GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!
Smith Graham Named as A Nation Merit Scholar Finalist! Congratulations Smith!!!
The National Merit® Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®)—a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements.
Of the 1.6 million entrants, some 50,000 with the highest PSAT/NMSQT® Selection Index scores qualify for recognition in the National Merit® Scholarship Program. In September, these high scorers are notified through their schools that they have qualified as either a Commended Student or Semifinalist. In February, some 15,000 Semifinalists are notified that they have advanced to Finalist standing.
GHS FCCLA Students Advance to State- Congrats to Abigayle Yates, Kaycee Dunnam, Maddie Paulson, Mandee Paulson, Sadie Walls, Calder Seebeck, Lizbeth Anaya and sponsor Cara Echols!!!
Lady Blues Basketball Completes a Successful Season! Congrats to the Lady Blues and to Coach Ky Graham on a successful season!
Graham Steers Basketball Earn Playoff Berth!- Congrats to the Graham Steers and Coach Marcus Morris. The team will be in action this coming Tuesday vs Brownwood at Clyde. Hope to see you there!
San Angelo Stock Show Results- Sale Qualifiers: Riley Wyatt 1st place-$7,000 and Feli Werner 1st place-$1,000. Placing Pigs- Heather Cash- 8th, Garrison Stovall- 8th, Terry Don Wainscott-4th, Jordan Crago-4th, Kenzie Gough-3rd, Kimber Pratt-8th, Cameron Pratt-5th, Levi May-8th, Riley Langford 3rd & 10th, Sadie Walls-5th, Tucker, May-3rd, Toby Moore-8th, Creed Jordan-9th. Top 15-(honorable mention)- Hayden Leach, Boston Brewer, Preston Collins, Alee Alvidrez, Tyler Walls
Lady Blues Golf- Good luck at the Snyder tournament this weekend!
Lady Blues Softball @ Clyde Tonight- Good luck!
Graham Steer and Lady Blues Powerlifting- Good luck at Iowa Park on Saturday!
Graham Steer Baseball- Scrimmage vs FW Benbrook and Alumni Game on Saturday.
Graham FFA @ San Antonio Stock Show- Good luck to the students and their projects (7 pigs and 2 commercial steers) at the stock show!
Student Voice Volunteer Pilot- I am looking for a small group of teacher volunteers to meet to discuss the concept of student voice. If you would be interested, please email me.
Mixed Messages
“SPEAK CLEARLY IF YOU MUST SPEAK AT ALL; CARVE EVERY WORD BEFORE YOU LET IT FALL” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
This past Tuesday was Valentine’s Day! It’s a day for flowers, candy, and greeting cards with sweet messages. It’s a day for using words like, “sweetie”, “honey”, and “baby doll”. On this day, most of us will be on our best behavior with the one we love. On other days, however, disagreements, arguments, or “knock-down-drag-out” fights can result from one or the other sending mixed signals.
A mixed signal is defined as “…an unclear message often contradicting a situation.” Mixed signals can be sent whenever human beings interact. The Internet is full of stories of confusion that results when a person sends a mixed message – some with funny results and others with more serious consequences. For instance, I read of a man who swore that he once saw a tombstone in a cemetery that read, “Nothing is written in stone.”
In another, a farmer wanted to express his love to his wife, so he drove his tractor around his field to make a giant love heart, but the heart was made from spreading cow manure in the field. There was no report of which message his wife received!
Supposedly, Neil Marten, a member of the British Parliament, was once giving a group of his constituents a guided tour of the House of Parliament. During the course of the visit, the group happened to meet Lord Hailsham, who was then Lord Chancellor, wearing all of the regalia of his office. Hailsham recognized Marten among the group and cried, “Neil!” Not daring to question or disobey, the entire band of visitors dropped to one knee!
Finally, one last story. J. Edgar Hoover ran the FBI, no question about it. As a result, almost all of his subordinates were on the lookout for ways to impress the boss. A young man who was in charge of the FBI’s supply department wanted to impress Mr. Hoover by cutting costs. On his own, he reduced the size of the memo paper they used, and soon a message on one of the new memo sheets ended up on the boss’s desk. After a quick look, Hoover determined that he did not like the size of the margins on the paper and quickly scribbled on the memo, “Watch the borders.” His message quickly filtered out to other agents, and for six weeks it became extremely difficult to enter the United States from Mexico or Canada!
These examples of mixed messages bring a smile to our faces. However, not every example of a mixed message is funny. Educators are getting some mixed signals from the state Capitol these days; sometimes in the same speech. In the Governor’s State of the State speech, he left many people scratching their heads. For instance, many of us remember that the state franchise tax was created in 2006 and all of its proceeds were dedicated to public education to off-set the state’s reduction of the school property tax by one-third. While the tax has never met its goal of fully funding education, in his address Governor Abbott stated, “We must continue to cut the business franchise tax until it will fit in a coffin.” That statement has left many wondering about the governor’s priorities and how he plans to pay for educating the state’s school children.
Yet, in the same speech he bragged that more Texas high schools are ranked in the nation’s top 100 schools than any other state. He said that Texas had the fourth highest graduation rate in the nation, the second highest graduation rate for Hispanic and African American students, and was ranked first for graduating economically disadvantaged students. He didn’t stop there, however. Governor Abbott pointed out the progress that Texas has made under his leadership to establish a high quality Pre-K program that meets a “gold standard”, and he urged the legislature to do even more. He challenged them with, “Do it right or not at all!”
Did he stop his gushing there? No. Before quoting President James Madison on the importance of education in protecting our liberties, he mentioned that some of the very best teachers in America work in Texas classrooms. Outstanding! What parent, student, and educator would not feel good? Well, apparently Governor Abbott. Before the speech ended, he made a plea for legislators to pass school choice legislation “…to empower parents to choose schools that best fit their child’s needs.” Just the week before at the School Choice Rally, on the steps of the Texas Capitol, with a yellow scarf symbolizing “choice” around his neck, our governor stated, “I want that law [school choice] to reach my desk and when it does I will make the choice to sign it.”
All in all, our governor’s words in his State of the State may be the epitome of mixed messages!
There are times when good advice comes to us from the strangest of places. In a quote from TEN THINGS EVERY WOMAN NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT MEN we find, “If he is sending you mixed messages, the message is clear: he does not like you!”
Wow! The truth can hurt.
CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY- PROVIDED BY GJHS 6TH GRADER- BRYSON CORRAL. Thanks Bryson!
How do you organize a solar system party? (Scroll down for the answer.)
You planet!
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