Tuesday, December 20, 2011

On another note...

Despite recent reports of bad behavior, we also receive a lot of good news about the wonderful things so many of our DeKalb kids are up to. The Tucker Tigers are the latest example. These state football champions not only bring pride to DeKalb in the sports world, they bring pride in the realm of human compassion. Below is a thank you note to their coach holding them up as examples of the kind of young people we can be very proud of.

This is the thank you to Coach Stephens.

Coach,
Winning the state Football Championship is awesome but today at Midvale we saw true champions when we were visited by members of the Tucker Tiger football team. We have had five of your seniors, Gabe, Justin, Terrell, Robert and Brenden coming to the school each Thursday morning to mentor some of our little boys. The impact on the little boys will make a difference for the rest of their lives.
This afternoon, those players brought the other players, some cheerleaders, and Tuc, the Tiger to Midvale. They came with a play in mind. Four of the little boys are members of the same family and the family is one that has some real needs. The players brought gifts that they knew the little boys would love. We could tell this when the players were helping them put the toys together. There were tears in our little boys' mother's eyes as she watched.
A parent, Ms. Rivers, accompanied by the following: Ms. Landry, Ms. Brown, Ms. LaCroix, Ms. Campbell, Ms. Jones, Ms. Brewer and Mr. Griggs and
some others, brought the young men and women. We saw one of the reasons that these young men are so giving. Today is the birthday of the boys' mom. A comment was made as people were talking and it was discovered that Mom did not have a coat. Ms. Landry went out to her car and brought Mom a very nice coat and scarf. What a blessing!
Midvale is so appreciative of the example that you provide and the expectations that you have for your players. As you lead, they will follow and it appears that you are leading in the way they need to go.
Again Coach, thank you so much for all you do!

Gratefully,
Susan Wilson, Kia Billingsley, API, and Adrienne Griffin, Counselor


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Please add your own positive stories about the kids, teachers and staff in your area schools. We know there are many good things happening all around the county.

15 comments:

Cerebration said...

Dunwoody ES had a very successful canned food drive as reported in the Dunwoody Patch;

DES packs more than 2,900 canned food items for Hosea Feed the Hungry

Through Dunwoody Elementary School's canned food drive, students packed more than 2,900 canned food items to Kingswood Church for donation to Hosea Feed the Hungry.

Anonymous said...

Warren Technical School students and staff provided complete holiday meals for three families in need. They also collected canned goods and food to feed these families over the holiday.
The students in the Health Careers Class made cards and gifts for residents at an assisted living facility.
These students are learning how to share and give to others. That is a lesson that we can all benefit from learning.
May the Lord bless each of you in this wonderful holiday season.

Anon said...

Thanks for posting that! It really warms my spirit.

I hear nice things about the Tucker football coach and often see high school coaches that emphasize character as much as athletic ability. These are terrific models for our children.

Anonymous said...

Lakeside football coaches also provide fine role models: Of how to vanish after one year, two tops.

Anonymous said...

This is great mentoring by kids for kids and a very nice gesture for some folks that really seem appreciative of their generosity, thank you for sharing. I bet that Tucker bunch had just as much fun as the little ones they were mentoring. We could use more of this type of activity in public schools county wide for character building of youths and teens.

Anonymous said...

@3:01 PM

Funny, the other coaches stick around much longer.

While quality soccer players and cross country runners grow well, football players don't grow around Lakeside.

Anonymous said...

Chamblee football coach quickly and quietly gone.

Anonymous said...

Lakeside has had a very respected High School and College Football coach apply for the job 3 different times.

He coached at Auburn University, Cartersville High School and is currently the head coach at Peachtree Ridge High School.

He is also an alumnus from Lakeside AND still lives in the neighborhood! He had the support of the community also!

He has been turned down 3 different times! I doubt he wants to apply again.

Why?

He is not part of the friends and family!

Sad story for Lakeside and all of DeKalb!

Thanks DeKalb County School System for turning away intelligent, resourceful coaches and teachers who CARE about the kids and the school!

Cerebration said...

A bit of an aside, but interesting:

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Cerebration said...

This was a cute volunteering effort by the Lakeside band:

Lakeside High Band Rocks Opening Gig for Santa

Check out video of the school's band celebrating Mr. Claus' arrival at Northlake Mall last month. (At the Druid Hills PATCH)

Anonymous said...

If the guy has caught on with a school like Peachtree Ridge, there's no "doubt" about it, no way in Hades he would want to come sort out a mess like LHS football.

Anonymous said...

The point for this discussion is that he TRIED and APPLIED for the job.

Our protectionist, "Friends and Family" HR department looked inside for a new hire and our tax dollars have been wasted! AGAIN!

He is doing GREAT at Peachtree Ridge and I agree and seriously DOUBT he would come now.

Thanks for your input.
Say a prayer for us all!

BTW, does anyone know that Lakeside used to be a football powerhouse? The head coach was recruited away from Lakeside to coach at WESTMINSTER! A very affluent private school in Atlanta.

This is how things used to be in DeKalb! Don't you wish we could get back to our Proud former days?

Anonymous said...

Whole different world when the M-to-M transfer program is long gone, and you're relying primarily on in-district kids for a sport like football. LHS competing against, say, a Stevenson in football is as massive a talent mismatch as when those same schools play soccer or baseball. In both instances, the kids zoned to one of the schools simply don't care about that sport.

Cerebration said...

This is a cute item that has been floating around the internet quite a while:

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a meth lab had been found in an old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me the rhetorical question, "Why didn't we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?"

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young:

I was drug to church on Sunday mornings. I was drug to church for weddings and funerals. I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.

I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults. I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brough home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn't put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.

I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity. I was drug out to pull weeds in mom's garden and flowerbeds and cockleburs out of dad's fields. I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to mow the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood. And if my mother had ever known that I had taken a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and the effect my behavior in everything I do, say or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack or heroine; and if today's children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place.

God bless the parents who drugged us.

Anonymous said...

Amen to that sister Cere!
Merry Christmas to all the old DRUGGIES!
Lord knows we were drugged every day of our childhood!
Now we are the ones doing the drugging!