Greetings,
GreenMount Community,
I hope today’s message finds you in good spirits and happy about your spring
break. I understand that for most of
you, it wasn’t a break like it was for us and the children, but I hope you had
a chance to enjoy part of it with family and friends. Today, at our morning
meeting, I asked the students who had traveled the farthest during their spring
break and we had sort of a tie with Ireland.
(We couldn’t determine which part of Ireland was farthest, so we didn’t
declare a “winner”.)
The students seemed very happy to be reunited with
their friends at school and ready to tackle these last 33 days (but who’s
counting?). Speaking of winding down, it
is important to note that at GreenMount we traditionally keep up the
instructional pace until the last day, with the exception of some housekeeping
chores on the very last day. Please
encourage your children to stay focused and I will do the same for the
staff. One of the “traditions” that I
have observed over the last 46 years (yipes!) is what I call the “You’re
kidding me, only seven weeks left – I can’t possibly get everything done before
the year ends” syndrome. Teachers race hysterically to give their students every
benefit of their instructional wisdom and expertise before the final curtain in
June. While this may cause some anxiety,
it is a good indication of the dedication that teachers have - especially ours.
We welcomed back our eighth graders
today from their amazing trip to Costa Rica.
I had a chance to speak to a couple of them and they were full of the
experience. This trip is an important
part of the GreenMount experience for many reasons, not the least of which is
the opportunity to experience a different culture and feel comfortable with
foreign travel. Let’s face it, the odds
are that this generation will be traveling a lot more than any other as the
world grows smaller and the American marketplace expands even more. It’s exciting to think about the experiences
that these kids will have. Our thanks to
Ms. Elaine and Mr. Luca for chaperoning and organizing this experience for our students.
I would like
to announce something worth celebrating that few of you know about. On weekends, a young man named Derrick Brooks
uses our gym to train basketball players for competition and college
admissions. Some of his older students
have gone on to Division I Schools on basketball scholarships and today I am
pleased to say that his second grade
students will be traveling to Memphis to compete in the national championship
at their level. I saw these little guys
this summer as they worked out and they are amazing future stars. Derrick provides this program for inner city
kids and I can tell you that he makes a difference in their lives. Our small part is to provide the space he
needs to implement the program.
Finally, I would like to share an experience that I
had on my break. On Saturday, April 12,
we headed over to the Cherry Blossom Festival in D.C., which was
beautiful. In our travels around the
tidal basin, we visited the WWII Memorial, an amazing sight to see. Several
WWII veterans were also there in their wheelchairs and with their
families. One veteran posed for pictures,
looking very strong and fit. I asked to
shake his hand and was amazed at his grip.
It turns out that he was a B-24 bomber pilot in Europe. I mentioned that my dad was in the 29th
Division and he said, “Oh man, those guys had it rough. All we did was drop bombs and then head back
to the base for a drink!” He was a
character and, of course, a true hero.
He is 91, and as he said, “I’m close to the end, but still kickin,’,” I was in awe of this man. Let’s all try to remember and thank our
veterans whenever we get a chance.
Cheers,
Steve
