So this year's Professional Development Day is over and Spring Break is just ahead! We weren't all together in the same place Friday, with the science, math, tech folks in Ballston Spa and the PE group in Scotia, but i hope everyone benefited somehow from their experiences.
Two things took place on our stage yesterday. Early in the morning, congenital amputee John Robinson walked, yes walked, up the ramp and talked with the majority of our staff about facing challenges. His message, conveyed through his life and through his words, was: "behind every challenge is an opportunity." I believe that this resonated with so many of us because we DO face very real challenges. Maybe they aren't the same type of challenges John faces and overcomes everyday, but they are serious and significant challenges nonetheless. Johns words encouraged us to face our struggles and see them as a chance to make a difference, as an opportunity to make people's lives better.
Later the same day, students from across our district took the same stage in an incredible performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I could tell by the way Dr. Spring had described it after seeing it Thursday night that it was going to something special, but I still was not prepared for the magnitude of what happened in our auditorium Friday night... The cast took a cartoon version of a Bible story, like something that would be found in a board-book in my son's toybox, and made the animation come alive before our eyes. I was spellbound by the talent, enthusiasm, creativity, color, and humor of the production. That is not to mention the sheer size of the group of kids that came together for an hour and a half to create this work of art. It was absolutely great. If you didn't see the play, I urge you to see it tonight(7:00) or tomorrow(2:30). Kathy Derochie and Nicole Gabriele have set an incredible bar in their first year leading Mohon Masque. Congratulations!
Its been a long winter... in fact, a long year. But spring is a time of hope... There were two standing ovations in the Mohonasen auditorium yesterday. The first was for a message of hope and for a man who embodied that message. The second was for an answer to why we have that hope... a huge group of kids performing their hearts out...giving their all...taking part in something that rose above the ordinary. If the challenges we face in school everyday can bring kids opportunities like this one, then I say- bring on the challenges!
Two things took place on our stage yesterday. Early in the morning, congenital amputee John Robinson walked, yes walked, up the ramp and talked with the majority of our staff about facing challenges. His message, conveyed through his life and through his words, was: "behind every challenge is an opportunity." I believe that this resonated with so many of us because we DO face very real challenges. Maybe they aren't the same type of challenges John faces and overcomes everyday, but they are serious and significant challenges nonetheless. Johns words encouraged us to face our struggles and see them as a chance to make a difference, as an opportunity to make people's lives better.
Later the same day, students from across our district took the same stage in an incredible performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I could tell by the way Dr. Spring had described it after seeing it Thursday night that it was going to something special, but I still was not prepared for the magnitude of what happened in our auditorium Friday night... The cast took a cartoon version of a Bible story, like something that would be found in a board-book in my son's toybox, and made the animation come alive before our eyes. I was spellbound by the talent, enthusiasm, creativity, color, and humor of the production. That is not to mention the sheer size of the group of kids that came together for an hour and a half to create this work of art. It was absolutely great. If you didn't see the play, I urge you to see it tonight(7:00) or tomorrow(2:30). Kathy Derochie and Nicole Gabriele have set an incredible bar in their first year leading Mohon Masque. Congratulations!
Its been a long winter... in fact, a long year. But spring is a time of hope... There were two standing ovations in the Mohonasen auditorium yesterday. The first was for a message of hope and for a man who embodied that message. The second was for an answer to why we have that hope... a huge group of kids performing their hearts out...giving their all...taking part in something that rose above the ordinary. If the challenges we face in school everyday can bring kids opportunities like this one, then I say- bring on the challenges!
Excellent post Patrick. Keep 'em coming.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Patrick. While I missed the keynote, who sounds phenomenal, I was immersed in the show. Thank you for your support of it and the kind comments for my daughter and all the kids!
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