing.
Let’s try it out, if we do it I am sure we WILL see a change for sure.
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Maria Francisca Motz
High School Principal
