Hi Everyone,
This past weekend the topic of losing, and losing streaks in particular, has been on my mind a bit for reasons that are mostly light-hearted and fun, but also includes one that generated some food for thought related to the world of youth sports. Starting with the most silly reason I thought about losing streaks this weekend - every year I share through Grey Matters the announcement of that year’s winners of the annual MacArthur Genius Grant. Here’s a list for this current year’s recipients and a description of their notable deeds and pursuits. And every year I also tell myself and all of you (completely in jest if you had any doubts) that I was probably once again choice #26 for a prize awarded to 25 individuals and lamenting aloud what I could have done at and for RJ Grey with the no-strings $625,000 check that accompanies the prize. Shifting to a losing streak that is actually real and a bit painful, but still not terribly important in the grand scheme of things, is my personal experience with attending postseason Red Sox games at Fenway. This past Saturday I had the good fortune to attend Game 2 of the ALDS series between the Red Sox and Yankees. This was the fourth postseason Red Sox game I’ve now attended and the Red Sox have now lost all four of those games (the first was in 2003 in the game where Pedro Martinez grabbed then 72-year old Don Zimmer by the face and threw him to the ground). If the Red Sox make it through this series, I’ll actually have the chance to attend a game during the League Championship series and I am giving serious thought to staying home for the sake of Red Sox Nation. Then again, my personal playoff losing streak doesn’t compare to Red Sox pitcher David Price’s now record-setting and more significant playoff woes, where the game I attended on Saturday was his 9th straight postseason loss. Another, and my favorite, story of “loss” this weekend was about the recently auctioned off painting by anonymous street artist Banksy. Immediately after one of his Girl with Balloon pieces was sold at a Sotheby’s auction for $1.4 million, the piece “self-destructed” in front of the entire room of bidders by way of a shredder that was apparently hidden within the frame (see above photo to the right). When I read the news story, I immediately wondered if the anonymous buyer gets a refund. But as the New York Times notes, the shredding prank may actually serve to elevate the value of the piece itself, along with other future Bansky pieces. So maybe not really a loss after all for the buyer.
And finally, a story that I’ve been following recently and wanted to share is about parents in St. Louis who sued their school district when their son did not make the school’s soccer team. Unlike the previous playful items I’ve discussed above, I mention this story because I think it offers some opportunity for ongoing self-reflection about the world of youth sports - an arena in which many of us within the community are deeply invested and entrenched. Case in point: I know that Melisa’s and my weekend of dividing and conquering eight youth sports matches/tournaments was likely very similar to how many of you spent your time. The decision by the parents in St. Louis to file a lawsuit over their son’s soccer tryouts can probably still be considered on the extreme end of parental responses to this kind of “loss”, and I wonder how many of us aren’t shocked by the story. The arguments and feelings presented by all involved (the parents, the school, the coach) that are described within the article will, I predict, seem fairly familiar to many of us and speaks to the intensity and high-stakes nature that has been attached to youth sports and represents competing ideas about what’s in the best interest of kids. This a larger topic with a lot of layers and probably a longer conversation for another time, and I wanted to pass along the article as something you might consider discussing when sitting on the sidelines with other parents and guardians.
Here’s a few reminders and updates to keep in mind for the next few weeks:
Interim reports for the Fall Trimester are scheduled to be sent around October 22 or 23. I will include in next week’s Grey Matters a summary of the intent of interims and what families might expect as part of those forms.
Halloween is Wednesday, October 31 and so I’ll include a note in an upcoming Grey Matters about our school’s Halloween Dress Up Day tradition. This will include a reminder about how to help your students enjoy the event (should they choose to participate) while also being thoughtful in their choice of costume/outfit.
Remember that this week RJ Grey is serving as a drop-off location for bath towels and hand towels that you want to donate to Household Goods of Acton, an organization that provides a full range of donated furniture and household items, free of charge, to help people in need make a home. Household Goods is hoping that members of our community can help them collect enough towels to give to 2,500 families this year. Throughout this week you can bring gently used towels to RJ Grey and drop them off in the collection bins located in our front lobby. For more information about Household Goods, you can visit them at 530 Main Street in Acton, or view their website at householdgoods.org.
Students from 8 Gold are sponsoring a bake sale this Friday, inspired by their "In the News" question last week. The bake sale will support UNICEF's tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia, including reuniting children with their families and providing food and water to those in need. All items at Friday's bake sale will cost $1, and there will be gluten free and nut free options available.
A quick correction from last week’s Grey Matters. Our current Artist of the Month is Mariana Maranga - I incorrectly listed Mariana’s first name. Apologies and congrats (again), Mariana!
Tomorrow morning, parents and guardians of 8th grade students will be getting an email from me about an upcoming assembly on October 22 that is intended to strengthen our efforts in the area of suicide prevention and education. Along with continuing the Signs of Suicide lesson and screening in 7th grade, we are planning to include this presentation by the organization Minding Your Mind as an opportunity to remind and expand our students’ familiarity with signs and symptoms of depression and suicidal thinking, and reinforce the message that our students can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of taking to a responsible adult about their concerns. When you receive the email tomorrow (8th grade parents/guardians), I would appreciate your taking a few minutes to read and review.
Finally, I want to continue to highlight for families our ongoing work to provide meaningful outdoor spaces at RJ Grey for our students and staff. Two years ago we converted one of our inner courtyards into a space that is now the site of eight raised beds where our students have helped us plant and harvest a variety of items ranging from arugula and cherry tomatoes, to kale and carrots. We’re continuing to find ways that our students can be involved in the garden as part of their classroom and extracurricular experiences. In addition to the garden, we are thrilled that the inner courtyard now has a “Zen Garden” that was designed and built entirely by 8 Red Science teacher Andy Thompson. Andy and I admittedly took the “if you build it, they will come approach” and hoping that teachers will bring students to this space when being outside can offer a bit of extra inspiration, or just a bit of calm, while finishing a book, starting a journal entry, or sketching a design for an art class. Many thanks to Mr. Thompson for his vision and physical labor this summer when it came to actually clearing the shrubs, digging the trenches, and building this newest addition to our school landscape.
Have a great week, everyone.
Cheers,
