An apology

Before I begin this blog, please let me apologize for missing my April post; the month was supremely busy and flew by before I realized I hadn’t posted. While it is actually the only blog I’ve missed in eight years, I do apologize to those of you who read my (indispensable!) blog. 

It appears for now that the monsoon season at Central Cambria has finally abated.  I am sure Cambria County’s water table level in is at an all-time high.  Of course, such rainy weather led to the need to reschedule—multiple times—many of the outdoor sporting events.  Kudos to Mr. Wilson, our AD, for his never-ending work with our sports programs.

As with all school districts, May is another very busy month at Central Cambria. With state testing, field trips, graduation arrangements, spring sporting events and playoffs, even these rainy days have flown by. As for me, with assistance from Mrs. Dixon, Mr. Cerelli and Mr. Wilson, I recently concluded my senior interviews; as usual, the groups I spoke with held nothing back.  Their suggestions, perceptions, memories and comments were intuitive, pointed, and well-articulated.  Overall, the groups with which I spoke represented about 35% of this year’s graduates.  These discussions gave strong evidence that; this class is very bright and super-competitive.  As usual, I will include many of their comments in my speech at the graduation ceremony. 

Speaking of graduation, here’s a preview of the theme of this year’s message:

This year, second grandson will graduate – from Kindergarten!  That is the good news; the bad news is it will be the same night as our graduation.    It is this event upon which I hope to expound during my talk.

I plan to relate how the cycle continues regardless of age or career.  I will touch on the ways in which education has changed since the early 1900’s. In those days, the non-academic focus was on immunizations and basic hygiene; today’s educators emphasize such things as suicide prevention, the pros and cons of social media, lockdown drills, and STEM learning, to name a few.  In all this time, however, the element that changed only minimally is the calendar; in general, the same 180 days comprise a school year.  As Winston Churchill said “so many things to do, so little time.” In my opinion, much more is being wedged into those 180 days than ever before.

On the subject of time constraints, it appears the people in Harrisburg will not be able to produce a budget before the end of June, no big surprise.  Both houses and the Governor seem split on some critical issues, foremost being the identification of revenue streams to actually funding the budget.  Each official has his or her own ideas on which programs to cut or reduce in order to alleviate the deficit and fund the budget.  This recurring problem in Harrisburg reminds me of the movie “Groundhog Day” in that every budget year seems to be like its predecessor. 

On a lighter note, how about the Pens? How about the Pens?!!  Where are they?! They seem poised to make a deep run toward the Stanley Cup championship but their recent difficulties with Ottawa leaves me wondering.  I respect the coach’s philosophy of “next man up” and “just play”.  Despite the multitude of injuries, they keep finding ways to win. Here’s hoping that the Pens’ pucks will consistently find the back of their opponents’ nets.  Let’s go Pens!!

Of course, the NFL draft is now history. There are always needs on both sides of the ball, after free agency and retirements, but it looks as if the picks the Steelers made could have a big impact.  Time will tell.  If only the season started tomorrow – Sigh…. Despite the fact that I see myself as an armchair expert, I have to trust that the team staff knew far more than I did about the interactive dynamics of various players as they drafted for the coming season.

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. Please have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing summer. 

Congratulations to the 2017 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!

Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.