Education Changes Every Hour!

Another school year has begun, which happens to be my 35th year in education. You would think that by now, I would have a handle on education with all this experience. There is something you should know about educating our children. NO ONE HAS A HANDLE ON EDUCATION! NO ONE! Yes, the all caps means I'm screaming this.

Education doesn't change every year or even every day. Education changes every hour! The complexity of the human brain in conjunction with the ever evolving human emotional make-up, especially that of a middle schooler, makes every single hour of educating children a mystery. Education is like the 142 staircases at Hogwarts. One minute you are going up, the next down, and the next the whole staircase disappears. But then again, that's why I LOVE being an educator. No two hours are ever close to being the same.

When thinking about all the hourly changes taking place with education, don't forget to factor in the social-emotional and educational problems caused by the COVID-19 shutdown. Most of the students coming to us the past few years who were not in the classroom have been testing between one to four years below grade level. Now, it is up to our school to fix the harm that's been done.

Guess what? I love that challenge. And, I know we will succeed. I know this because I have faith in our work. "Do good and evil will not come your way." (Tobit 12:7) We are doing good!

It will take years to overcome what was deprived the students during the shutdown. It will take time, hard work, long hours, cooperation between parents and educators, patience, grit, compassion, love, and faith. My job in this process is to let the teachers work their magic and be there to support everyone. 

Our enrollment is up once again and we have added more classes. So, I know what we are doing works. Our admissions team is working harder than ever to make certain we can assist the new students. Our team is already making improvements to the admissions process for the 2024-25 school year. God, I love the folks I work with.

As for the 2023-24 school year, let's kick this pig and git 'er done! With lots of kindness, love, and doing good ahead of us, let the work begin. Like the Skyy song, Let Love Shine. Great throwback to the 80s.

God bless you and love!

Pleasure and Peace

While many folks don't look forward to attending Mass and come up with more excuses for skipping out than for attending Mass, I derive much pleasure and peace from attending Mass. I use the words pleasure and peace because I feel great and burdenless having participated in the Eucharistic celebration.

My favorites aren't the Easter or Christmas Mass celebrations. My favorites are the Friday all-school Masses when we come together as a community to celebrate. I love seeing our students participating and being an active part of the Mass celebration.

Each month during the school year, a different class takes charge of the Mass. The students of the class in charge serve as the greeters, altar servers, gift bearers, and lectors. The school choir leads the singing. Two of the 8th graders run the projection booth. The teachers serve as the eucharistic ministers. The younger students proudly sing the hymns while the older students are too cool to sing. The 8th graders and their PK3 Mass buddies become best friends and attend Mass together. Parents and grandparents attend with our students sitting with them. The priest's homilies are a short lesson of the day that quickly turn into a humorous and entertaining question and answer session. The younger students love participating in these Q&A sessions, while the older students try hiding under the pews so as not to get called on. At the end of Mass, the younger students are excited to greet the priest by the baptismal fountain. At the end of most Masses, there are awards to be presented to our students and educators. All of the pieces of the all-school Mass come together for a wonderful weekly Eucharistic celebration.

So yes, the all-school Mass is my favorite. This Mass more than any other gives me a sense of pleasure and peace. Our St. Ann families and friends are invited to join us for our weekly all-school Eucharistic Celebration and to hopefully experience that same pleasure and peace.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

A New Beginning

Taylor Swift said, "This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change." I like this quote, but I think I'll make a minor yet important "change" to her quote. Instead of "And things will change," I will say "And things will improve." As we continue to grow, the improvements we are introducing deal with the folks who join our Colts family. These folks will help make St. Ann a better and stronger school. Our people are our greatest asset.

The Ghio Girls

As we prepare for the 2023-24 school year, the first improvement is moving Annmarie Ghio from her role as a 3rd grade teacher to being our full-time assistant principal. Ms. Ghio participated in a two-year program at Loyola Marymount University where she earned a certification in Catholic School Administration. Ms. Ghio's main role is to serve as St. Ann's reading and writing specialist. Our testing shows that our students perform well above national and state norms in reading with just about all our students performing at or above grade-level. We want to keep improving and taking our students to a higher level of achievement. Thank you Ms. Ghio for saying "yes" to this administrative move.

Liz Wehmeyer is our new 3rd grade teacher. Mrs. Wehmeyer comes to us from Bartlett City Schools where she taught at Alturia. Mrs. Wehmeyer is no stranger to St. Ann. Her son is a St. Ann graduate and her daughter is currently a student. She is also a techie and has been a technology professional development leader for our teachers for the past five year. She and Ms. Ghio are responsible for all the inspirational artwork throughout the walls of the school. They painted another one this summer. Welcome Mrs. Wehmeyer!

The 3rd grade has been growing to the point that we are adding a second class. Our very own Tina Ostrowski will teach that class. Ms. Ostrowski is coming out of retirement for a 3rd time. At St. Ann, she has taught just about every grade, with her last class being the 1st grade. At St. Michael, she was the 3rd grade teacher.  Thanks Coach O!

The Dooley Family

Dakota Dooley will be replacing John Baum as our band director. Mr. Dooley stepped in at the end of last year to take over for Mr. Baum and did a fantastic job. He will teach at both SBA and St. Ann. Thanks for being a Colt and an Eagle.

Looking forward to seeing all our personnel improvements in action.

Let's pray for all our educators everywhere. Being an educator gets tougher every year, and every year more and more people are leaving the teaching profession. I've been doing this for 35 years with every year bringing more expectations, demands, requirements, and challenges. I say, "Bring it on!" I love the challenge of being an educator and making a positive difference every day!

Painted by Wehmeyer and Ghio

"This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will improve." Time to listen to some Taylor Swift on Spotify.

God bless you and love!

Getting Out of a Rut

Biking at Crystal Bridges

In life, we can sure get into ruts. When we work too much and don't make enough time for ourselves, it is easy to get into a routine where you work all day then come home and do little to nothing until it is time to go to sleep so you can do the same thing the next day. And then, doing nothing becomes a safe and easy habit. For part of this year, I was in that rut of working from 6:00 am to 5:00 pm, coming home to do some more work on the computer and then going to bed. I stopped doing the things I love to do like reading, playing soccer, and riding my bike. I wasn't even going to the gym to workout on the elliptical machine. On the elliptical machine, I can put on a podcast or music and mindlessly get in a good workout.

Excuses have been plentiful. I knew I needed to make a habit change. I figure I have about 18 years left on Earth and probably with not all those being quality and healthy years. It was time for a change because I don't want to be Garfield.

I enjoy reading Dynamic Catholic books. When I knew I needed to get out of the rut I put myself in, I received an ad from Dynamic Catholic about a book by Kate Volman called Do What You Love. Figured that was just what I needed so I ordered the book. I quickly read the book and took the author's guidance and started doing what I love. The main thing is to not fear or let anyone detract you from doing what you love to do. I also learned that it is not an all or nothing change. Make gradual changes so there is a better chance that the changes become habit and the habit grows. 

I'm one of those people who when I decide to do something, I go all out and want to make changes instantly and see results immediately. Those changes tend to be short lived, then I'm back to where I started. Set small goals and work to slowly attain those goals. My goals have been simple and I haven't made them like ultimatums such as I'm going to ride my bike 30 miles every day or I'm going to lose 10 pounds this week.

Elliptical at EMAC

The first change is to not come home and do nothing. Start off by not bringing home the computer every day. I will workout on the elliptical machine for 30-45 minutes at a lower setting instead of 60-minutes at a higher setting. I will read a few pages of a book instead of a few chapters at a time. I will finish 15th in Duolingo instead of the top 5. I'll be just fine and enjoy myself while doing whatever it is I'm doing. 

Another change that I've made is to listen to motivational podcasts. I came across a podcast called ReThinking with Adam Grant. One of his podcasts featured James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. That was just the podcast I needed to hear. I ordered the book and it is next on my reading list. Once again, make small changes and improvements just like an atom, small.

I'm re-reading Holy Moments by Matthew Kelly. This is another book that can help give you a little motivation in life. I have extra copies in my office if you would like a copy.

All this to say that we need to make an effort to be happy and enjoy our lives. No more making excuses. My super-competitive self doesn't need to always win or not compete at all. I just need to live life in a happy and enjoyable way.

So, if you are in a rut and need someone to talk with, please feel free to reach out to me. I'm not the shining example of how one should live their life, but I am taking baby steps to get myself out of this rut I'm in. And one of the ways out of the rut is by simply sharing with you through this blog.

God bless you and love,

Didier Aur

What Do Educators Do In The Summer?

There's a misconception out there that educators have summers off. Wish that were the truth. Since most educators aren't independently wealthy, many have a 2nd job during the summer to help support their families. And, when not working, much of the summer is spent preparing for the coming school year.

Our educators have required work and professional development to complete in order to be prepared. Summer is a much needed time to relax but it also a time for becoming better at our craft. Lots of professional development takes place during the summer.

PK educators not only have to complete the diocesan required professional development hours but also have an added 30-hours of specified documented training for the Tennessee Department of Education. Because of the importance of early childhood literacy, 10 of those hours deal with developmentally appropriate literacy practices for pre-kindergarten students. 

All our educators are also required to have an additional 10-hours of documented Catholic religious professional development. Much is required of our educators annually, and even more is required of our PK educators.

On top of this, Catholic Mutual (our insurance company) requires annual active shooter training and the much dreaded bloodborne pathogens training. Cannot forget the first-aid and CPR training every two years. 

And yes, the principal has to go through all this training as well. This includes the 10-hours each of religious training and early childhood literacy. So far this summer, I have completed over 20 of the overall hours needed of professional development.

All the required professional development for our educators is not cheap. The school pays for the professional development. I'm always searching for free professional development opportunities. For certification purposes, many require payment. I get it! The people and organizations leading professional development sessions have to make a living.

13 of our educators will participate in The Bodine School's Structured Literacy Institute this summer. The cost is $50 per educators; inexpensive but adds up.

Educate LLC out of New York will host 2-days of professional development for the educators in our diocese. Just the cost to St. Ann for the 2-days is $4,020.

The required first-aid and CPR training isn't cheap either.

If you are looking to help St. Ann, donations to help pay for professional development are a great way to support our teachers and their work with the children. Your support is much appreciated.

Just know that many educators have been at school this summer working camps, administering screening assessments for new students, and getting their classrooms ready for the new school year. Summer is a time of renewal and re-energizing, but St. Ann educators are always available to do what needs to be done, and I love them for their dedication and passion.

Hope this gives you a better perspective of what educators do during the summer.  So, please help support your local Catholic School educator.

Help Support Our Teachers!

God bess you and love,

Didier Aur, Principal & Professional Development Specialist

Do Good!

Full Circle House

After another fantastic school year (my 35th as an educator), I'm on a West Coast family getaway to recharge and re-energize. We are enjoying the beauty of Santa Barbara County, and currently staying at Presqu'ile Winery in Santa Maria just relaxing amidst hundreds of acres of all kinds of grapes, berries, avocados, and the San Rafael Mountains. 

I look for opportunities to attend Mass when visiting other cities. This morning, I attended Mass at St. Louis de Montfort in Santa Maria. During the first reading, Tobit 12:7 caught my attention. "Do good, and evil will not find its way to you."

Presqu'ile Winery

That verse should be memorized by all of us. It should be plastered on billboards, buses, buildings, subways, magazines, websites...but it isn't. It is hidden nice and neat in Tobit 12:7 where most people have no idea it even exists. How many people have ever read the Book of Tobit? How many Catholics know it is part of the Apocrypha? I'm not judging because I have read the Book of Tobit and had totally forgot that little verse until I heard it at Mass today.

"Do good, and evil will not find its way to you." So simple and easy to follow but only if we can remember to do so. I try to do good but sin is quick to follow. I try to do good but am sometimes selfish. I try to do good but often forget to help those most in need.

St. Louis de Montfort

I tend to forget that the rest of Tobit 12 deals with helping others who need help. It is about alms giving. It is about loving our neighbors. It is about Raphael, one of the seven angels, interceding to help us. Raphael interceded for Tobit because he did good. He did what he was supposed to do in helping others. So God sent Raphael to help Tobit. God will do the same for us if we can just remember to "Do Good!"

Aurs at Presqu'ile

Today's Mass reading was a great reminder to do good. I want Tobit 12:7 to be a constant reminder to everyone of us as we prepare for the 2023-24 school year. I need to start by making a poster out of this and hanging it at the school entrance and in the school office.

Hey Annmarie Ghio and Liz Wehmeyer! How about this being painted in the school hallway this summer? Maybe in the middle school hallway? Middle schoolers could sure use a lot of "Do Good" reminders.

God bless you and love,

Didier Aur

2023 Band & Choir Competition

Just arrived from our 2023 Music in the Parks competition in St. Louis, MO. Two bus loads of students, chaperones, and parents left St. Ann this past Friday morning for the trip with many, many families following along.

The band competed in honor of their band director, John Baum, who is in Worthington, PA recovering from a major stroke. Through the work of Mr. Baum with help from Mr. Dakota Dooley (band director at SBA who is substituting for Mr. Baum), and Mr. Ryan Cooper, the band earned 1st place in the competition with their rendition of "The Thunderer" and "Scorpion."

The choir earned 3rd place in the competition with their rendition of "Sanctus" and "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening."

Congratulations to the band and choir for the super performance. We are proud of you for your hard work and dedication to succeed together.

Sending out an extra special thank you to Mr. Cooper for directing both the band and choir in the competition.

All together, the St. Ann entourage consisted of about 150 good people who made the trek to St. Louis. Competition, pizza, swimming, games, Six Flags, food court, lots of bus travel, super crazy weather, and tons of drama made the trip an excellent adventure. Cannot be a middle school event without drama, even though most of the drama came from a parent or two who didn't even make the trip. Very bizarre how that happens. 

Want to thank all the chaperones for a fantastic St. Ann music trip to STL. The planning and organizing, travel, competition, torrential rains and tornado warnings, schedule changes, improvised plans, hotel guest complaints, and drama; but most importantly the shared support and friendships made this trip an extremely memorable one in a very good way for everyone involved. Love the great laughs we had. There’s no substitute for laughter. I appreciate all you did for the children and St. Ann. Looking forward to the next trip, but only after some much needed rest!

God bless you and love to all!

Didier Aur, Principal

St. Ann Website

Previous Blog: Receiving the Sacraments

Receiving the Sacraments

One of the most rewarding events for Catholic school administrators is when our students receive the sacraments. For this school year, our 8th graders were Confirmed back in January.  In two weeks, our 2nd graders will receive First Communion. In the past couple of weeks, our 2nd through 8th graders participated in Reconciliation. In between, several of our students, some non-Catholic and some Catholic but new to St. Ann, have decided that they would like to become Catholic or receive the Sacraments they have missed. These students have now been Baptized, received First Communion, and/or Confirmed in the Catholic faith.

With some of our non-Catholic students becoming Catholic, they also bring their families into the Church through RCIA. I have to believe that a big reason this is happening is because we are setting a great example of our faith through our daily actions. I'm not talking just about the actions and faith of the faculty and staff, I'm talking about all who enter our building on a daily basis consisting of students, parents/grandparents, volunteers, and church staff including all who attend the Friday school Mass with the students. We all set a great example of faith through prayer and deeds to our work for the Catholic Church.

I would like to give a special shout-out to everyone on the church and school staff who make certain all students are prepared to receive the Sacraments. Thank you to Fr. Ernie, Kathy Schober, Melodee Pohl, Katie Dyer, Brittany Martinez, and Kelly Pettit at the church office for all the preparation in making the Sacramental events happen. Thank you to our teachers who work with our students in sacramental preparation; this includes all the teachers from PK3-8th grade who teach religion with a special shout-out to Carol Caesar for making sure all the middle schoolers preparing to receive the Sacraments are ready.

A final thank you goes out to all the parents who entrust us to teach our Catholic beliefs to the children in preparation of receiving the Sacraments.

God bless you and Happy Easter,

Didier Aur, Principal

Vocation with Love

Pope Francis once wrote, "There is a kind of beauty, one that is unrelated to appearances or fashion, in men and women who pursue their personal vocation with love, who act selflessly for their community, for their nation, who work hard at building a happy family, who advance social harmony with selfless and unrecognized efforts."

When I read this, I thought of the educators I work with every day. St. Ann is fortunate to have many outstanding educators who give their heart and soul to educate our youth. They live out their vocation with love daily.

My favorite responsibility as principal is to perform classroom observations because I get to see the educators and learners in action. This is probably the least favorite part of my teachers' day. It is a contrast of opposites.

Not sure who I'm amazed by more, the educators or the learners. They all do incredible work, both appear to live their vocation. They also take pride in doing great work; outcome is important to both groups. Doing well is an expectation.

Here is a quick review of the great classroom activities I witnessed this past week while performing classroom observation.

Ms. Seller's PK3 class, the students were learning how to write the letter Q.

Ms. Farm's PK4 class, the students were learning about insects using the Scholastic Big World magazine.

Coach Angotti's PE class, the PK3 students were doing yoga.

Mrs. Morgan's PK4 class, the students were working on shapes and sorting using coins, legos, Play-doh, blocks, drawings, and IXL.

Ms. Green's art class, the PK4 students were working on shamrock pictures getting ready for St. Patrick's Day.

Mrs. Jolly's kindergarten class, the students were writing a story on what they can do on a rainy day. Kindergarten students writing a story is pretty awesome.

Ms. Scarlett's art class, the 2nd graders were working on creating water color paintings about Spring time.

Mrs. Thomas' LIFE class, the 3rd graders were working on math, adding 3 double-digit numbers from word problems.

Mrs. Miller's 4th grade class, the students were working on book reports, Amira, IXL, writing, and math problems all at the same time with all students super-focused and getting the job done!

Mrs. Wendenon's SPARKS class, the 4th graders were working with robots.

Mrs. Langford's 6th grade math class, the students were working on converting fractions to decimals and decimals to fractions.

Ms. Caesar's 7th grade social studies class, the students were learning about U.S. geography and competing on naming the states.

There is no substitute for our vocation with love, which includes hard work, passion, dedication, and faith. That's what all these teachers have in common. What a great common denominator to have in those who are helping to shape the future.

I began with a Pope Francis quote, so I'll end with a Pope Francis quote. "Nothing exists by chance. Our relationship with God is what makes us great, it is our enthronement. By nature, we are practically nothing, by vocation, by calling, we are the children of the great King!"

God bless you and love to all,

Didier Aur

Previous blog: Linkin Galdonez: Caught in the Crossfire

Linkin Galdonez: Caught in the Crossfire

On February 5th, Linkin Galdonez, St. Ann Class of '17, was driving home from work at FedEx when two car loads of criminals decided it was time to start shooting at each other on I-240 near Perkins. Linkin was caught in the crossfire.

WREG.com has a news release about this incident including an interview with Linkin.

A bullet struck Linkin between the eyes and penetrated between two lobes of his brain. The operative word here is "between" and not through two lobes, which is a miracle in itself. Somehow, he survived, is making progress, and is able to tell the story of what took place. Sounds as if he is going to be okay but is not out of danger. Doctors have removed part of his skull and don't plan on replacing it until late spring. As of now, the bullet will remain in his head because removing it might cause more damage. Lots of rehab in Linkin's future.

Linkin Being
Transported Home

Sorry that Linkin and the Galdonez family are having to go through this. Unfortunately, bad things happen to good people.

His parents have started a GoFundMe page to help with expenses. Fortunately, the family is "planning on his future and not his funeral."

You can follow his father's Instagram page for updates on Linkin's progress. Lots of prayers and support are needed for Linkin.

Linkin's little sister, Izzy, is a current St. Ann student.

God bless you and love to all, Didier Aur

Recent Blog: Catholicity of St. Ann

Catholicity of St. Ann

Library Council

Seeing St. Ann in action this week made me thing about our school's Catholicity in action, virtue, and demeanor. Without trying to be all holier-than-thou and high and mighty, which I'm definitely not, thought I'd use this week's blog to highlight some of the Catholic things that take place at the school, which probably most people aren't aware of. Parents know about these and that's one of the many reasons they send their children to our school. What we do isn't exclusive to St. Ann, these are things done in just about every Catholic school. All Catholic schools do these but with their own little twist.

Here are a few of the things we do because we are a Catholic school.

We frequently receive prayer requests from St. Ann families. So, we pray for families in need of prayer.

Library Council

We have an unofficial faculty prayer warrior team. Whenever prayers are needed, a prayer warrior will text the rest of the group to ask for prayers.

St. Faustina Youth Society (SFYS) meets once a month after school to pray the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy. They also participate in service projects throughout the year. My personal favorite is the teacher prayer gift. They are also great supporters of Room in the Inn (RITI).

Last week, the 8th graders went to Ave Maria to play BINGO with the residents.

For the past couple of years, we have teamed up with Catholic Charities (CC) to assemble hygiene kits for distribution to those needing basic hygiene supplies. Every class is assigned a different hygiene product (tooth brush, tooth paste, soap, shampoo....) to bring in for the kits. There is usually a surplus of hygiene supplies that we will send to RITI.

Our students in the Library Council collect books and set up a library space for the children at RITI.

BINGO at Ave Maria

We host an annual Thanksgiving food drive for Dorothy Day House (DDH). Every class is assigned a certain food item to bring in so that we can assemble and deliver food baskets to the DDH families.

For our faculty religious retreat day this year, we spent that day split into three groups serving at DDH, CC, and RITI.

Throughout the year, we will have clothing drives for CC.

CC contacted us in the fall to say they were running short on peanut butter for the hundreds of families who come to them weekly for food. So, our 8th graders led a school-wide peanut butter drive as one of their Confirmation projects to benefit CC.

Every year, we host a candy cane sale to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Just like most every business, organization, church, and school in Memphis, St. Ann has a deep and personal connection with St. Jude.

Once a month, we pray an all-school Rosary together in the church. Every month, a different grade leads the Rosary. The February Rosary will be led by the 7th graders. This is for all students K-8.

Every morning and afternoon, we have student led school-wide prayer over the intercom system. The prayers include the WIT prayer (from Fr. David Knight), Act of Contrition, and Hail Holy Queen. The students of SFYS take turns leading the afternoon prayer.

On Fridays, we have our weekly all-school Mass attended by all students. Our January and February Masses have been led by our 5th graders. They serve as the readers, altar servers, gift bearers, and greeters.

Fr. Ernie has been leading our altar server training. So far, every 5th-8th graders has participated in the training. The 4th graders are next on the alter server training list.

Mass Buddies

This next event is one of my favorite things we do. For our weekly all-school Mass, the PK3 and 8th grade students partner up and are Mass buddies. The 8th graders go to the PK3 classroom to get their Mass buddies and they head off to Mass. They sit together at Mass and the 8th graders teach their PK3 buddies about the Holy Water, Sign of the Cross, genuflecting, kneeling, praying, and generally how to behave during Mass. It also helps the 8th graders behave properly at Mass because they have to set an example for their Mass buddies.

At our weekly all-school Mass, our school choir is in action leading our student body in singing the hymns. Well, they are leading the younger students in singing the hymns. The older students have somehow forgotten how to sing during Mass. It is some type of middle school disease.

At the beginning of the school year, the Knights of Columbus lead the annual Prayer Walk. We join together in prayer as we walk through the school asking for God's help and intervention for a wonderful and safe school year.

BINGO at Ave Maria

We have added two awards this year to recognize our students for being excellent examples of Christ-like behavior. The first is the St. Veronica Kindness Award. St. Veronica is the patron saint of kindness. This award is presented monthly to one student from each class for showing outstanding kindness towards his or her classmates. The other award is the St. James Good Deed Award. St. James the Lesser is the patron saint of good deeds. This is given at anytime for a student going above and beyond in performing a good deed. Students can be nominated by any faculty/staff member.

For many years now, we have presented the Fr. Oglesby Character Award. This award is presented to students who exhibit Christ-like characteristics such as kindness, thoughtfulness, and a caring attitude towards their teachers and fellow students.

Thought I'd share these with you so that you can learn a little more about the Catholicity of St. Ann and our students. Just like everyone else, we stumble and fall, but we do our best to stand up, dust off, learn from our mistakes, ask for forgiveness, and move forward.

Wishing you a fantastic week!

God bless you and love, Didier Aur

Previous Blogs:

Finally, An 8th Grade Volleyball Victory

Confirmation! Check!

Patience and Compassion

8th Grade Confirmation

Begin Again

Finally, An 8th Grade Volleyball Victory

8th Grade Winners, plus a Photo Bomber

A string of countless victories in a row by the St. Ann faculty over the students in the Student-Faculty Volleyball game has come to an end. So as not to be a biased reporter of the circumstances that led to this monumental faculty defeat, I have asked the PK3 students to be this week's guest blogger, and give their version of what took place on the court. Please keep in mind that the PK3 and the 8th graders are Mass buddies and reading partners, so they know each other pretty well. Here is the volleyball wrap up from their perspective. The PK3 students reported as one unified voice.

Best Volleyball Fans Ever!

As PK3 students, what we saw today was a fun and spirited match, even though the faculty performance was lacking. But, let's begin with the positives. The 8th graders won because they were more skillful, fitter, and mentally tougher. They were better organized in positioning and tactics. They utilized their 3-2-3 formation to their advantage by wearing down the faculty in the first game and a half. Coach Jennifer Podesta, the Bill Belichick of volleyball, had the 8th graders primed and ready for this victory.

Next Year's Opponents

Volleyball rookie sensation Kyle Lim was by far the best player on the court. He made the faculty look foolish and scared them with his powerful serves and pinpoint accuracy. The faculty was no match for what he had to offer. At one point, the other 8th graders watched in amazement as faculty members were falling all over themselves trying to get out of the way of his serves. Even though he never smiled, Kyle Lim was our hands-down MVP.

Rylee Hubbard, while playing with a broken knee and wearing a brace, was the heart and soul leader of the 8th grade team. She never once complained about the pain as she controlled the game from the middle. She was the PK3's MVP runner-up.

Coach Podesta Leading the Team

The combination of Huong Nguyen, Alison Winkelmann, and Abby Sones at the net was pure genius. They intimidated the faculty with their size, speed, and strength. With the faculty already on their heals, Coach Podesta expertly subbed in Andrea Romero, Brissa Suarez, and Victoria Paramo (aka Las Tres Amigas) to replace the front line and help put an end to the faculty members they faced. By communicating in both Spanish and Pig Latin, they totally confused their opponents. Custer had a better chance of surviving the Battle of Little Bighorn than the faculty did the 8th graders today.

Every 8th grader received five stars out of five rating from the PK3 students for their incredible performance. There was not one weakness on the team. Now, we see how and why our volleyball team went undefeated winning both the regular season and tournament championship.

Our favorite play of the match was Drew Battle's kick save and winner. Who needs hands in volleyball?! Our favorite player was Jacob Perez with his chest pounding and faculty taunting antics. Even though he couldn't see the ball because of his hair, he still managed to produce several points for his team.

For the faculty, Mrs. Jolly was their best player. We cannot wait to have her as our teacher. We are considering petitioning Principal Aur to let us skip PK4 and be promoted straight to kindergarten next year so she can be our teacher. She showed spunk, determination, grit, and poise out on the court with her incredible serving prowess and artful return of serve. She was the Carli Lloyd of volleyball. We need and want her as our teacher and leader.

Focused Determination

Now, for the weak spots. Where to begin? In the opinion of the PK3 students, we aren't sure what Coach Angotti was thinking when she put Mr. Gage and Principal Aur on the court at the same time. They both should have been benched before the game even started. We also feel that two-time MVP Mrs. Harty did not have her usual stellar game, and don't believe she has completely recovered from her recent tug-of-war injury. The dynamic duo of volleyball phenoms Farm and Ostrowski were not able to back their claim of a "guaranteed victory." We love Mr. Cooper but think that he should stick to singing and piano playing. Poor coaching and player execution, lack of leadership, and total unenthusiastic attitudes helped to bring about defeat. Beside Mrs. Jolly receiving a 4 out of 5 rating, the rest of the faculty team scored a 3 or lower. We would have given some of the faculty team members negative scores but having a pulse and breathing on your own gives a player at least a 1 star rating.

In all fairness, the battle was nip and tuck till the end. The faculty did win the first game rather handily behind the service game of Mrs. Jolly. They were leading the second game 15-10 when their overconfidence, lack of fitness, and the 8th graders' killer instincts kicked in. With the faculty thinking they had the game and match all wrapped up, that's when the 8th graders reeled off eight straight points and never looked back. In the tie-break game to 10, the faculty took a quick 4-1 lead. This is when MVP Kyle Lim stepped up and won the game with nine serves in a row. And, history was made.

Is This Really Happening?

As PK3 students, we observed that the faculty keeps getting older but the 8th graders are the same age every year. We look forward to dishing out the same type of punishment on the faculty nine years from now. So, Principal Aur might want to considering hiring some young guns to give us a challenge. 

Congratulations to the 8th graders for being the better team, fantastic Mass buddies, and wonderful reading partners. You earned the victory, and we love you!

Thank you for inviting us to be guest bloggers this week.

God bless you and love, the PK3 Students (aka Sellers' Stellar Scholars!)

Previous blogs:

Confirmation! Check!

Patience and Compassion

8th Grade Confirmation

Begin Again