Pride. Passion. Purpose.
Petal School District’s superintendent Dr. Matt Dillion introduced the district’s new theme to his staff during their opening meeting Monday morning. Then I got up and spoke.
There’s something I about a new school year that I love. Maybe it’s new school supplies. I love new school supplies. Or it could be the freshly waxed floors. That’s the janitor in me. But I think it’s really just that you start with a clean slate for the year. You can feel the energy.
Pride. Passion. Purpose.
I thought about those three words as I started to speak.
Pride is the foundation of who you are. For a school, pride can emanate from academic achievements, sports victories or even just community support. Friday nights in the South are the epicenter of a small town. I remember wearing my Sprayberry High School letter jacket with huge pride.
But what does pride do? Pride makes you stand up taller. Pride gets you out of bed when you want to sleep in. Pride in your family. Pride in your name. Without it, your castle is built on sand.
Passion is life’s secret sauce. Take two people who are equal in every way but passion. The one with it will succeed. The one without it won’t. I’m seen it on the field, in the classroom and in business. It’s what drives you when you’re too tired to go on. It’s what makes work play. Passionate teachers who help kids achieve more than they are capable. Coaches who help players play over their head. Passion is the x-factor. It’s hard to teach. It’s just something that has to come from your heart.
Purpose is focus. Unfocused light gently bathes the world. Focused light is a powerful laser that cuts through challenges. It’s setting your goals in every aspect of your life. For schools, administrators can provide that kind of leadership. Teachers give their students their goals. Students need to learn self discipline. Purpose is why we are here on this Earth. It allows us to focus our efforts toward that. We all should have purpose in our lives. It allows us to overcome challenges. It’s the destination of our lives’ road map. Germantown High School (in Madison County) has a theme, “One for the Record Books.) This is their fifth year. They have pride. They have passion. And to set and achieve high goals is their purpose.
Pride. Passion. Purpose.
I applaud Dr. Dillion and Petal Schools for starting off the year with such ambition. I also cheer on Germantown as they work on getting even better. And as I finished speaking in Petal, I really thought how the three PPPs could affect my family for the better.
I think they’d almost be as amazing as new school supplies.