Homecoming Week, 2009

On Friday I attended the exhibition hockey match vs. Fr. Ryan which we won 10-4 and then went straight to the football game against Brentwood HS which we lost. One of the really good things about both games, despite the fact they were a good drive from here, is that there were a lot of you at each venue, cheering on the Knights, supporting your classmates. The blue man group was there, though a bit smaller in number, and as I said hi to them on their way in, they all showed me their ticket stubs for the night with big smiles on their faces.

When I arrived at JPII last year and spoke to many of you about what’s right and wrong here, many of you said that school spirit was lacking. I don’t sense that now. What I’ve seen in the stands, at our opening football game, at Gallatin High School, what I’ve seen at pep rallies, what I saw from the teachers and the laughter at the assembly last week, what I saw again on Friday night tells me that school spirit is alive and well. And as much as we all want to win—and if you sit next to me at a sporting event you’ll quickly see and hear I am as competitive as you are—school spirit isn’t about attaching our loyalties and support to a team only if they’re competing for championships; rather, it's supporting our classmates, regardless of record, because they represent us, because we are proud of them and proud of our school.

This is homecoming week. In addition to the dance on Saturday and our homecoming game on Friday, we’ll be having a huge bonfire/pep rally on Thursday night. This is a new tradition at JPII and I hope to see all of you there. We also have volleyball games this week, freshman football games, girls’ soccer, a golf match, and a cross country competition. I hope you will use this week to celebrate our school spirit by attending many of these contests and cheering for your school and your classmates.

I am proud of this school. I am proud my two younger children attend here, proud that I am your headmaster, proud of you and all the amazing things you do, whether that’s as a student, as athlete,, as a musician, actor, artist or whatever your talent. Even while we work, even while we study, let’s have fun this week.

GO KNIGHTS!