What a terrific first week of school. It was so great to see students walking our halls, opening their lockers, and filling the seats of our classrooms. We have had a great 2 weeks of professional development and planning, but this week, ISB felt like a school again.
On the first day, HS opened with an assembly that set a wonderful tone for the school year. Principal Philip Bradley opened the assembly with the poignant lessons to be learned from the Olympics, the Lorax, and Batman, an eclectic source of inspiration for the year!
The key point that we want our students to value is that if they are 100% committed to bettering themselves there will be challenges and times when they struggle or fall. As a caring community we support each other during the difficult/challenging times and also learn the importance of moving forward after a set back. These are the qualities that will make ISB students resilient and successful individuals this year and in the future
Mr. Phil Rogers, our new Dean of Academics followed up with an excerpt from Nickelback’s “If Today were your Last Day”, reminding students to consider their lives in the future and ensure that they don’t look back on this time with regret.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0qQd8cptP8[/youtube]
Finally, I closed our opening assembly with the story of British athlete, Derek Redmond at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. I should have brought tissue for the audience.
Derek Redmond was a World Champion in the 400 M. He was favored to medal in this event in Barcelona and in his semi-final heat, at the 150 M mark, he pulled up and fell to the ground.
Watch what happens next.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEP20d1IMGI[/youtube]
The message to our students and teachers:
- You will experience tough times, things won’t go your way. Be Derek Redmond. Don’t give up.
- You will know someone who might not make their finish line. Be Derek Redmond’s father. Help them.
It has been a great first week as teachers and students alike had time to catch up, meet, and prepare themselves for the coming year. Classes have begun full swing and students are getting a sense of the work ahead of them. With such a positive start, we are looking forward to a great year!
Video credit goes to Necessity4Failure. I edited from the original only to fit the time slot at our assembly and personalize the final message for our students.