May 16, 2019
Those who attended this year’s Auction remember the “Head of School for a Day” experience. Today, Tyler Fox is serving as Head of School. Thus far, he has greeted your children with a handshake, decreed extra recess in TK-2nd grade, helped clear some bookshelves, and weighed in on a number of initiatives. If you have any questions today, please let him know.
As I mentioned earlier, TDS feels particularly quiet today. Fifth graders are enjoying their Great Fifth Grade Adventure in Gatlinburg, TN. They have enjoyed laser tag, the science park, and the Titanic. Tonight they sleep with the sharks at the aquarium. Meanwhile, our Middle Schoolers are in Virginia, reliving colonial times in Williamsburg and Jamestown and spending a day on the water with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
If a picture is truly worth 1000 words, then consider this video, arranged by Ms. Farrer, a 62,000 word essay on Field Day, the highlight of last week. Thanks to Jeff and Margaret Dean and their team of volunteers for running our Lower Schoolers through the 50-yard dash, softball toss, tug o’ war, sack races, hooping it up, wet & wild, and everyone’s favorite, water bucket holes.
Middle School Field Day, organized by Maria Morrison, had a similar combination of traditional and creative events, including hurdles, the 50-yard dash, three-legged race, softball toss, cone flipping, and tic-tac-toe relays. Our students competed – PURPLE v. GOLD – for an ice cream treat.
“80 percent of success is just showing up.” This quotation, attributed to Woody Allen from the late 1970s, has seen several derivations over the past forty years. 60%? 80? Even 90? Success or life? No matter the specifics, I thought of Allen’s words toward the end of MS Field Day. Coach Morrison presented all students with the option of running a mile. Simply by finishing, students would earn two points for their team. At the time, the PURPLE team trailed by four points. But PURPLE had four more runners “show up” and agree to battle the heat for a full mile. In the end, the PURPLE team emerged victorious, 138 to 134. In this case, and in so many instances in life, “showing up” made all the difference.
