A slice of school culture....

Anyone who was in our building yesterday got a sense of what our school culture is truly like. In many ways it was a typical Friday and in other ways it was quite extraordinary. Driven by student initiative, especially those involved in the Young Women's Club, the day was dedicated to one of our faculty who is out of school this term valiantly and successfully battling breast cancer. Because she has devoted so much energy, passion and support to our students over the years, they wanted to dedicate the day to her and demonstrate their love and support for her, now when she needs it most. So they planned the day and put up posters exhorting the student body to emulate this somewhat eccentric, quirky teacher by dressing like her or by wearing pink in her honor. Students and faculty showed up wearing bandanas, crocs, hoop earrings, mismatched socks, and New York Yankee apparel. They wore home-made buttons proclaiming that Reading is Sexy and, during lunch, when one looked out over the assembled student body in the cafeteria one had to be impressed by the amazing sea of pink that was on display. The young women who engineered the whole day also encouraged students and faculty members to lend their faces and voices to a video card they were creating to send to their teacher. And capping off the day, the boys' soccer game that afternoon was dedicated to her and the team wore white soccer socks emblazoned with dozens of pink ribbons. The whole day was a tremendous and spontaneous expression of caring and support for a much-loved teacher and was a true testament to the wonderful adolescents who inhabit our building and enlighten and enrich our lives every single day.

Another less dramatic example of the maturity and responsibility demonstrated by our students can be seen in their involvement in and response to our annual Club Fair which was held during our advisory period yesterday. With only minimal guidance from adult advisers, students in the various clubs developed displays and manned tables in the cafeteria in an attempt to make all members of the student body, especially freshmen, aware of the large number of clubs and activities our school has to offer students who want to pursue a particular interest. More significantly, for the 30 or so minutes allotted to the fair, the students stayed in the cafeteria visiting the various club displays and some signed up to become members. Once again, this student-led activity was carried out with minimal supervision and, more amazingly, when the time arrived for the fair to end and the students needed to move on to their block 2 class, everyone did so without prompting from either the bell or any staff member. I stood and watched as the cafeteria emptied out in less than a minute and everyone got back to learning. That is maturity, responsibility, and most of all respect. Apparently that was the theme of the day and it left many of us who work here acknowledging, once again, what a truly special place is Chatham High School.

And in closing, since I am honored to know she reads this blog, I would like to add my voice to the many wishing my colleague a timely return to full health and her classroom full of eager learners who anxiously await her return. This school is way too quiet and not quite complete without your presence. We miss you and pray for your full recovery and speedy return.