Thursday, August 4, 2016

Annual Message to Stockholders and Parents

I am very pleased to be beginning my 36th year at MHS. We have had an extremely busy summer and are excited to welcome our students and faculty back to the campus.

Last year was an exciting year full of much progress. From State Championships in baseball (5th in a row) and boys’ basketball (3rd in a row) in athletics, to once again 100% of our graduates receiving college scholarship offers (6 years in a row) totaling almost 3 million dollars, to service opportunities that helped re-fill the food pantries at HOPE Ministry, sponsoring Jim Jaggers in his GO Jim GO bike ride for Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, to the spiritual growth of our student body through our monthly Chapel and Spiritual Emphasis weeks, and finally to many opportunities, too numerous to name, that allowed us to bond together even more as a school family (#NJASAF), we had a great year!

Our mission is to educate the whole child academically, morally, physically, and spiritually so that each one is challenged to grow and mature in knowledge, wisdom, and service. When we reflected on just a few accolades earlier, it is not difficult to see that we are succeeding in living out our mission statement. Academically – 100% of the last 6 classes earned college scholarships, ACT scores near the top of the MAIS – 15% of those taking the test scoring at 29 or above; Morally – doing the right thing to help those less fortunate through fundraising and service projects; Physically – winning State Championships and a tradition of athletic successes; and finally Spiritually – leading our students through chapel, spiritual emphasis weeks, FCA and Bible classes to a closer walk with our Lord; these are just a few of the ways our students, faculty, and administration live out our mission statement every day.

And while all of that is important and noteworthy, there’s even more that happens every day that goes unnoticed. Football players and cheerleaders that read and greet the Elementary students in the mornings, teachers who spend their weekends offering extra help on assignments, as well as support our athletic teams at home and on the road, to our parents and the Parent’s Club that give so unselfishly back to the school in service by running the Harvest Festival, Catfish on the Hill, raising money to provide the extras that the budget does not, and making sure the teachers are appreciated through goodies in the teacher’s lounges - all examples of what makes our school special.

However, this is not the exception but the norm. There will be even more this year. We are putting the finishing touches on sprucing up our food services area. Sodexo has hired a full-time chef to make sure our food services are equal to all other parts of our school. There are changes in our middle school (grades 5-6) building. Mrs. Cindy Hart is returning to the middle school to implement an inquiry-based science curriculum. She will also have a room adjacent to hers for lab experiments to complement her instruction.

Also in the middle school building will be a high school lecture hall for large class meetings as well as lecture hall style classes similar to what our graduates see during their first days on a college campus. Coach Patterson and Coach Coleman, two of our best instructors, will pilot their US Government and Economics classes in that setting this fall.


Among athletic improvements this fall will be the re-lighting of Cahill Field. New lighting will bolster the illumination from a previous high of 17cp to a uniform 40cp throughout the playing surface. You can help us with that project by contributing to our “From 2-bits to touchdowns – Under the Lights” Capital Campaign. Not only will the lighting be improved, but a new sound system and a new scoreboard will cap off the improvements. Look for details on how you can help coming soon.

MHS has also been invited by Apple to re-certify as an Apple Distinguished School. We will be completing our application where we must again demonstrate visionary leadership, innovative teaching and learning, ongoing professional development, flexible learning environment, and compelling evidence of success. I might add that not every school is nominated, much less selected. We are excited to again have this opportunity.

I hope that you are taking advantage of the many ways to follow us on social media to keep up with what’s going on at the school. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, our MHS website, and even our Magnolia Heights App, which is free in the Apple store.



Enrollment is again outpacing graduation; we are expecting over 650 students this fall, further evidence that MHS remains a solid choice for quality college preparatory education.

While it is true that we have come a long way, I pledge to you that MHS will continue to push the envelope in the days, weeks, and years to come. God has no doubt blessed us in extraordinary ways, and our responsibility is to continue to seek His will for our school, her students, parents, patrons, alumni, faculty, staff, and administration so that we can continue to educate the whole child, academically, morally, physically and spiritually, so that each one is challenged to grow and mature in knowledge wisdom and service.

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve as your head of school and God Bless.


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Class of 2016 Senior Challenge



As I do each year it is now my privilege to challenge the MHS graduating Class of 2016.

As I thought and prayed about what to say this year, there seemed to be three or four topics that bubbled to the top. And as I reflected more and more, I came to the realization that these topics were indeed what the Lord was impressing upon me to leave with you as you graduate from high school and begin the next journey of your life. They were: be a life-long learner, lead from your strengths, personal responsibility, and grit.

Life-long learner. A noted motivational speaker once said the person you’ll be five years from now will depend on two things: the people you meet and the books you read. Your learning must not stop with your graduation from high school or even college. Neuroscience confirms that our brains will begin to show signs of atrophy or loss of use if they are not exercised regularly, just like any other muscle in our body. The things you think you know are only a small part of the real body of knowledge. However, because of technological advances, it has never been easier to pursue and utilize new knowledge. Think Google?

To do that you must first allow your mind to expand and absorb new information. Clear your mind of assumptions and convictions so that you can be receptive to new information. Be eager to question new knowledge and research it further. After all, “everything on the Internet is true,” right? Think State Farm commercial.

However, as important as discernment is to life-long learning, so is preparing the mind. Just as farmers prepare their fields for the crops they plant, like farmers we must we must plant, water, and fertilize our minds to generate an area where information can burgeon and evolve. Your brains are like the farmer's soil. It needs irrigation. You must "water" daily to stimulate maturity in order to reap a bountiful harvest of information and enlightenment.

Many people are so consumed with their daily lives, that they are convinced there is no time to learn anything new. If we only do what is necessary to get by, we will inevitably fall into mediocrity.

Surround yourself with like-minded individuals and learn from them. Never be too pretentious, for each question you don’t ask is a missed opportunity!

I challenge you today to commit yourself to life-long learning, continue your education beyond MHS, and become a student for life. Use the world as your classroom. Every opportunity that comes your way, every person you meet, every mountaintop and every valley, will add to your collective wisdom. As I told my basketball players, there is no such thing as luck. Luck is preparation meeting opportunity. Be prepared for your opportunities. Life-long learning is one of the ways to prepare yourself.


Lead from Your StrengthsI recently read a blog that described leading from your strengths. The article highlighted Coach Vince Lombardi and his time with the Green Pay Packers. It said that he once held a four-day clinic for his coaches and spent two full days focusing on one play, the Power Sweep. Because of this one play, Lombardi,  and his team won five league championships, which also included the first two Super Bowls.

The same article recounted that in the 90’s, the Utah Jazz only ran eight plays during their reign in the NBA. Carl Malone and John Stockton executed the pick and roll so well that they were nearly unstoppable. When I coached, we also only ran a few plays, but we tried to execute them to perfection. If we ran them better than you could stop them, we won.

Other examples cited were Alexander the Great winning three major battles because of one perfected maneuver, the right flank.

This next one is one we are familiar with here at MHS. Apple is known for their wonderfully designed and easy to use products, which have made the company widely popular. 

In my experience as a coach here at MHS, my players will tell you that we had very few plays. But I learned from John Wooden, the legendary UCLA basketball coach, that we simply had to run our plays better than you could stop them. Every play was designed for success. It was up to my players to perfect the offensive or defensive strategy depending on their point of view. By the way, it worked for our basketball teams. We were blessed with incredible success during those years.

We live in a world that suggests we need more choices, more products, and be everything to everybody, but there is something very impressive about simplicity, precision, and leading with your strengths.

Ask yourself these questions. What are your talents? Where is your strength? What do you want to be remembered for?

Once you have those answers, you can begin to focus your time and energy on these areas, becoming a master of the fundamentals and becoming a stronger individual. 

Personal Accountability. In my leadership class here at MHS called LEAD, the students read a book titled QBQ; the Question Behind the Question by John Miller. It’s about personal accountability.

By taking ownership of situations and seeing them through, you will exercise personal accountability. You can’t blame others if and when things go wrong. Instead, you do your best with the situation you are dealt with. Instead of focusing on the problem, you focus on the solution.

In John G. Miller’s book, he speaks about what to ask of yourself to eliminate blame, complaining, and procrastination. He discusses how people tend to blame others for personal and professional troubles. Miller believes in personal accountability – taking responsibility for one’s actions, problems, and feelings instead of blaming others.

Miller believes in changing the questions we ask ourselves from negative (Why do we have to go through all this change? Or, Who dropped the ball?) to more solution-based “I” questions (What can I do to contribute? Or, How can I help solve the problem?)

Finally, GritAccording to Webster’s Dictionary, grit is the firmness of mind or spirit; an unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. I want to emphasize the resilient quality of grit. Grit is sticking with things over time and then working diligently to achieve it.

So far, the best idea I’ve heard about building grit in kids is something called “growth mindset” as opposed to a “fixed mindset.” This idea was developed at Stanford University by Carol Dweck, and it is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, that it can change with your effort. We even coined a term FAIL (First Attempt in Learning). It turns out the old adage “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” has merit. Students and adults that persevere are more likely to escape their “fixed mindset” (think of Winnie the Pooh’s Eeyore), and move on to success. GRIT helps develop resiliency - a growth mindset if you will. If you really want to learn something and are willing to pay the price, you will succeed. In Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Outliers, he says that everyone who is really good at something has practiced that something for about 10,000 hours.  He bases this on his study of great athletes, high achievers, and others who excel at a proficiency level that others cannot match. These are the people who have frequently gone on to success. Because when opportunity came their way, they already had the requisite skills.

So Class of 2016, remember it’s not luck. It’s not wishing and hope. As I used to tell my basketball players – it’s preparation meeting opportunity.

Prepare yourself by becoming a life-long learner, lead from your strengths, practice personal responsibility, and as Coach Jim Valvano said, “Never, never, ever give up.” As long as you have life, you have possibility and potential.

Thank you and God Bless.


Monday, March 28, 2016

Jake Moyer (1994-2016)

The MHS Class of 2012 lost one of their own last Thursday. Jake Moyer was tragically killed in an automobile accident not far from his home. He was 22 years old.

As classes go, Jake’s class, like others at MHS, is extremely close. It is always hard to understand why things like this happen, and I suppose this side of heaven we will never know. We do know, however, that Jake had surrendered his life to Jesus Christ, and last Thursday morning he went home to be with his Lord and Savior.

I thought the poem from his class read at his service today was poignant and reflects the love between him and all his classmates. It reminds us that our time is short no matter how much we have. It reminds us that we are to use our time to create a story worth reading. No, not everyone is going to write a book about their lives and sell it on bookshelves. But we all write a story through our lives that will be read by those around us. And through that, we have an opportunity to have an impact by touching just one other person. And that, by extension, will change the world. Jake’s story is complete in one sense, but in another, it will live on in our memories forever.


In Memory
From the Class of 2012

It broke our hearts to lose you,
but you did not go alone.
A part of us went with you,
the day God took you home.
If tears could build a stairway,
and heartaches make a lane,
we'd walk our way to heaven,
and bring you back again.
If life we loved you dearly,
in death, we love you still,
in our hearts you hold a place
no one could ever fill.

Rest in Peace Jake, and may God continue to comfort your family – the one you left behind at your home, and the one you leave behind at MHS.

 #NJASAF



Friday, March 4, 2016

Spring is in the Air



As we near the end of February, we all anxiously await warmer weather and the beginning of spring. Our fall and winter sports have finished up their seasons and have represented our school well. Our Varsity Boys basketball team and Coach Marc Dukes finished the year as State Champions in the Division II Class AAAA for the third year in a row!  The Varsity Girls Basketball team finished 4th in the Division II Class AAAA Tournament.


Our Boys Soccer team made history by advancing to the second round of the Division II Class AAAA playoff tournament losing a close game to Washington School the eventual state champion. These boys, along with their coaches Dusty Hughes and Will Morgan, have a lot to be proud of. They improved each week and by the end of the season were a formidable opponent.




As we turn our attention to spring activities, the calendars are full and we anticipate a great last term for our students. The 4th-grade students performed “The Great Chill” this week, complete with actors mimicking our own school staff. Fifth-grade students are busy working on stop animation videos with Mrs. Poe’s high school Projects class. Our high school STEM students will soon launch a weather balloon holding a GoPro camera. The Creative Writing students took a trip this week to the Rock and Soul Museum and Sun Studios in Memphis after studying the history of rock and roll.  Our students are provided opportunities every day to go beyond the classroom and enhance their learning experiences through hands-on opportunities.


Our annual Science Fair was also held this week. Students amaze me every year with their hard work and dedication to this important event. From finding new energy sources to new investment strategies, our students are making theirs and our futures brighter.



Soren Peterson and Pernille Grønbech wrote an article in 2012 called “Growing Up and Living in a Creative Economy” where they discussed the needs of our future generations and how they differ from generations in the past. They suggest that the paradigm of creative education as a subject has to change and move more in the direction of using it as "goal-directed play with the objective of creating and sharing meaning." It is necessary for our schools to change and recognize this process to better help our students in the future. “Developing creative individuals takes a society that values and promotes curious, proactive qualities, interdependence, responsibility, and accountability. The process of building these well-rounded citizens starts with kindergarten and continues throughout life…”

It is my goal that every student from 3K to high school will leave Magnolia Heights prepared for their future endeavors. As we begin registration for next school year, I am excited and anxious as to what the future holds for Magnolia Heights. #NJASAF (Not Just A School, A Family)