A Great Homecoming

You shoulda been there.


The weather cooperated, the fans came out in droves, and the team didn't let anyone down with a big victory over St. E's.







The bleachers were packed, so these sophs and their teachers watched along the fence.







The St. Mark's Marching Band entertained from start to finish.











What a great Homecoming Court!












Game Day at St. Mark's, with insightful commentary by some future ESPN announcers.

Two Minute Warning

It's almost the end of the first quarter. Hopefully, you won't be running your version of a two-minute drill in order to score a touchdown before time expires (of course, you'll get the ball back when the second quarter begins, too).

Here is some important information:

Major unit test is October 25.

Journal due October 30--extra credit if received on October 27--for every day that it's late, you lose 10 points. Each of these assignments is worth 20% of your quarter grade.

Spirit Week--Journal #6

NOTE: Many of the ideas, much of the same language, was posted last year after Spirit Week. I have edited the entry to reflect some slight changes in my attitude that took place as a result of some excellent student responses to my blog last year. Here goes the 2006 edition:

I have to admit that I don't get much of Spirit Week. I'm don't understand how dressing up like Sesame Street characters or Bourbon Street revelers translates into school spirit. I'm likewised confused about some of the other Spirit Week traditions into which students pour lots of time, effort, and money during the week. Before I write another line, I will also be first to admit that I represent the vast minority opinion. Probably 98% of the student body (the other 2% populate the top part of the gym bleachers during school assemblies) would disagree with me. So would most teachers. Ones who have spirit, anyway. I know that I'm one of the few who doesn't get it, even though I think I have lots of Spartan pride.

When I heard the theme for this year's celebration, I was momentarily excited: Not Another Spartan Homecoming. Hmm. Did someone really listen to me last year? No. This year's multi-theme approach commemorating past Spartan homecomings confuses the issue even more.

Hopefully protected by my admission of ignorance, here goes my rhetorical rant that will go no further than this blog. Not that I could change anything anyway. This Week is way bigger than me or anyone else, for that matter. The genie is out of the bottle.

First--why does Spirit Week need a theme other than rooting for good ol' St. Mark's? How's this for a new theme? St.Mark's School Spirit. I know how creative and talented our students are. Even with so "limited" a theme, I'm completely confident that our students would outdo themselves coming up with novel ideas year after year, all in celebration of St. Mark's. I'd like to see this Spirit Week spent in the education, honoring, and cheering of St. Mark's history, tradition, and ongoing commitment to excellence.

Instead of singing Disney and Guns and Roses songs, how about some Spartan sing-alongs? Well, we COULD have two official songs: our alma mater and a St. Mark's fight song.

That's right, a real St. Mark's Fight Song. Students should WANT one. College and professional athletic fight songs are immensely popular today. Fly, Eagles, fly. Hail to the Victors. Cheer, Cheer for Old Notre Dame. Our Pep Rally could begin with a rousing Spartan Fight Song, with the St. Mark's band cranking it up, the cheerleadings leading the singing, the dance team in step on the floor. Then during the football game, with every victory or score, the band, cheerleaders, and fans could launch into OUR very own fight song. If I were a student who had an ounce of musical talent, I'd be writing OUR fight song right now and passing out the lyrics and sheet music as soon as I could. Talk about starting a St. Mark's tradition. Then this would really be NOT just another Spartan homecoming.

What about ending our Pep Rally with the St. Mark's Alma Mater, a more, proud, dignified rendition of OUR school song? Go to a college football game. Watch 100,000 rabid Penn State fans grow serious as the first strains of their alma mater are heard. They're Penn State Proud. Before you students graduate, my hope is that all of you will realize the special significance of attending St. Mark's when you sing words like, "Winds of time whisper on, now the foundation's laid strong" and "Friendships remain as a sign that we are linked to St. Mark's through time."

Sure, we can keep special dress-up days. But Pajama Day? New York Day? Huh? I want St. Mark's Color Days, every day, wearing the Green and Gold, throughout the week and to the all of the athletic events throughout the week. Wear your Green and Gold team uniform, club shirt, band hoodie, whatever. As long as it's Green and Gold.

The Beach Boys song, Be True to Your School, remains an anthem to high school spirit. Here's your homework assignment-- go find a copy of the song and play it five times. I guarantee it will get you singing along, maybe transporting you back to a more innocent, fun time when it was just plain cool to be proud of your school. You didn't need to masquerade behind Mardi Gras masks, either. If you're singing along by the fifth time, reconsider what I've had to say.

So be true to your school now / Just like you would to your girl or guy / Be true to your school now / And let your colors fly / Be true to your school

P.S. I give credit where it's due. Even though I'm out of the loop, I have to agree that there the Pep Rally is full of unbelievable spirit, excitement, and talent. And my seniors have told me that the class competitions generate great class spirit. I know, so why all the fuss?

Be Like Ben--Journal #5

An older and wiser man writing his autobiography, Ben Franklin laid down his prescription for success: list 13 virtues, work on one per week (like eradicating weeds from one flower bed at a time), each evening examine your day to see if you had made any errors contrary to that virtue (keep a record in a lined notebook), proceed to the next virtue the next week, and continue this process for a year (you'll be able to go through four cycles in 52 weeks).

As a young man hiding behind the nom de plume of Poor Richard Saunders, Franklin's words of wisdom often took the shape of clever, pithily worded aphorisms like "God helps them that help themselves; a penny saved is a penny earned; fish and visitors smell in three days; an apple a day keeps the doctor away, etc."

Your journal assignment gives you some options. You may (choose one of the three):

A. Tell me a personal or family tale that represents one of Franklin's virtues.
B. Tell me a personal or family tale that represents the theme of one of Franklin's aphorisms. Write that aphorism as part of your title.
C. Relate some orderly plan that you contrived in order to achieve some goal.

Let's get to work on this pronto. "Do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of" (Franklin, of course).

schoolsville.blogspot.com--a place for friends

You can respond in this space about the article that I distributed about the pitfalls of posting on "myspace." Let ME reiterate one important point that the author makes. Do NOT post, say, e-mail, IM, put in your profile, etc. anything on line which you would not want attributed to your good name. Not even as a joke. Unless you're really computer savy, all of your on line activity can be traced back to you. So be yourself, without trying too hard to let everyone know how cool you are. Hey, you can be sensible, courteous, and computer cool at the same time, as evidenced by this ultra-hip blog site of mine. See, you're chuckling at my honest, but equally lame, attempt at humor. That's the way things are at schoolsville. It's a friendly place. We'll poke fun of ourselves at schoolsville, but we'll never make fun of our friends.