Character Matters

Last week a seemingly small story gained national notoriety when a high school football coach suspended his entire team for failing to behave in a way that reflected the values of the school and the team.  In a world where it seems that character is often not as important as your ability to throw, catch or run, the coach’s actions were atypical.  But to many it was a courageous and necessary step to helping these young men become outstanding contributors to the community and model citizens for others to emulate. 

Coach Matt Labrum of Union High School in Roosevelt, Utah made the decision to suspend his entire team after a week where players were being disciplined for skipping classes, disrespecting teachers, and cyberbullying fellow classmates.  This was enough for him.  After a loss to Judge Memorial High School, the coach declared that this is no longer a team.  The players and their actions were not in line with his expectations for students given the privilege to play and represent their high school.  All 80 players were asked to turn in their jerseys and given the option to earn them back if they wanted to be a part of the team. 

Beginning the next morning at 7:00 am, players were given the ability to earn a spot on the team by participating in a, now required, community service work project.  In place of practice, players were to attend character development classes.  They have been encouraged to monitor one another and hold each other accountable for their actions.

This was a risky decision by the coach.  It very easily could have sparked a revolt by the players, their families, and the community.  To the coach the risk was worth the reward.  The chance the coach took paid off and the players accepted the challenge.  Many have recognized their actions and the actions of their teammates were in desperate need of adjustment.

What do you think about the coach’s decision?  Should students participating in extracurricular activities be held to a higher standard?  How do you hold others accountable for their actions in and out of school?

Inside the Actor's Studio

Last night I was watching the finals of America’s Got Talent.  One of the segments included a man by the name of James Lipton.  James Lipton is the host of a show called Inside the Actor’s Studio.  It has been airing on Bravo since 1994.

The show is an interview between Mr. Lipton and celebrities ranging from Paul Newman to the Cast of Glee.  He ends each show with a series of questions which provide the audience insight into the personality of the celebrity.  This week you are going to answer these questions. 

For your comment please respond to the following:

1. What is your favorite word?

2. What is your least favorite word?

3. What inspires creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?

5. What sound or noise do you love?

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

7. What is your favorite curse word? ***KEEP IT CLEAN

8. What profession would you like to attempt?

9. What profession would you not like to do?

10. When you get to Heaven, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Syria

The problems in Syria are not getting any better.  After two years and 100,000 lives, the sides are further apart than ever before.  While the international community has resisted the urge to get involved, the government regime headed by President Bashar Assad may have crossed the line forcing the United States and other countries to engage in some military activity.

On August 21, 2013 the government regime elected to use chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, including children.  The use of these weapons has been outlawed by the international community.  President Obama has plainly stated if the Assad backed military uses chemical weapons, the United States will respond.

On September 10^th President Obama addressed the nation.  He spoke to the people of the United States about the evidence indicating the use of chemical weapons and his desire to conduct a targeted military strike against the Syrian military.  As per his address, he considers it a matter of national security.  If the United States does not respond with decisive military action, it will leave the door open to other governments and organizations to use chemical weapons.  He stated that he will not commit any ground forces or long term air strikes.  Others are not entirely convinced.

Many members of Congress are concerned about United States involvement in the Syrian civil war.  They are concerned about the effectiveness of any military action as well as the potential of engaging our military personnel in a long-term, difficult to win scenario. 

To complicate the issue even further, there are the Russians.  The Russians are backing the government led Assad regime and have warned the United States about potential retaliation for military actions taken against Syrian military.  The Russians are trying to deter the use of force and are negotiating with President Assad to turn over chemical weapons to the international community.

Have you watched, read or heard anything about the situation in Syria?  What do you think the United States should do?  Please provide reasons for your opinion.  

Ashton Kutcher Role Model?

If you had asked me to list the top 50 Hollywood role models, Ashton Kutcher would not have made the list.  It is not that I had anything against him, I just would not have considered him.  My only exposure to Ashton is through the movies he has been in, his enjoyment in punking people, and replacing Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men.  All of that changed on August 13th.  

While giving an acceptance speech at the Teen Choice Awards, Ashton completely changed my mind and my impression of him.  Taking full advantage of the situation and his audience, he delivered one of the most inspirational and classy speeches I have had the privilege of hearing.  He left his audience with three things:

1.  What opportunity looks like

2.  What is sexy

3.  The difference between living a life and building one

After watching the video, what do you think about Ashton’s ideas?  Why do you think he is sharing these ideas at this moment and with this audience?  Do you have any role models?  What is your definition of a role model?

I Have A Dream, 50 Years Later

50 years ago, on a hot and sweltering August day in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most memorable and significant speeches to millions of people present and watching on televisions all over the world.  His call was selfless and peaceful.  He wanted to ensure the rights of all Americans were protected and recognized, regardless of the color of your skin or social circumstances.  His non-violent, rational approached inspired countless people in all generations to examine their conscience and sparked a societal change long overdue. 

Below is the transcript from the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered in Washington, DC on August 28, 1963:

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."¹

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.

Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

But not only that:

Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!³

What was the purpose of the speech and who was the intended audience?  Did the speech accomplish its purpose?  How do you know?  Do we still feel the effects of this speech today?

Summer 2013

Welcome back to school.  Even though you have not been in class, I hope you have been paying attention to some sort of news.  This summer has had its fair share of intriguing stories.  Below are a few from various aspects of society.

Celebrity news

The big celebrity news had to be the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis.  Prince George was born on July 24^th to Prince William and Kate Middleton.  The news was filled with every detail of the baby’s coming arrival and all the events that have happened since his birth.

International unrest

 

Egypt is a mess.  It has been a mess for more than 2 years.  In 2011 the people protested to force the leader out of office.  After a successful overthrow, Egypt conducted its first democratic elections in decades.  While not everyone was pleased with Mohamed Morsi’s election to lead Egypt, it did seem as though Egypt was moving in a democratic direction.  Just over a year later, the people have taken to the streets again to force Morsi out of office.  The political unrest has resulted in approximately 900 deaths in the past four days as the government of Egypt tries to establish some stability.

Uneven playing field

The biggest sports story has to be the ongoing steroids suspension in major league baseball.  Around a dozen

players were suspended a couple of weeks ago for using illegal performance enhancing drugs.  Every player has accepted the suspension without appeal, except one.  Alex Rodriguez is continuing to fight the charges against him.  To me the entire story is ridiculous.  Throw them all out of the game for cheating and lying.  We need better role models in society and in sports.  I could also mention the ongoing saga of Johnny Manziel, but I get nauseous every time I see another story about him…

Close to home

Idaho is on fire.  After a dry winter and a hot summer, the conditions are perfect to have an incredible fire season.  Over the past few days the Sun Valley area has gained the nation’s attention as over 700 firefighters are going to battle with the fire which has destroyed 100,916 acres to date.  The fire started by lightning on August 7^th and has been spreading even since.  More than 2,300 residences of Sun Valley and Hailey have been evacuated.

Do you pay attention to the news?  Why or why not?  Which types of stories interest you?  What do you think was the biggest story of the summer?

First Year of Middle School

Congratulations.  You are two and a half weeks from completing your first year of middle school.  As you are well aware, school is more challenging.  You are expected to take more accountability for yourself and your work.  I would like to say you have done a nice job.

Middle school requires you to change classes every 43 minutes.  You have 6-7 teachers instead of 1 or two.  Each of you teachers has a different personality and expectations.  By now you have a good idea what upsets each one of us and what makes us happy.  You understand the nuances with our tests and teaching styles.

You have also realized that with middle school come more privileges.  You have your own locker.  A private space to hang up your pictures of One Direction or whatever else you may have an interest.  You have lunch with the older students and use the annex for afternoon break.  You no longer have to wear the school plaid or blue shorts and pants.  Next year you get even more privileges.  You are eligible to fully participate in TVCS sports and dances.  In addition, you get to play in the Hallissey tournament and enjoy the assembly.

Before we move on to next year, I would like you to reflect on this past.  What was your favorite part of being in the middle school?  How would you describe each of your middle school teachers?  What advice would you give to next year’s sixth graders?