Charger Pride

During the first semester I had the opportunity to meet with 149 members of the faculty and staff for one-on-one conversations about Shorecrest culture and their careers. The experience has been humbling in many ways. One way has been the realization of how much more our faculty and staff want to do and how they want to Be More for our students. Another way has been hearing the passion my colleagues have for their careers. I am convinced that few businesses in the Tampa Bay Area have such a high percentage of people who on Sunday evening are looking forward to coming to work.

I have never doubted the dedication of the faculty and staff to their students and Shorecrest, but after 3,000 minutes or 50 hours of interviews I am prouder than ever before to be the Headmaster of our school. Our children, our families and I are fortunate to have so many dedicated and masterful people committed to educating and serving this community.

The final weeks of 2019 were packed with academic, athletic, arts and service activities. On top of our normal classroom schedule, some very special programs occurred.

• The Hour of Code hosted by Dr. Anna Baralt and Ms. Katy Deegan
• The Winter Band Concert Directed by Mr. Ethan Updike
• The Experiential School Holiday Concert Directed by Ms. Nikki Kemp and the Experiential School Team
• The Holiday Gift Drive sponsored by SCA
• Dozens of MS, JV and Varsity athletic competitions
• LS project shares
• Early college acceptances
• Exam prep and support
• Holiday parties
• End of year Annual Fund and Transform outreach

I have no doubt that the success and groundwork that faculty, staff, students and family volunteers have done during the first five months of the year will lead to even more success and positive development in the coming months.

I am particularly proud of the patient efforts I observe and hear about our teachers and staff. It takes a special person to realize that it takes all 175 lessons before a child will reach the goals set in August. It takes a dedicated director to realize that hundreds of hours of practice may be necessary to teach someone who has never danced to wow an audience in a musical performance. It takes a dedicated coach to motivate and support a team throughout a season filled with high expectations and serious competition. It takes patient and compassionate people to support the child who has made a mistake so a lesson can be learned but the spirit not be broken. I am proud to be around special professionals who are committed to their students every day.

We all know that not every moment is perfect at school any more than they can all be perfect in our homes. Our children are going through normal stages of growth and exploration. Some of the steps along the way can be painful. I recently read an amusing but insightful statement about overprotecting our children. “Want to hear God laugh? Try to protect your child from all discomfort.” Experienced educators and childcare specialists know that the expression, “No pain, no gain,” is true in life as well as in physical conditioning. I am proud to be surrounded by professionals dedicated to helping our students learn to manage the stress in their lives and to become strong, resilient people ready to face the unknown future.

We will soon be re-enrolling over 900 students. We will also be enrolling well over 100 new students. Even with the high ranking we receive from Niche, “Newsweek,” and other ranking organizations, the most important ranking comes from our students and their families. We are pleased to partner with our families and look forward to an exciting second semester with all of you.

Happy New Year and Cheers!

Mike