THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!–Blankenship–Steele–Vinson

As the first semester ends, I would be remiss not to say “THANKS!-THANKS!-THANKS!” to every Faculty, Staff & Student at White Oak High School.  I have shared before, “there are no secrets to Success!”  Success is doing the things you know you should do!——-and——–Success is not doing the things you know you should not do!

In the area of Athletics, I need to PRAISE Coach Tracy Blankenship in providing the Leadership, Knowledge and Support needed for a ” Total Athletic Program !”  I watched Coach Blankenship and his Staff accept the challenge of the difficult—or as Phillips Brooks states—-“Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers.  Pray for powers equal to your tasks.  Then doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.”

This fall our student/athletes functioned under Longfellow’s words—“Doing what you do well, and doing well whatever you do!”  We do have GREAT athletes, but we have athletes that do a GREAT JOB!”  Our coaching staff continually develops every part of our student/athletes lives—Body, Mind, Heart, Spirit & Soul.  10-15 years from now our young men and women will remember the Character, Values, Honesty, Humility, Faith, Courage, and most of all LOVE that was taught to each of them by their teacher/coaches. 

Our student/athletes have learned the meaning of WORK!  It is realizing that nothing happens wntil people go to work.  They were shown that WORK done well opens doors to new opportunities and paves the way to successes and bigger and better things. 

Our student/athlete has learned how to think.  They are learning to realize “as man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”  By setting no limits to your thinking our young men and women have big thinking precedes big achievement.  They have taught our student/athletes that success is not forever and failure isn’t fatal. 

Our teacher/coaches do not suffer from the “Peter Principal!” According to the peter principal, people tend to rise to their level of imcompetence.  This principal would let a White Oak teacher/coach off the hook——Not So @ WO!  Our teacher/coaches are committed to helping  everyone win!  When someone fails, they accept responsibility for that failure.  It is so refreshing to be a part of the White Oak Family as we all remember our main job is to help our people succeed in our goals—-and to realize when we people accomplish their goals and win, everyone wins!

ANOTHER—

THANKS!  THANKS!  THANKS

In the area of Band and Choir, Jason Steele and Ruthie Vinson have brought these programs this year to areas most people are scared to go——————————-because they might they be asked to go there again.  They have shown each of the members how to discover their best talents, skills and abilities.  Steele and Vinson have shown their students how to harness FEAR.  Fear, like the wild horse that needs a tight rein, for it is both friend and foe, both good and evil and to be successful they had to be taught how to master it.  They learned how to master the  fear of insecurity, defeat and failure  as a lash and spur to high achievement.  Our band developed into a Division I Band by practicing the principle of “Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain!” 

It is obvious that these two fine instructors have taught our students to make the most of themselves by fanning the tiny spark of possibility within themselves into the flame of achievement.  They have seen each moment of your life is a brush stroke in the painting of your life.  There are the bold, sweeping strokes of one increasing dynamic purpose—being something bigger than yourself.  There are the lights and shadows that make your life deep and strong.  There are the little touches that add the stamp of character and worth——the Art of Achievement is the art of making like—your life—a masterpiece!

Merry Christmas to all and may God be your LIGHT in 2010!

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