Rain, rain....

Rain, rain, go away….

Rain, rain, go away – come again another day; our sports teams want to play!  I know, I know, that you don’t have to shovel rain, and April showers bring May flowers, but it seems as if this spring has been one rainy day after another, wreaking havoc on our spring sports and the fields on which they are played.  Greg Shaffer, our maintenance supervisor, and his crew have worked feverishly between the showers to make the fields playable; kudos to Greg and his staff.  

At Central Cambria, May is replete with special activities, field trips, TESTING, preparing to move student data to new grade levels, and – of course – graduation.  Needless to say, the excitement of graduation tends to override all other May activities. Fortunately, all of these are not weather-dependent.

Speaking of graduation, here’s a hint about the theme of my message this year:

For graduation each year I try to use events of the school year as the basis for my message to graduates and their guests.  This year I am excited to speak about “the recipe for success.”  A famous teacher-turned-psychologist, Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth has been studying what goes into this recipe for many years.  Watching a video clip of Dr. Duckworth speak at last year’s TED conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design), at which the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less, she poses the question, “What is the key to success?”  She emphatically stated, “It’s not IQ. Not good looks. Not talent. Not social connections.” I am anxious to share her thoughts on this topic at graduation.  If you are unable to make graduation at St. Francis, I will post my speech on next month’s blog.

Congratulations to the 2014 graduates and to their parents, relatives, friends, and others who have offered encouragement, patience and a listening ear.  As you leave our district, remember Red Devil Pride never graduates!!

Good luck, seniors!

Now for my Dad Speech: As we approach the summer break, I encourage all students to make smart choices in the friends they hang out with, the events they attend, and even the ways in which they network on the Internet and social media sites. Please have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing summer. 

Allow me to extend my sincere appreciation to all students, staff, parents and Board members for the work they do for Central Cambria!  I am blessed to interact with such high-caliber people every day.

Finally, I need to get some sports talk off my chest.  Yes, the Pens had a great regular season; unfortunately, the playoffs didn’t follow suit.  For five years in a row, the Pens have made it to post season play, only to be beaten by a lower-seeded team.  I predict a major Pens shakeup after their abysmal playoff performance.

And how about the draft?  After this event I always banter with my brothers, sons, son-in-law, daughter Morgan, my nephew Travis, my dad and my uncle.  We agree that the Steelers got some very speedy players, some players to fill specific positions, and some players whose worth remains to be seen.  The Steelers also signed 20 undrafted players the day after the draft.  As I have said before we can only hope that Steelers management personnel have drafted well.  It is fun to speculate how they may perform.  Until they actually play a down, they are all heroes in my eyes. To sum it up, one of my favorite sports’ figures once said “You can observe a lot just by watching.” –Yogi Berra.

I can’t wait…

I can’t wait…

Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.