As I write this post late Wednesday evening, the start of school is fewer than ten hours away. One of my college football coaches used to say on the eve of a game, “The hay is in the barn,” meaning that all the work had been completed. That is how I feel right now regarding the start of the 2011-12 academic year. Similar to the planning before a football game, all the preparations have been made here on campus, and we are ready to “kickoff” the school year. The buildings and grounds look terrific; I greatly appreciate the efforts of faculty, staff, and administration in preparing rooms, buildings, indoor and outdoor spaces, and accompanying plans and schedules. In my time here, I don’t think the overall classrooms have looked as great as they do right now in terms of the actual physical state of the classrooms coupled with the teachers’ decorations. We had a wonderful Pilot and Sixth Age "Popsicle Party" earlier today, and the enthusiasm from the students and parents was contagious. In fact, I do not think I will sleep well this evening...just too excited for the opening handshakes. Here we go!!
