It happened again. Every year, like clockwork. You’d think I’d be over it by now, but I’m not.
Friday night was our first high school football game. Better, it was Millard verses Millard, always a great night. It might have been the biggest crowd I’ve seen in the stadium. Red out on one side- neon on the other. Fabulous band. Fabulous dance team. Fabulous football on the field.
And our community.
There were students broadcasting the game. There were students cheering. There were coaches and sponsors and people from our tech team supporting everything our students were doing.
And our community.
There is something about this gathering on Q Street under the lights that gets me every time. In the middle of the third largest school district in the state, we suddenly feel like a small town again.
Last night I got to see it all through new eyes. We have a new superintendent, and it was fun to watch him be part of it.
Don’t get me wrong, I know we are not unique. I know that in hundreds of schools across our state and thousands across the county the same thing happened Friday night. Individual communities coming together as one, in a stadium, connected.
In a time when it can feel like we are more divided than united, it felt good. I took a moment on the field to just pause and take it all in.
As we kick off this new school year, let’s look for those moments. Let’s pause and look around and notice all the good in the world. Adults who give of their time to support students and students who risk and take on challenges and push themselves outside of their comfort zone to write and speak and sing and compete and perform.
And the community of friends and parents and grandparents and neighbors and retired teachers and total strangers who show up to support them.
Our community.
Be That Person 