Graduating Seniors- Steer Nation Message 5-28-21

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!

 

To Our Graduating Seniors: 

Life is made up of cycles. You are finishing one, and about to start another. I can remember years ago, in May 1982, anticipating graduation and what would come next. I was naively optimistic about my own impending journey toward being the first in my family to earn a college degree.  I sincerely hope you are optimistic at this time as well! Without a doubt, you will experience challenges along the way to becoming a self-sufficient adult. Just remember, some of the most important things you have learned you learned in Kindergarten and they will serve you well in the future!  May each of you be blessed and happy!!!

 

All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten

by Robert Fulghum

 

Most of what I really need

To know about how to live

And what to do and how to be

I learned in kindergarten.

Wisdom was not at the top

Of the graduate school mountain,

But there in the sandpile at Sunday school.

 

These are the things I learned:

 

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life -

Learn some and think some

And draw and paint and sing and dance

And play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world,

Watch out for traffic,

Hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

GRADUATION HUMOR:

After graduating from high school, David moves away from home to study at University.

One of his text message to his dad reads:

University i$ really great. I am making lot$ of friend$ and $tudying very hard.

With all my $tuff, I $imply ¢an't think of anything I need, $o if you would like, you can ju$t $end me a card, a$ I would love to hear from you.

Love, Your $on.

After receiving his son's text, the father immediately replies by sending this response:

I kNOw that astroNOmy, ecoNOmics, and oceaNOgraphy are eNOugh to keep even an hoNOr student busy. Do NOt forget that the pursuit of kNOwledge is a NOble task, and you can never study eNOugh.

Love, Dad

 

The New Normal- Steer Nation Message 5-21-21

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

Graham Steer Baseball- The Area Champion Graham Steers are 0-1 in their three-game series with Stephenville. Game 2 will be played at Weatherford HS at 1:00 pm tomorrow. Game 3 will be played at 3:00 pm. GO STEERS!

GHS Fishing Team Top 15 Finish- Congratulations to Bowen Boenisch & Kolby Spurlin on a TOP 15 finish at the Texas High School Bass Association State tournament on Lake Texoma this past weekend!

GHS FFA Students Successful at MSU- GHS FFA students attended the Area IV convention in Wichita Falls hosted by Midwestern State University. Congratulations to Ag. Business- Cody Epperson 8th, Cade Anderson 1st, and STATE Qualifier. Talent- Jaytin Sims 2nd. Ag Policy- Jade Jordan-3rd; Plant Science-Travis Anderle 5th, Lela Chisholm-4th; Ag. Tech & Comm-Bowen Boenisch-8th. Scholarship Advancement: Cade Anderson & Jade Jordan. Cade & Jade interview in June for a chance at a $20,000 scholarship. Cade will compete at the State Convention in July.

GHS Class of 2021 Reverse Parade- Graham High School will host a Reverse Parade on Tuesday, May 25 from 6:30-7:30 to celebrate our Class of 2021 graduates!  Last year's parade was a glorious success, and we hope the community will come by to celebrate the Class of 2021 as well! Please join us in celebrating.  Seniors will be stationed around GHS from the Classic Gym to the front of the school.  Traffic should head West on Calaveras St, turn North on Kentucky, then East on Brazos St.

The New Normal

A couple was dining with a colleague, who was a therapist.  She was telling a story about when her seven-year-old daughter had recently asked, “Mommy, what’s normal?”  Our therapist friend gave a response only a mother who’s analyzed one too many patients could give:  “Honey, normal is what people are before  you get to know them.”

I keep hearing a spoken desire to return to normal or to find our new normal.  I may have lived a strange life, but I have found “normal” to be a moving moment in time.  What was normal for me as a kid without responsibility was not the “norm” with which I functioned as a parent or educator.  It has been my experience to seek what normal for me was each day and to accept the challenges that a new daily normal may bring…Am I alone in living this strange life?

Have a nice day…take care of yourself and others!

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY

What do you call a camel with no humps? (Scroll down for the answer.)

 

Humphrey!

The Difference Between Being Nice and Kind- Steer Nation Message 5-14-21

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

GHS Fishing Team Competing at State- Good luck to Bowen Boenisch and Kolby Spurlin who are competing at State this weekend on Lake Texoma! GO STEERS!

Graham Steer Baseball- The Graham Steers will be playing Springtown in the Area Playoffs this coming Friday and Saturday. Game 1: Friday, May 14th @ Springtown at 7 pm. Game 2: Saturday, May 15th @ Graham at Noon. Game 3 (if needed): Following game 2 in Graham. For Game 1 in Springtown, tickets must be purchased online at https://www.springtownisd.net/Page/1200.  GO STEERS!

Not only do they excel on the diamond, but they also excel in the classroom! Congratulations to our Graham Steer Academic All-State baseball players! Landon Hebert- Honorable Mention, Brant Coley- 2nd team, Gaven Henderson- 1st team, Nick Helm- 1st team, and Raider Horn- 1st team. 

The Difference Between Being Nice and Kind

Below is a copy of a recent blog post from Psychologist, Owen Fitzpatrick.

“Often we use the terms nice and kind in the same sentence. We describe people as nice and kind interchangeably. I believe that there is an important difference between the two and that, while it is nice to be nice, it is essential to be kind. Being nice is when you are polite to people and treat people well. Being kind is when you care about people and show you care. Sometimes you can be kind to someone even though you aren’t nice to them and you can certainly be nice to someone but also be unkind. To me, the difference between these two comes in terms of depth.

The great book by Stephen Covey called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People talked about the difference between a character-based ethic and a personality ethic. The basic idea was that the personality ethic was more concerned with external changes in social skills such as smiling and handshaking while the character ethic was a deeper change about living according to new principles. There is that old saying you have to be cruel to be kind. Maybe occasionally this is true. One thing that is certainly true is that sometimes not being nice is the kindest thing we can do for someone. For example, if you are dealing with someone who obsessively stalks you and convinces themselves that the feelings are reciprocated, it is the kind thing to avoid being nice. At that moment they need to get the message. It is what will benefit them the most. Being nice to them is not being kind. It is prolonging their self-delusion and angst.

I see many people in customer service who are trained to be nice but fail to act kindly. You cannot be taught to be kind. Being kind comes from caring enough for others that you want to do something for them. To me, the world needs more kindness than ever. We live in a world where we find ourselves battling others over our opinions. In many ways, our differences with others are being highlighted. This can, in turn, affect how much we allow ourselves to care about others. While poisonous perspectives such as a racist worldview come from fear, it is the implicit biases we all suffer from that continues to do the most damage.

We have been trained to think about different types of people in particular ways. We generalize because our worlds contain simply too much information to consider it all. In doing so, we find ourselves making snap judgments about others and we become selective about who deserves our kindness. I believe one of the hardest yet most important things we must learn to do is start being kind to everyone that we can. Obviously, there may be certain exceptions such as those who have harmed you or your loved ones. But I believe that most people, regardless of the differences they have with us in terms of race, creed, religion, culture, sexual preference, or social status… need our kindness. We must start to care more about others and seek to help them in more ways. Not because we should do it or because it is how we want to be seen. But because being kind is fundamentally the greatest gift we can give to the world. It is easy to be nice. It is easy to plaster on a smile and treat people respectfully but being kind is a different matter. Being kind requires that we look at others and consider them properly. It requires that we let ourselves see ourselves in them and connect with them. It requires that we help them in some way to have a better life.

I am not always as kind as I would like to be but I am committing to being more kind, more often. I won’t always be nice, but if I am kind then that will make far more of a difference.”

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY

What has given Mr. Bubbles nightmares since elementary school? (Scroll down for the answer.)

Pop Quizzes!

25 Lessons From Mom- Steer Nation Message 5-7-21

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY FRIDAY!

GHS Spelling 2nd at State UIL Contest-  Congratulations to Zara Van Alstyne on placing 2nd individually at the UIL State Academic Spring Meet! Also congratulations to the GHS Spelling Team (Zara Van Alstyne, Dawson Grubbs, Georgina Guerrero, Sean McCall) on their collective 2nd Place finish at the State UIL Contest!

Graham Steer Baseball- Steers will play Gatesville in a  Bi-District Playoff Series at Brock HS. Game 1 is at 7:00 pm this evening. Game two will be played at 1:00 pm Saturday. GO STEERS!

25 LESSONS FROM MOM

1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.

'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.'

2. My mother taught me RELIGION.

'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'

3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL.

'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'

4. My mother taught me LOGIC.

' Because I said so, that's why .'

5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC.

'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'

6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.

'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'

7. My mother taught me IRONY.

'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'

8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.

'Shut your mouth and eat your supper.'

9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.

'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!'

10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.

'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'

11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.

'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'

12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.

'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'

13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE.

'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'

14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.

'Stop acting like your father!'

15. My mother taught me about ENVY.

'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'

16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.

'Just wait until we get home.'

17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.

'You are going to get it when you get home!'

18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.

'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'

19. My mother taught me ESP.

'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?'

20. My mother taught me HUMOR.

'When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't come running to me.'

21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.

'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'

22. My mother taught me GENETICS.

'You're just like your father.'

23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.

'Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'

24. My mother taught me WISDOM.

'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'

25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE.

'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

CORNY JOKE OF THE DAY!

What did the mother rope say to her child?

Don’t be knotty.