Panther Country

Cliches exist because they once accurately described a situation but wore out through repeated use. March is the month that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. The metaphor may have originally meant to describe the weather, but regardless of the changes in temperature over the years, I never recall gliding serenely into the month of March. March comes in like a lion because February is the busiest month of the year. The winter holiday begins in December, drifts into January, and gradually–after all the resolutions and posturings–the year begins. We stop forgetting that it is 10 and not 09 anymore as we fill out forms or write checks (do people still have checkbooks and write checks?). The real business of my world shifts into overdrive during February.

For me, the first week in February is when I got married and little did I know when I married that I was setting a trap for myself. My wife and I were both professors at the University of Hawaii at the time–where we had met–and as we talked about the logistics of deciding where in the states we would marry: she was from Texas, I was from Michigan; she had family in Washington, DC, I had family in Ohio; no decision was made. Instead, one Saturday morning, we made our way down to the courthouse with a couple of friends from the University, quietly said our vows in front of the judge, returned to our apartment and called our families to tell them the news.

We celebrated our first anniversary worrying whether or not we could find day care for our first child, due to come into the world in one month.  One year later we would celebrate our last anniversary together where it was the most important event of the week. Three months later I accepted a job at Punahou School, and from then on our anniversary always took back seat to some other major event. Punahou Carnival, one of the biggest fundraisers and all-consuming events I have ever been a part of, was always the first weekend in February.  No matter how important our anniversary was to us, we suddenly found ourselves caught up in an event that became–as it was for thousands of others–one of the biggest celebrations of the year. It was clearly an event far surpassing our anniversary and as members of this community we embraced it as did everyone connected to the Punahou family.

Suffice to say that even after we left Punahou our anniversary has had to compete with teacher recruitment (starts the first week in February) and the Super Bowl (recently, the first Sunday in February).  But those events are only the beginning for this busiest of months.  Every year at least two major AASCA events seem to be scheduled each February; the Fun Run is in February; and at least one outdoor education trip was in February, and the list goes on.

For me, the metaphor of March Madness, a metaphoric description of the frenetic energy associated with college basketball and the NCAA tournament reminds us that the cliches of March seem to have something in common, and it has little to do with weather or basketball. For me, March is the month of metaphoric violence, so madness has always seemed an apt descriptor to me.  The last violent storms of the year whip up at the end of February almost as if Nature is trying to remind us to be grateful for spring. No matter where spring falls on the calendar, March is its violent predecesor. The thaws begin, the floods, the winds, the rains. The ugly dirty snows of the cities, the white and aesthetically picturesque snows of the country fade from sight. The limbs that have survived sprout buds like adolescent faces sporting pimples. As we are reminded from our own experiences of bringing children in to the world, birth–the central motif of spring–is the most violent albeit miraculous event of the spring.

Fortunately we do not live day to day in the metaphoric world of March. Instead, the days of March and its attending madness will bring us the following: a visit from our new director, Mr. Greg MacGilpin, and his family (March 3-5); a professional development half day (March 3); the soccer championships (AASCA soccer, boys and girls, March 10-14 in Panama);  the MS Choir Festival (March 17-21 at CDS); and the end of the third quarter (March 26). There will also be two college fairs, one for Canadian colleges and one for Catholic colleges; as well as a college night for juniors.

Although I don’t quite know what to do with the lamb metaphor and how all this wraps up and heads into April, I do hope we can all cope with the changes that March brings and that we find in April some solace. Let’s hope it is not, “the cruelest month” as T.S. Eliot has described it. Let’s hope it is the most restful month.

Point of view is one of the most interesting aspects of critical thinking to me. The ability to look at something or some situation through the eyes of someone else is not an easy thing to do. Simply being able to step away from a situation and look at it through a different lens is essential in good decision making, yet how rarely do we take the time to do so, getting wrapped up and fixated on our own beliefs.

Point of view is also interesting when we reflect on our own experiences. I look back on the journey I have taken and realize there are many ways to interpret where I’ve been, the decisions I’ve made, and how I have arrived where I am. For example, I have always thought of myself as someone who makes a lot of metaphorical wrong turns. I am notorious in real life for getting lost. I have come to accept the fact that no matter how hard I try to orient myself to my surroundings I will always make at least one wrong turn. My wife says I’m getting better, but the amount of effort I must put in to such a mundane activity often wears me out. Nevertheless, I have given a lot of thought to this convergence of metaphor and reality and I have tried to reconcile and understand this curious phenomenon about my life.

Here is what I have concluded.  I have been been…metaphorically speaking…lost. Now before you shudder or tsk tsk or shake your head, remember that this is a piece about point of view, and I’m not lost in the sense of despairing and unable to reach my goal. I think of my being lost more this way: the end of the journey is the same for all of us, and each of us arrives at that destination in different ways. I will get there, same as everyone, but it won’t be the easiest, most traditional, or even the best way of arriving, if there is such a thing.

Ok, that’s broad and general enough to make everyone feel good, so let me clarify, refine, and elaborate: the various paths through life are not exactly prescribed, but most people assume that there are tried and true paths, the traditional roads to the end, and most of us are directed, prodded, and pushed along those particular paths.  Some of us have more signposts pointing in the “right” direction than others: parents, teachers, counselors, elders, relatives, etc. Many of them have trudged the path, they know the way, and they encourage that we not stray or deviate down unknown roads.

You probably think I’m now going to tell you “I have taken the road less traveled and that has made all the difference.” Not exactly. I think, instead, that I have taken many roads less traveled by mistake. I don’t regret those turns, and I’m actually pretty sure that what was once accidental in my life has now become a pattern of almost deliberate and intentional “lostness.” I haven’t quite developed an instinct as most do for the right road, but at this point in my life I am pretty sure that I am deliberately choosing the wrong paths, but I’m ok with that. I’m not an adventure seeker or an iconoclast who has to do it his own way. I’m just very suspicious and not convinced that the path others have taken is always the path I want to be on. That may sound iconoclastic and individual, but it comes with a lot of hand-wringing and self doubt–not exactly the traits of a trail-blazer.

This past Saturday my mom’s sister and roommate died. I was closer to my aunt than to my own mother because she was one of those signposts in my life. My parents were not very good at pointing the way in life. They were not even very good role models, but they were the only parents I had. So many of the choices and decisions I made growing up were mostly guesses, based on the logic and reasoning of a fairly solitary adolescent mind, and often they were not the same choices and decisions my friends were making. I had a lot of “bad ” friends growing up in the city of Detroit, so my going my own way kept me out of trouble. But I also didn’t trust the decisions my “good” friends made because they didn’t seem right for me. I would choose a path, realize it was “different,” experience a brief moment of self-loathing and regret, and then gradually embrace the decision and see what the path had to offer.

My aunt wanted desperately for me to be rich and successful. Although not Jewish herself, she married a Jewish man and became a stereotypical Jewish mother to her only son, my cousin, and to me, her quasi-adopted son. My cousin went through normal rebellions but eventually ended up on the right path, whereas I was deliberately seeking out my aunt’s advice and then deliberately choosing a different way. I loved my aunt dearly and she provided everything I felt my own parents were supposed to give but couldn’t. Yet, some strange urge or desire prompted me in different directions. Despite the disappointments, she never stopped loving me and she never hesitated to show me the right path to take.

My point of view tells me I have something of the contrarian deeply embedded in my soul. My mother’s point of view is that I’m stubborn and enjoy being different just to make people mad. My aunt’s point of view was that I had some passion she couldn’t identify or understand and it was her job to try to protect me from it because it would just lead to unhappiness. Well, rest in peace Aunt Elsie and please understand that I am still wandering, still taking the wrong paths, and still enjoying every minute of the journey. It’s different but it’s not bad and it doesn’t lead to unhappiness. It really is ok, but thank you for always pointing the way.

Many seniors have asked me, how do I say thank you to my teachers who have given so much to me, including letters of recommendation that got me into college? A bottle of wine? A box of candy? Some cookies and a handwritten note?

My answer is: none of the above.

I do know what your teachers want, so in that sense I have the perfect thank you gift. Respect. Requires no money, no gift wrapping, no baking, and you don’t even have to write a note. All you have to do is keep one little thing in mind: I am not the only person in the school, in my class, or in this room who matters. I may have been accepted to college and no longer care about getting an A or a B or even a C. Heck, all I want to do is pass and get out of here.  OK, so that’s your situation. But some of your classmates do care, and they still want a good grade, they still want to get into college, and heck, some of them still want to learn. Your indifference leads to distracting behaviors in class, which prevents your classmates from learning and is disrespectful to them. But most importantly, it is disrespectful to the people every year, senior class after senior class, who never give up second semester:  your teachers. Day in and day out they prepare lessons, strive to educate you, write letters on your behalf—and more letters when you don’t quite make the college of your choice. They bend over backward for you and they really care about you.

And all they want in return is your respect so they can teach. They don’t need you to feign interest, to praise them, or even to do all your homework, though that would be nice. They just want an atmosphere of tolerance and respect so they can do what they do best, and so that those who do want to benefit have the opportunity to do so.

In other words, the best way to show your respect is not to let your indifference, your lack of enthusiasm, your boredom show. It is really ok to have those feelings, but your teachers are working really hard under a different set of assumptions. Other unacceptable behaviors are more tolerable: don’t do all the homework, turn in mediocre work; however, don’t ruin the classroom experience for your friends or for your teachers. You have free periods, you have breaks, you have lunch, you have after school, and you have weekends to socialize and ignore school. For a few hours each day we simply ask that you continue to show respect for the ones who have partnered with you, every step of the way, on your road to learning and college. It has the double advantage of being respectful to your classmates who do want to continue learning. So keep it simple: no sleeping, no gossiping, no distracting behaviors. Just sit quietly, do what you are asked to do, and the time will pass.

Believe it or not, you did not invent senioritis or the senior slump. It happens every year to lots of kids. But it doesn’t happen to everyone and it almost never happens to teachers. So, this is not a criticism or an insult to you: we know how you are feeling and we understand that for many of you, the push is over. But common decency and respect simply asks for some cooperation and a polite nod and wink so that we can all finish the year as the friends we have worked hard to become.

This is the best way I can think of to show your gratitude.

I had an enjoyable yet sobering holiday with my family. I think visits with family, more than any other activities or events, are sure to remind us of the circle of life. There is the basic fact of aging and growing old. We all return to our families older (wiser, we hope) and, driven by cliches,we remark on the changes that are an inevitable part of life. Aren’t you getting big? You are so tall now. I won’t go into the less polite or offensive remarks that often slip. You may have uttered one or fallen victim to one. None of us need be reminded. But reuniting with my family always reminds me that I am older.

If we start at the top of the aging cycle, there are the matriarchs and patriarchs of the family: grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, godparents. On my wife’s side of the family, 2009 saw the passing of one more uncle and the head count for that generation now stands at 1: my wife’s mother. At 97, she is the last remaining parent to my wife and her brother; the last aunt to her cousins on her father’s side.

Our holiday began with a big surprise: a cousin my wife had trekked around Europe with as a teenager called and announced she wanted to visit her favorite cousin and her only remaining aunt. So the first day of vacation began in the Houston airport where my wife’s cousin from West Virginia arranged for her flight to arrive around the same time as ours from Costa Rica so we could ride to the family homestead together.

The visit was one of laughter and remembrance from start to finish. The laughter began as I frantically searched the airport for cousin Patti who was nowhere to be found. I had even more fun with the bewildered information assistant at the airport trying to locate her flight. The number I had did not match anything on her itinerary. It is one thing for me to struggle with my communications in Costa Rica, butchering Spanish and trying to understand and be understood, but here we were, with no accurate fly number to go by, trying to figure out if we misheard Dulles for Dallas, if we had some misinformation, but all the time feeling deep down that we had carefully recorded the flights, times, and loacations.

Before I tell you the mistake, let me profile our cousin. She is not a backwoods country girl from West Virginia. She actually grew up in suburban Maryland/DC, grew up in a cultured and sophisticated family, attended a small college where she lettered in three sports, had a career as a high school biology teacher, and at the age of 40 decided to go to medical school. Dr. Patti now practices in a small town in West Virginia. However, unlike her background would predict, she has decided to live in the modern world without a cell phone, without a computer, and without many of the things most of us take for granted. Some may describe her as eccentric, but to us she is cousin Patti–who is nowhere to be found in the Houston airport and impossible to locate because of her eccentricities.

I return from yet another terminal train ride around the airport and discover my wife and cousin Patti chatting happily at the baggage claim, waiting for me to return. It turns out that our eccentric cousin had no idea there were two airports in Houston. Because she doesn’t have a computer to book her own flights, she asked a friend at the public library to make her reservations for her. Her friend booked her into the city airport about 25 miles away. When she discovered her error she took a cab to the correct airport and found us. In some families, that incident alone would be enough to change some old habits, but not in our family. Instead, cousin Patti will muddle along without her cell phone and computer, jogging by day, curing the sick by night (and day).

And what kind of presents did cousin Patti bring on this important visit? A shoebox, a scrapbook of grammatical mistakes, and mementoes from childhood. The two cousins sat together from morning until night giggling over the river rafting trip on the Colorado, and their backpacking through Europe. We became her captive audience as she pulled out old clippings about her dad; shared photos of her mom. She laughed hysterically at the grammatical errors she had collected for the sole purpose of sharing with her “literate, PhD in English cousin.”  Patti and aunt Juanita swapped stories, most coming from the 97 year old matriarch who delighted her niece with stories and recollections of Patti’s mother and father. As the weather back east turned snowy and grim, Patti boarded the plane, determined to return and not miss her shift at the clinic, even though we knew, on the way to the airport, that at least one of the DC airports was closed.  We found out through Facebook and emails from others that cousin Patti indeed got back, and of course did not miss a shift.

It was over so quickly I hardly knew what to think.

Meanwhile, this trip home confirmed yet another change: this last remaining member of the older generation was now legally blind. Numerous visits from a parade of medical folks interviewed her to determine whether she was eligible for any home assistance from medicaire. This army widow who saw her husband through three wars, cannot distinguish between the many pills she must take each day. She obviously cannot drive or leave the house alone. She walks through the house with a walker, having carefully mapped out trails among the furniture and the collected detrius of a lifetime of traveling and living around the world. She and her husband retired 38 years ago, bought a house, paid it off,  and now she is all that remains in the family, the last one standing in the tiny town of Huntsville, Texas. She remembers the first great influenza epidemic, so Swine Flu (or H1N1) is nothing to laugh about as far as she is concerned. In fact, she is the opposite of what you think when you put the words, “remember” and “old person” together. It seems her memory has increased and sharpened as her vision has deteriorated and failed.

At the other end of the cycle is the miracle and joy of birth. Certainly the birth of a child is a happy and exciting moment, but it too has its implications in reminding one about growing old.  Despite the relatively small size of our family, the logistics of getting people together for a holiday is always amusing. My in laws and nephew drove three hours to be with us for Christmas eve; our niece flew in for three days from Los Angeles to make the occasion, but our son and daughter-in-law would not be in until Christmas day. After our Christmas eve celebration we drove three hours back to greet them at the train station and to put my niece on a plane back to LA. They arrived, bearing great tidings of joy: they were pregnant. It was a secret that could no longer be kept as my son had to explain that his wife had spent the entire 28 hour train ride throwing up.  She also had developed strep, so as I spent Boxing day  in the waiting room of the ER, I contemplated how my little boy was now going to be a father in his own right, and his father was now going to be a grandfather. Was I supposed to do something different? I decided I would just do what I always do: be there for them.

Although this seems to be a self-indulgent, rambling piece about getting old, it is really just self-indulgent and rambling. I never really give much thought to aging. I don’t color my hair, I don’t put much stock in “big” or milestone birthdays. I don’t get offended when no one asks for my ID at a bar, and I’m not flattered when they do. When my mother-in-law is questioned about her longevity she always gives the same answer: no, she doesn’t have a secret; she doesn’t know what explains her long, good health. She suspects deep down she has been placed on this earth for a purpose, and she can only figure that God has kept her alive this long to fulfill that purpose, whatever it is. So she keeps as busy as she can, given her limited mobility and eyesight. She calls her “elderly” friends every day (often at least 10 or more years younger than she is) to buoy their spirits, check on their status, and figure out if she is needed in any way. She has someone read her the obituaries every day, and someone has to read her email in case anyone is sick and needs to be added to her prayer list. She follows the stock market and the weather to make sure her money is holding out and in case she needs to pray for help in case there is a storm in Costa Rica or Chicago or Los Angeles…Although she lives alone and cannot leave the house, she is always ready to help. If all she can do is pray, well, there is no one I would count on more to have a direct line to the Almighty than my mother-in-law.

Life is filled with excitement and adventure such as moving to Costa Rica, experiencing a new culture, making new friends. Life has its ups, its downs, its victories and defeats. It also has its routines, its ordinariness, and its mundane obligations. When we talk about making the most of life I think it has something to do with figuring out how to embrace the mundane and routine; to be prepared; to be available; to be aware.

In many ways, my mother-in-law and I could not be more different, and yet I share her philosophy of life. I suspect I am here for some purpose, though I don’t exactly know what it is. Maybe it’s to look for lost cousins in the airport. Maybe it’s to make supper for someone who spends most of her time alone and relishes every minute of company. Or maybe it is to wait in emergency rooms or train stations, just to be there. I try not to hurt other people, and I help as many as I can. I’m not concerned about figuring out why I am here, I just know that I am and as long as I keep busy and let people know I am willing to help, things will be OK.

Congratulations to the girls and boys who participated in the AASCA basketball tournament. The girls went undefeated for the second year in a row and captured the championship. The boys only lost one game and finished third. It was a very well-organized tournament, and the host school, Marian Baker, set a high standard once again for all the AASCA schools to follow. The games at CDS were a lot of fun as well. The parent boosters stayed for every game selling food and refreshments, the students took turns as Captain Black, the CDS Panther, and the gym was rocking with noise and enthusiasm for the home teams.

[View with PicLens]

I continue to be impressed with the behavior of our students. I have always complimented our kids on their kindness to each other and their overall acceptance and inclusiveness when it comes to others. A tournament involving schools from other Central American countries is yet another test of that goodwill, and I thought our kids passed that test with their usual good cheer and good sportsmanship. And I am pleased to say that it wasn’t just our kids. I noticed the same spirit in the kids from Panama, the kids from El Salvador, the kids from Guatemala and the other Costa Rican school kids. I don’t know if it is something about small schools (this was the AASCA small school basketball tournament) that brings this out in kids, but I don’t always hear accounts of the kind of inclusiveness and acceptance I saw this past weekend from teachers and coaches at much larger schools. When I think of the stereotypes of cliques and bullies and elitism, they usually come out of large, impersonal, high schools. And I mean no disrespect to large schools. I am sure there are many large schools where the sense of acceptance and community is equal to if not greater than what we experience. Nevertheless, this small school phenomenon that I am experiencing is unique to me as an educator and I want to applaud it.

Let me share with you a few highlights from the tournament, and none of them have anything to do with basketball, winning, or losing. At the icebreaker the players were all taught a dance to a popular “instructional” song, and all the kids had a great time interacting, jumping around, and learning the dance. Spontaneously, during half time or during a break in the action, someone would play the song over the speaker system and a team would jump up, race to the middle of the court, and start doing the dance. Other teams would hear the music and jump up to join them. It didn’t matter that the gym was filled with kids and adults from many different schools; there was no self-consciousness or shame. Everyone joined in on the fun.

After the hard fought games, the kids all gathered for some food and the distribution of trophies. When mvp’s or high scorers were announced, a genuine display of good will and congratulations erupted from the audience. Teams gave opponents standing ovations out of respect and admiration. I felt a great deal of pride watching as the athletes celebrated their successes as a team and applauded the successes of others. It was a display of good sportsmanship that arose out of programs that clearly emphasized and encouraged fair play.

As a school culture we moved seamlessly from AASCA to Halloween, finishing off the week with a rare all-school activity. I thought it was appropriate, in a way, that one of the few all-school events–celebrated independently and differently in each division–followed on the heels of AASCA, another “all-school” event in which each division plays an unique role. Each division participates in Halloween in what can best be described as age-appropriate activities. The elementary kids dress up in costumes and trick or treat throughout the school. The middle schoolers  help distribute the candy, then get ready for their special activity: the Halloween dance. And finally, high school kids help the adults with the pizza sale and completely organize and supervise the games for the younger kids.

Speaking of seamless transitions, as we head into the Action tournament for basketball, the traditional end of basketball season, we also begin to move outdoors for the start of soccer season. The boys and girls soccer teams have already had several friendly matches and are eager to start their seasons. Below are a list of games that take us into next year and through the middle of March.

Varsity Soccer Action Tournament

Tues. Nov. 17: Girls vs Blue Valley 3:15 at Blue Valley

Tues. Nov. 24: Girls vs Lincoln 4:00 at CDS

Mon. Nov. 30: Boys vs ICS 3:15 at ICS

Thurs. Dec. 3: Girls vs AIS 3:15 at AIS

Boys vs AIS 4:00 at AIS

Sat. Dec. 12: Boys vs UWC 10:30 at UWC

Thurs. Jan. 21: Girls vs AIS 3:15 at CDS

Tues. Jan. 26: Girls vs ICS 3:15 at CDS

Mon. Feb. 8: Boys vs Blue Valley 3:15 at CDS

Tues. Feb. 9: Girls vs MBS 3:15 at San Ramon de Tres Rios

Thus. Feb. 11: Girls vs UWC 3:15 at CDS

Tues. Feb. 16: Girls vs MBS 3:15 at CDS

Mon. Feb. 22: Boys vs MBS 3:15 at CDS

Tues. Feb. 23: Girls vs AIS 3:15 at AIS

Tues. Mar.1:  Girls vs Lincoln 3:15 at Lincoln

Boys vs Lincoln 4:00 at CDS

March 10-14: AASCA Soccer in Panamá

March 15-19: Semifinal and Final Action Games

Sorry this post is so late…I was hoping to upload some photos from the events but had some trouble. As I begin working on my next post I realize I should just put this one up. Sorry again for the delay.

GO PANTHERS! All games listed below will be played at the CDS gym.  Come out and support our teams:

Thursday, October 22  11:00 Girls vs. Maya Guatemala

Thursday, October 22  12:15 Boys vs. Maya Guatemala

Thursday, October 22  2:45 Girls vs. CDS Guanacaste

Thursday, October 22  4:00 Boys vs. Balboa

Friday, October 23  8:00  Girls vs. ISP

Friday, October 23  9:15  Boys vs. AIS

Friday, October 23  10:30  Girls vs. Balboa

The rest of the games depend upon how the teams perform in the tournament. Times and places will be announced.

As I mentioned in my last post, October is an eventful month. One year ago at this time we were playing co-host, along with Lincoln School,  to the regional Tri-Association conference. This year The Carol Morgan School in the Dominican Republic is the host. Most of our students will take the PSATs tomorrow, and the quarter comes to an end this Friday. As I write this, the Costa Rican under 20s are playing Brazil in the semi-finals of the World Cup–an event of such local fervor that President Arias gave public workers an afternoon furlough to cheer on the National team.

Although no such furlough is in the works for our students, nevertheless, next week our boys and girls basketball teams will not only be co-hosts of the AASCA basketball tournament, they are both defending champions. Even without furloughs, we plan to support our teams through attendance at the games and a special event to kick off the tournament. Our student council has planned a pep rally for Wednesday, the day before competition begins, and teachers have agreed to take their classes to cheer on our teams.  On the boys’ side, CDS will play host to Balboa Academy from Panama, Colegio Maya from Guatemala, and Costa Rica’s AIS. MBS will welcome the International School of Panama, Maya of El Salvador, and CDS Guanacaste. The girls’ schedule depends upon who they face in the early rounds of the round robin. All action shifts over to MBS after lunch on Friday, with the finals of both the boys and girls to be held at MBS on Saturday.

If you are a parent of a student-athlete it is important to support them during times of competition, but it is equally important to help them find ways to balance their responsibilities. The life of a student athlete is filled with times of intense emotion and stress. It is easy to put aside school work while training for these events, and then to complain about the expectations that seem to conflict with the big game or games. A good student athlete plans accordingly and works ahead of time with teachers in order to lessen the pressure during these big events.

AASCA tournaments are never a surprise. Schedules are announced well in advance. Maintaining a balanced work schedule sometimes requires  planning, and student athletes must learn to set their priorities carefully in order to manage practice schedules, work demands, and games.

It is not always possible for every teacher to postpone tests, quizzes or projects for the handful of athletes competing in these competitions. The big picture reminds us that we support other student athletes–golfers, equestrians, tennis players, and gymnasts, to name a few who also compete all year in various sports–as well as actors who appear in local theater productions, dancers and musicians who have equally intense and competitive schedules. Rearranging schedules, coordinating make-ups, adjusting assessment times, as well as accommodating individual needs for illnesses and family emergencies challenge the abilities of our teachers and strain the actual number of hours in a day. It is easy to cry foul or unfair when the teacher maintains certain expectations during these events, but if both sides communicate in advance, much of the perceived unfairness can be handled in a way that is mutually satisfactory.

This year our student athletes have a little luck on their side as the tournament actually kicks off at the start of a new quarter. Still, it is important to learn this balancing act now–it is one of the many individual responsibilities that school teaches indirectly and that students must learn mostly on their own–but with some guidance from all of us. We are proud and supportive of all of our kids who strive to achieve and learn at CDS as well as outside the school, and we do our best to show them our support. However, one of the most important, non-graded lessons kids need to learn is how to manage their time and balance the activities of a full and active life.

You probably didn’t need three of the same photo, but oh well…We enjoyed the presentations the Spanish department put on for Independence Day.

Seems to me we just returned from vacation…how can it be October already? All right, it is not exactly October yet, but it seems to me that I looked up from my desk and as I scanned the early part of September, I couldn’t find today…that’s because it was at the end of the calendar. Tempus fugit.

What is in store for October? I thought I would give you a quick overview of what to expect, but before I do, a few reminders for the remaining days in September:

Monday, September 28th is the beginning of picture week. Seniors will be photographed Monday for the yearbook.

Tuesday, September 29th is photo day for 10th graders

Friday, October 2nd is photo day for 9th and 11th graders

Sports for next week:

Tuesday, Sept 29: Vars. Girls Bask vs Calasanz 3:15 at Calasanz

Vars. Boys Bask vs Calasanz 4:15 at Calasanz

Wednesday, Sept 30:  Vars. Boys Bask vs Lincoln 3:15 at Lincoln

And here are the highlights for the rest of October:

October 10   SATs at Lincoln

October 12  holiday/no school

October 14  PSATs at CDS for 9th, 10th, and 11th graders

October 16  First quarter ends

October 21  AASCA basketball tournament opens; host: MBS; co-host: CDS

October24  Finals of the AASCA basketball tournament at MBS

October 28  Professional development; half day for students

October 30  Halloween

There are college visits and other smaller events happening in October. Watch this space for details.

Some quick calendar reminders for the high school.

Monday, September 14 Independence Day celebration. All classes will meet, but we will follow a special schedule in order to support the Spanish department’s planned events.

Tuesday, September 15 Independence Day; no school

Thursday, September 17 Senior Parent Night; 5:30-7:00 in the high school library.  Varsity girls soccer vs. Blue Valley at CDS, 3:15.

Friday, September 18 Vars. Boys soccer vs St. Mary 3:15 at CDS

Don’t forget to see Shakespeare’s comedy, “Twelfth Night” at the Laurence Olivier Theater (next to Sala Garbo) in San Jose. It features two CDS high school faculty, Kathryn Smith and Dennis Atkinson. Shows run through September 27th. For more information call 8858-1446. Or go to the website at www.littletheatregroup.org

CDS will be hosting two college fairs this semester. The first is the Linden Fair which will be held on September 21^st from 8:00-9:30 am in the cafetorium; and the second will be a mini fair that will be focused on schools offering students’ scholarships. This second fair was held last year at the Marriott Hotel and this year, they want to meet specifically with our students. This fair will be on November 2^nd from 11:30-12:54 in the CDS High School.

LINDEN FAIR SEPTEMBER 21, 2009

CDS- Cafetorium 8:00-9:30am

• Tulane University
• Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
• University of Iowa
• University of St Thomas, St. Paul, MN
• Linfield College
• University of  Minnesota
• NYU Abu Dhabi Campus
• University of Syracuse
• Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
• Western Michigan

Participating Institutions: Scholarship Fair; Fall 2009

November 2, 2009

CDS Library, 11:30-12:54

• Berkeley College

• Ferris State University

• Drury University

• Loyola University- New Orleans

• West Texas A & M University

• University of Arkansas

• Drexel University

• Eastern Illinois University

• Fontbonne University