Filled With Pride...

As most of you know, I've been a school administrator for a long time. In addition, this is the fourth high school where I have been principal. However, this past weekend contained a series of firsts for me. It's the first school where we have been picketed by an outside group. The reason of course was the Point Player production of "The Laramie Project". The Westboro group did show up, even though there were only three of them.

Another first for me was the tremendous show of support for our students and school by members of the Christ Church congregation. I have to personally thank Rev. Brad Whitaker for his organization of a most impressive and visible (but silent) show of support. I would estimate the throng that followed the protesters from the church to the school to be in the neighborhood of 100-150 adults. Their symbolic act was to shield the students from the protesters by turning their back to them. It was very moving for me to see that many people assemble on a Friday afternoon for the sake of doing what is right and to support the students of South.

Another proud moment for me was to watch the South students that did assemble near the protesters once school was dismissed. The students, while passionate, allowed the protesters to do their thing and did not attempt to engage them in a negative manner. The Laramie cast was there in full force and many pictures were taken. I couldn't help but think that specific 30 minutes must have made them feel all the rehearsals were worthwhile.

The capstone of the weekend for me was the performance of the play. Without question, this was the most significant school play during all my years in education. There was an electricity in the auditorium even prior to the curtain going up, and the house was full. I guess we should thank Westboro for all of the free publicity.

The show itself was simply terrific! Lois Bendler was the director and provided consistent, steady leadership throughout the events leading up the performance. Each of the students did a great job and it was hard to believe they were high school students. I can't imagine a professional group providing a more passionate performance.

There were countless moving moments during the show and many tears were shed by those in the audience. Everyone involved with this production has earned my utmost respect for their efforts in putting on a performance that will have lasting impact. I left convinced that the message of tolerance and respect for others will live in the hearts of those in the audience, and cast.

All in all, "The Laramie Project" brought with it a great deal of controversy. I would be lying if I told you I was not the least bit concerned that something could go wrong. However, in retrospect it was a tremendous show with a powerful message and like so many performances with South students, it was superb. I couldn't be more proud of what they have done.

Sometimes The Best Advice Is Just To Watch

The past couple of weeks has been a bit of a learning experience for me. I guess I didn't realize people had such strong and personal feelings about issues that appear more neutral to me.

My previous blog was written in the early stages of feedback about the school's performance of "The Laramie Project". Since that time, most of the buzz has died down even as the opening of the play draws nearer. However, I still get an occasional email or voice mail message where someone shares their very strong opinion. Most people are still supportive of the school's position but there are occasions where I am criticized. What has surprised me is the depth of feelings.

I was told by the Farms police today that we should expect the protest to take place. The requested time is 2:45-3:30 on Friday afternoon, November 21, the day the play is to open. They claim to be sending 4-6 people and have already requested the appropriate permits and the particular area for the protest.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church are very legally astute and they will do their part to operate within the law. They are probably hoping that members of our community will engage them in a war of words, or worse. I believe the best action we can take is to let them protest for their 45 minutes and leave peacefully for their next appointment.

Our goal should be simply to observe the actions and reactions that result from endorsing a controversial play like "The Laramie Project". Because of the protest, our bubble of Grosse Pointe will get to experience the wide-ranging views of many observers. Some will be vocal, but most will not. Either way, watching it unfold should cause us to think and give us a brief glimpse of true democracy in action.

The Laramie Project

For those of you that aren’t aware, the drama group at South known as the Pointe Players are performing “The Laramie Project” on November 21-22-23. This play was conceived from hundreds of interviews that chronicled a town’s reaction to a killing that occurred just over 10 years ago. The background is that Matt Shepard was gay, a college student, and was brutally murdered by two men.

This is taken from Time magazine…A month after the murder of Matthew Shepard, the frenzied media coverage was beginning to subside. But just then the beleaguered town of Laramie got another influx of visitors. They were actors from NYC who had cast themselves as reporters. The actors talked to more than 200 people and amassed over 400 hours of interviews over the next year and a half. Verbatim excerpts from those interviews make up the text for the play, an unusual mix of drama and documentary.

The Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, KS sent a fax to the The Detroit News on Monday stating that they were planning to protest the play here at South on 11/21. This is the same group that protests at funerals of slain US soldiers from the war in Iraq. Their theory is that these military deaths are the punishment for a country that supports homosexuality. They were in Grosse Pointe to protest a military funeral at the War Memorial less than a year ago. They also stated they would protest the play unless a military funeral elsewhere supersedes the need to protest here.

Since Monday, I have also been contacted by The Free Press, WJR, and 97.1 concerning the project. They wanted to know if we were going to cancel the play because of the potential protest. After telling them we would continue with our plans, I see two potential outcomes:
1) There is no formal protest and our talented kids perform in front of a larger than anticipated audience because of all the free publicity.

2) There is a formal protest and we use that opportunity as a “teachable moment” to discuss with students the feelings associated with strong beliefs that reflect our individual moral compasses.

In either case, our kids benefit from performing the play.

I wanted to let you know so that you were prepared for potential questions. I have to tell you that phone calls and email messages that I have received have been 99.9% in support of our position.

Thanks for reading.

A National Perspective

I had the good fortune to spend last weekend in Washington D.C., as a result of being selected to represent Michigan as principal-of-the-year. All 50 states except Indiana sent their state winner to a phenomenal networking opportunity sponsored by MetLife.

I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to MetLife for their sponsorship as it's the most pampered I've ever felt at an educational workshop. The weekend began with a tour of White House and Capitol Building, but didn't end there. We had great accommodations, terrific food, a dynamic speaker, all of it capped off by a black-tie award dinner on Saturday evening.

There were several things I learned during the weekend. One--there is no magic bullet out there. I facilitated a discussion focused on support for struggling learners in math and literacy. I had really hoped that at least one member of this extraordinary group of educators would have the answer I've been searching for. I figured there must be a software program or teaching methodology somewhere that hooks kids in a different way and translates into significant learning. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The programs that claim success all boil down to a teacher committed to building relationships with a passion for education that is limitless.

The second thing I learned is that many of us face the same problems. No matter what part of the country we were from we all deal with a segment of our population that is just hard to reach. There are kids in schools across the country that just don't understand the benefits of education and lack the support structure to help them reach that understanding. That is all the more reason why the teacher is so critical.

The most encouraging part of the weekend was my own realization that we are on the right track here in Grosse Pointe. The programs we have implemented to reach our most struggling learners are similar to others across the country. Many schools are double-blocking or double-dosing math and literacy instruction to give students more time with those critical subjects.

On the other hand, the push for a more project-based education that has been outlined in our High Schools 2.0 presentations is still ahead of the curve. Other school districts may have parts of it implemented, but I feel our overall plan is better developed and more far-reaching.

So we will continue on the path we have established. It is ever-changing and sometimes difficult, but I am more convinced than ever we are headed in the right direction. Wish us luck!

Decision Time

You would have to be blind not to notice there are crucial decisions all around us. Tuesday, November 4th is now just around the corner. I've had many native Grosse Pointers tell me they've never seen so many people declare their interest in specific candidates as evidenced by the widespread yard signs.

I realize I'm getting older and that I sometimes forget how important events from previous decades once were, but this election appears to be the most important I've experienced. It was a short 2-3 years ago that national pundits referred to Michigan's economic woes as a one-state recession. I even remember references to "Michissippee" because of our declining industrial production. Nearly everyone at the time blamed it on the decline of the Big Three and their loss of market share. Unfortunately, the troubles weren't solely tied to the automotive industry and the rest of the nation has now caught up with us and the entire country is experiencing a recession.

So we have big decisions to make. And those decision will impact us both nationally and locally. At this stage of the campaign, I'm tired of the rhetoric and negative ads and am really anxious for Election Day and to learn the results.

We also have crucial elections relative to our local Board of Education. There are four candidates running for two spots. Study the candidates and what they represent and make a decision that best represents your interests. As a former social studies teacher, my best advice is simply to vote. We are fortunate to live in a place where we can speak our mind and exercise our freedom.

College Applicants, Beware!

A recent article in "The Wall Street Journal" had a title similar to that listed above except that is added...Your Facebook Page is Showing. It turns out that 10% of admissions officers from 500 top colleges and universities acknowledged looking at social networking sites to evaluate applicants. And of those colleges making use of the online information, 38% said that what they saw "negatively affected" their views of the applicant.

The two sites that are viewed most often are Facebook and MySpace. The WSJ article offered the following advice to members of the social network:
Don't:
- Include offensive language or references to illegal behavior on your site.
- Make offhand, negative comments about colleges.
Do:
- Establish privacy setting so your posts aren't accessible to the general public.
- Consider all communication could be public one day.

Our teens are experiencing a totally different world than parents and most adults in the school experienced while growing up. Some of it is better; some of it is worse. Probably our best course of action is to warn them of potential pitfalls that might arise solely because of their inexperience. Good luck with your efforts!

A Successful Week!

Every year I approach the week of Homecoming with trepidation. Although it typically goes well, I'm never really at peace until about this time...Sunday evening when the week is over.

I guess it only makes sense that when you intentionally get kids excited and near the point of exhaustion, the setting is ripe for accidents to happen. Add in the fact that competition among the classes is part of the design, and teenagers will sometimes make choices that are harmful to others.

Fortunately, we were able to avoid any major pitfalls in 2008. The students were very good throughout the school day, at the parade and game, and at the dance. As a matter of fact, I took some time to visit classrooms on Friday before the assembly, and you wouldn't have even known it was Spirit Week. Students and teachers were on-task and fully engaged in the lessons at hand. All in all, I was very proud of the student behavior.

We had a great turnout at the dance last night. I don't have a final count of students in attendance, but I know that more than 1200 tickets were sold before they went on sale on Friday. And from my vantage point, all of them appeared to have a great time.

Homecoming at South is a big venture. There are countless students and parents that work extremely hard to pull it off. A certain segment of students from each of the classes invest an incredible amount of time into the Homecoming festivities. They have watched older brothers and sisters enjoy the excitement of Spirit Week and they want to uphold the tradition.

The people that deserve to be thanked are too numerous to mention. It begins with the class sponsors, both parents and teachers. This group of adults put in countless hours of supervision and many open their homes to the students. The hosts of the float parties go out of their way to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable. Students are protected, entertained, and leave well nourished.

Particular thanks must go out to Dan Dickson, our Student Association president. Dan is a very effective organizer who leads by example. His fingerprints were left on all aspects of Homecoming and he led the charge to make meaningful improvements to the traditions we have held for many years.

I'm not sure of the particular reason, but it seemed that more parents than ever were complimentary of the events of Spirit Week. And I believe we are all thankful that a community like ours can put together healthy entertainment like this for our school community. However, I'd be lying if I said I wish it wasn't over.