Matt's Monday Memo
April 29, 2019
Good morning all.
What a weekend. Among all the typical late spring lunacy that is common in high school life, this weekend stands out. Friday afternoon marked the completion of EOC testing--thanks to all that supported that process. In addition, Mark Young had secured donated technology and furniture from a commercial space that Mark, Cliff Ice, Tim Tobin and I loaded in a truck for much of the afternoon. Friday night saw a thrilling varsity baseball 2-1 victory over Kirkwood (cue Zach Smith leading On with Webster) that took 11 innings and finished after 10:30 pm. Saturday’s prom went extremely well after great planning by Cliff Ice, Shannon Daniels, and Lauren Maedge. Our kids were kind and joyous--a vendor stated they were the nicest group they have been around. The evening wrapped up after 11:00 pm with many students staying until the embers of the night were fully extinguished.
I listened to a podcast recently of Conan O’Brien interviewing fellow comedian and late night host Stephen Colbert. In the conversation they recognized the duality of their work being exhaustive yet also restorative and that unless you are in their field, it is hard to fully understand that construct. That neatly summarizes this weekend, this time of year, and our profession. The taxing pace and crammed milestones encourage survival but those milestones are in many ways our realized aspirations. Our collective work over many months and years are recognized formally in events like Senior Awards Night and commencement. I hope you will allow yourself to find energy and reward in the celebrations of our students over the next few weeks.
Have a great day.
Best,
Matt
Peek at the Week
- April 30: Department Chair Meeting, 8:05 a.m.
- April 30: Symphonic Band/Wind Symphony Concert, 7 p.m., Auditorium
- May 1: Spring Orchestra Concert, 7 p.m., Auditorium
- May 2: Senior Awards Night, 7 p.m., Auditorium
- May 4: Jim Schoemehl Run
Celebrations
Congratulations to Kira Bradford for being chosen as the VICC High School Senior Student of the Year!
Congratulations to our Jazz Band students for their great performance held last week. This was such an enjoyable event. Congratulations Kevin Cole, Jamie Burchett, and all of your students for your great work!
Congratulations to Nakaya Bratcher, Philemon (Chris) Rhodes, Jessica Peterson, and Aryka Cooper for winning the PPIF essay contest and traveling to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC!
Evelyn Trampe, Cole Schnell, Rosa Parks, Sean Mullins, Ellie Marshall and Josie Krueger have been named to the MJEA Honor Roll. To be named a member of the honor roll, individuals must have met the following qualifications:
- Student journalists who have achieved a 3.75 or higher grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and
- Student journalists who have worked in student media for two or more years (this current semester counts as a full semester toward two years on staff)
Senior Cole Schnell won MJEA’s News Photo of the Year, and freshman Zeke La Mantia won MJEA’s Portrait Photo of the Year.
Reminders/Announcements
Teachers: please do your best to accurately complete fine cards for Cyndy Gilbert. Every year, we lose a significant amount of money because fine cards are not completed properly. Thanks for your help. Remember that senior fine cards are due this year on May 8.
Please remember that you are required to call parents if you have a student who currently has an “F” or is now likely to get an “F” for the semester (but did not have an “F” on the 12-week progress report). Also, please call if there has been a significant drop in the student’s grade average in your class.
Upcoming Professional Development
- May 24: Records Day (11:05 - 3:00)