I typically won't bore you with personal information, but this was a pretty neat way for my son Travis to finish his sophomore basketball season this past Saturday night (March 3, 2007).
http://yalebulldogs.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/recaps/030407aac.html
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Friday, March 2, 2007
WASC Visit
Our WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation visit will be held Monday through Wednesday of next week. We have a team of five people who will be reviewing the self-study document that has been prepared and also our list of the areas we want to work on over the next few years (action plan) to improve the ministry here at Orange Lutheran. Thank you to everyone who contributed in developing our self-study document through surveys, committee work, or focus groups. Orange Lutheran is a special place, and it is an honor to share what goes on here everyday with those who visit us.
Character Moment from February 28
When I came to Orange Lutheran 10 years ago, people asked me about what I thought our academic program could become. Over the first 25 years of the school’s existence, many graduates had attended colleges and universities around the country. I wanted this to continue, so that our high school is a place where students can get there from here. That destination is really about the school helping our students develop the gifts God has given them. Placing an emphasis on excellence in academics is a value that is critical to the success of our school.
To attain this value, Orange Lutheran will strive to hire great teachers who are passionate about their discipline. We will continue to provide them with the resources to accomplish great things with their students. We will create an environment and a climate in our school that is conducive to learning, and we will support our students with the resources and strategies that help them reach their full potential. It has been wonderful to see the places God leads our students upon graduation.
A few years ago as the mission and values were developed and shaped, the discussions were lively. Helping students grow into the people God desires them to be, helping them become people who were known for their character, and helping them reach their academic potential were all fairly obvious goals. We wanted to go a step further though and really emphasize those things that occur outside the classroom as well. Thus our third value was established – that we emphasize excellence in competition and performance.
Competition deals with all of those areas in which we compete. Athletic teams, groups, and clubs that compete with other schools fall under this area. Performance deals with all those activities in which we perform. Activities like the fine arts – vocal and instrumental music, drama, musical theater, and the visual arts are all areas of performance. In identifying these areas as a value, we are saying that in whatever our students do outside the classroom, we want them to do it at the highest level. We will provide experiences for our students to compete against the best teams, perform pieces that grow their abilities, and create works that exhibit the gifts God has bestowed on each of us.
Our mission and values are the guide by which we do all things here at school. If we do something that doesn’t help us reach our mission and values, it is not worth doing. As students and faculty, we need to be people that assist in raising these values to the highest levels.
Character Moment from February 21
As I mentioned last Wednesday, we will have a WASC accreditation visiting team on campus in a few weeks. This is an event that occurs every six years. Our team, made up of five educators, from both public and non-public schools will be here to review our self-study document and determine if we have clearly communicated a real picture of Orange Lutheran High School
A core value helps guide all actions in an organization. It defines who we are and what we strive to be about. It is the glue that holds us together in times of change.
The first of our core values is excellence in Christian character development. What we mean by this is that we strive to be a people that display character qualities in a Christ-like way. Out of all of the character qualities that could be emphasized, we pay special attention to three: respect, honor, and service.
In the area of respect we emphasize respect for God, for others, and for His resources. We emphasize appropriate conduct in the hallways and good manners. We expect all of our students to use words of courtesy like: Yes, No, Please, Thank you, and proper eye contact when speaking to others.
We also expect our community to be known as a people who are honorable. This is carried out inside and outside of the classroom. Valuing honor and striving to develop this characteristic shapes our school culture in such a positive way.
We also promote service to others. A person who serves is one who is connected to something much bigger than themselves. Christ said this was a fundamental teaching. “I have come not to be served, but to serve.”