Summer is a lot like waiting in line for a roller coaster ride. Some of our kids just can’t wait to get in and start the ride and some are looking for the side exit hoping summer might last a little bit longer. The school year, like a roller coaster, is going to have its ups and downs.

You are going to feel like losing your cookies a couple of times. But, you will feel satisfied and relieved when you get to the end. For this month’s corner I want to highlight a few things that we sometimes take for granted and I want to start with my guiding theme for the year.

Each school year I try to come up with a mantra.

Something that will focus my efforts and help me prioritize my decisions and actions. A couple of years ago it was “Excellence isn’t an Accident” and last year was “You Can Make a Perfect System with Imperfect Parts.”

My hope is that when we start a new year with a new slogan, we don’t just drop the old ones. I still believe that none of us are perfect, but if we all are in it for our kids and we give each other some grace we can make a perfect school. I also think if you’re not trying to improve every day you shouldn’t expect to be excellent at anything. Excellence isn’t born of anything other than a willingness to grind until you get there and to keep grinding so you can stay there.

My theme for 2025-26 is “The Year of No Justs.” It is overly simple when you say it, but upon analysis it really pushes me. Think about the times you use the word “just” in your vernacular. It is almost always used to diminish yourself or others. It is a place holder. It lowers expectations and contains assumed excuses. How often have we heard, “she is just a freshman, he is just a custodian, they are just teachers, she is just a secretary.” This list can go on and on, but should it? Even worse is when you hear someone start with “I’m just…” When I hear “just a teacher,” I think of this year’s valedictorian address where a couple of teachers were given the credit for a young lady, with boundless potential, being ready for her next challenge. I think of the face of a young man the Monday after a big hockey game because his teacher thought he would love the experience. I think of a picture of our kids on a stage in Florida being crowned National Champions. There are examples all over our school that prove we don’t have one person who is “just a teacher.”

In my 28 years of working around kids I have learned that they will almost always clear whatever bar you set for them. Let’s quit using “Just.” It only lowers the bar. Celebrate when your student is challenged. If they are nervous about a big test that is a good thing. Instead of “He JUST doesn’t get it,” say “He doesn’t get it yet.”

It sounds the same, but in one phrase the work is over, and we are ready to quit and in the other the work is just beginning, and failure really isn’t an option. Help us have a year of “No Justs” at CPS. I think our students are really going to impress everyone.

To wrap up this corner I just want to give a shout out to those who keep school going during the quiet time.

Our custodial staff has spread enough paint to cover the whole town. We have made some changes in how we celebrate our accomplishments and we are ready, no we are excited, to show our kids their school. I am blessed with an office staff that keeps the ship floating and heading in the right direction.

As we work on budgets, roll from one school year to another, and get our kids' schedules plugged in, I think about all the hours and effort that goes on behind the scenes. For some of our staff you only notice our work when we make a mistake, so no noise is good news!

When you see our drivers, custodians, office staff, kitchen ladies, etc. please help me to let them know how much we appreciate them. It is a little cliché, but they truly are the bones of our school, and we couldn’t do it without them.

So, bring it on 25-26. Let the ride begin. We are ready!