 I used to watch the World Series of Poker all the time (before I had kids and had nothing but time). Don’t ask me why, but something about a bunch of unknowns sitting around a table, everyone with a shot to win it all, fascinated me. When they go all in, the audience holds their collective breath during that big make-or-break moment. Some times they win big, and some times its just not in the cards…but one thing’s for sure, when it comes to poker, all you need is a chip, a chair, and a chance.
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 It all started on a snowy morning on January 28th. School was called off and everyone was pumped! Who doesn’t love a snow day?!
 ...People use a lot of catchphrases to describe things that happen. The older I get, the more I find myself turning to a few of my favorites: 1) hindsight is 20/20, and 2) everything happens for a reason. The more I think about it, the more I realize that they also help each other out. Everything happens for a reason, sure! But we usually only realize that after the fact, because hindsight is 20/20.
I was going to talk about another catchphrase people tend to use when things don’t go as planned - how life never fails to throw us curveballs. At the very moment we think we have everything lined up perfectly, and things are finally starting to fall into place, something happens to mess it all up. It never fails...  ...What I’ve realized in my very short, but very involved year at Zion is that there seems to be an ever-increasing desire for students to get more out of school than just an education. I guess it shouldn’t come as any surprise that, this day and age, people are looking for that human connection, and they are looking for that connection in school.
As I’ve talked with students who have transferred in, the thing I’ve heard from both them and their parents is that they finally feel safe and accepted. They don’t have to worry about bullying anymore, or whether or not their child’s teacher will do right by their student...  Picture it! It’s 1957 and Dr. Seuss has just completed what will become one of the most famous Christmas tales of all time! A TV movie would follow a decade later, followed by a live action film in 2000. Fast forward to 2018 and we have been blessed with yet another version of the classic tale. And while each puts their own spin on the story, one thing remains – each and every time – the Grinch STEALS Christmas!
‘Tis the season afterall. If you really think about it, there’s a lot of “stealing” during the holiday season. Artists take old Christmas songs and turn them into their own. Directors take old 50s movies and put their own spin on them. Administrators take old Christmas poems and turn them into something else entirely…Wait, what?  We’ve all heard the saying “when it rains, it pours” and we have probably felt that way on more than one occasion. Usually, this phrase comes with negative connotations. Being the daughter of a farmer, I am well aware that nothing ruins a wonderful fall day like rain, especially when the raining turns into pouring...
 Last week (17th – 21st) was Zion’s 1st annual safety week – a time when we take extra time to ensure that all of the students know the proper procedures for all of our “crisis management” protocols that we have in place to keep our students safe. After all, there are fires to the left of us and hurricanes to the right. Here we are – stuck in the middle again.
 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
In 1991, Kevin Costner starred in a little flick called Robin Hood, and while I haven’t seen it in a while, there is one scene that is unforgettable. Robin Hood and Jon Little are fighting in the river and, after some effort, Robin Hood gets Jon Little. “Do you yield?” Robin says again and again, dunking Jon under the water. “Yes!” Jon finally screams, afraid he will drown. “Good” says Robin, “now put your feet down.” Jon Little yields the river he controls, to Robin Hood - not because Robin Hood was the better man, and not because he wanted to. He yielded because he was afraid – afraid to drown.  Preparing the Next Generation of Little SuperheroesAs we continue to get ready for the 2018-19 school year, thoughts of superheroes continue running through my head. I mean, if you really think about, nothing does a better job of embodying the theme “Be Strong, Be Brave, Be Fearless” like a good old-fashioned righter of wrongs.
 We’ve all heard it said, and coming up with an example that proves the rule is a little bit more difficult sometimes, but it doesn’t make the saying any less true, ‘cause you know what they say – “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”
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