I know that most of you have heard that famous saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I have found this to be a rather accurate statement as most veteran educators can attest. As I visited one of our local churches this morning, I reflected on this old proverb again. In late September, most school communities have Friday Night Lights seared into their heads. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that football as well as all other extra-curricular events are vital parts of our school. More than that, I think that they are essentially necessary in many of our students’ lives. As a former coach, I absolutely love seeing our community come together in one venue to cheer and celebrate our students. Any high school principal or superintendent who has been in our business a while will tell you that the school year runs much more efficiently both academically and in discipline when our extra-curriculum programs are successful. In the Fall, especially, more than half of our student body participates in some type of activity that will leave a life-lasting impression on them. On Friday nights our Cheerleaders, Band, Football Team, Volleyball team in the gym, Flag Corp, Bleacher Creatures, and last Friday night even our Ag students as well as several other school groups learn structure, loyalty, strategy, the value of a team, and the importance of what it means to be a good teammate. They learn how to take pride in an organization, and they learn how to take pride in themselves. While I am cognizant of the continued growth and success in many of our programs and the swelling of student, staff, and community pride that has resulted, I want you to know that as your proud superintendent I believe Friday Morning Breakfasts are much more important for our students than Friday Night Lights.
Let me explain that a little better. Every Friday morning in the fall, our community churches invite our young men and women in high school to voluntary fellowship, outreach, and breakfast. They strictly follow all UIL rules and guidelines, and they make it a point to take time out of their personal lives to do something meaningful for our students. You and I know that the communities of Como and Pickton are small, rural areas, but the support is overwhelmingly positive. I believe that every single one of our local churches participates in one way or another in working with our school. They see our community members model servant leadership. They hear positive and spiritual messages from pastors, ministers, and leaders who are the very folks who come to the games to cheer them on. They learn manners of receiving and giving thanks. They see people of different religions and denominations working toward the same goals. They say that it takes a village to raise a child. I say our village is healthy and our children are blessed and highly favored. Aside from the various churches that volunteer to help our school and children outside of our district lines, I want to say a special thanks to the following churches in our district boundaries. Thank you so much for the love, patience, guidance, and support you show to our school every day and every week. We are proud to be a part of your village. Greenpond Baptist, Winterfield Baptist, Harmony Assembly of God, Fellowship Baptist, Como United Methodist, Bright Star, Pickton United Methodist, Tabernacle Baptist, Color Blind Ministries, and Black Oak Baptist.