Mr. Trager had all the students stand up who were involved in the sports and/or activities that were included in the competition. Students who were in just one event stood up, students who were in two events stood and raised one hand and students who were in more than two events raised both hands. Even without last years seniors it was a pretty impressive sight.
I thought of all the sacrifices that these students had to make in order to perform at a high level both in their activities and in the classroom. The early morning and late evening practices. The rush to get showered and changed after a sports practice so that they could make it to speech or music practice, hoping to catch a bite to eat somewhere along the way. The hours spent on homework while riding in a school bus, or sitting in the bleachers just to be ready for the school the next day.
I thought of the parents/guardians of those students and the sacrifices they had to make in order for those students to attend all the practices and games/events required to be successful. The miles put on vehicles the money spent on equipment, gas and admission to the events. The family time that needed to be sacrificed so that their child could have those experiences.
I thought about the coaches and advisors for these events who pour their heart and soul into their programs to make them successful, yet are willing to sacrifice and share those student(s) who want to be involved in other activities. Coaches and advisors who allow students to leave practice early, come late or set aside personal time to practice with busy students whenever the students can squeeze it in to their schedule. Doing so without complaint so students can have a wide range of experiences while attending Audubon Community School.
I thought about the teachers who work with our busy students. Teachers who sacrifice prep time and personal time to encourage and push students to perform at a high level in the classroom. Teachers who know that the future of all of their students depend on them having a strong academic background. Teachers who expect performance in their classroom, but yet understand that students who develop deeper connections to school through participation in activities almost always perform at a higher level than those students who are not involved.
It reminded me of the old African proverb, "it takes a village..." in this case it may not have taken a village for us to win the Iowa Bank Challenge Cup, but it certainly took an entire district.
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