Hope to See You at the Game

In most Iowa schools when one of the athletic teams begin a deep run into the playoffs it is a pretty big deal, not only in the school itself, but the entire community. Inevitably, not everyone can play their games at 7:00 in the evening; so athletic associations are forced to schedule contests during the day. So the decision must be made as to whether or not to hold classes as normally scheduled, or to cancel classes so as many people as possible can participate. While these decisions can be subject to great scrutiny, my stance has been events and experiences like these are rare opportunities for a school community to celebrate, build positive momentum, and improve climate and culture. Indeed it is a rare occurrence: in my nine years at Hudson, we have had the privilege of participating in the state tournament three times where the school day has been impacted: girls basketball, and football the last two seasons. Relying on this precedence, the decision to cancel classes on November 9th was relatively straight forward.

So I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate pride for your school and community by joining us for this state tournament game on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m. Research shows us that students who have a strong connection to their schools do better in classes. Those who have pride in their schools are less likely to cause a disruption or become behavior concerns. It doesn't matter if you are a member of the team or a spectator in the stands. Your involvement allows us to share in the excitement that comes with winning a close game; or the disappointment of falling just short. It builds character in our students and the camaraderie builds lifelong skills that transfer to the workplace. Some of my fondest memories from high school are going to the state tournament as a spectator.

But the loss of academic time, you state! I agree, the whole point of our existence as a school is the academic component of our program. Whether we are teaching our youngsters to read or do advanced trigonometry, ultimately we are preparing them for the next challenge they will face. But that challenge will be not be met with an understanding of statistical variability alone! All of the other components that go into the recipe: athletics, drama, music, student council are secondary and even tertiary characteristics of our school that are vitally important as well. They are part of the American public education experience, and are why we have one of the best educational systems in the world.

So, I hope to see you on Friday. And in case you are wondering, we haven't really cancelled classes. They are just postponed. This day will be mad up on May 28th, 2019!