October 28, 2007
-
The Daily Newssome reflections on a rather challenging Fall...
WARNING: It's long. Feel free to skip it, or to kick back for a breezy little read...
so here ya go.
1 The funny thing about starting a relatively new life is that the people you meet don't know you. It gets strange sometimes having people you don't know judging you and all.
2 People at YB knew me. Some loved me, some hated me, many didn't give me a second thought.
3 Still, it's weird because when you have spent as much time at one place as I did at YB, you form a sort of family, and you forgive, as others will hopefully forgive you for all the stupid things you've done.
4 But overall, I really left YB with a great deal of passion and memories for all the good times and amazing people and things that went before. And I feel that time hopefully showed that I had a passion for my job there, and a love for all the staff and for all the different friends I made through the years.
5 When I interviewed at the Chill on the Hill, I remember doing something stupid, and I recall a conversation I had with the principal's secretary. I had spilled a little something on my tie, and I think that's what brought up the idea of first impressions. I think she told me that it was okay, that she doesn't judge people based on first impressions.
6 I've reached a point in my life where I no longer worry about such folderol.
7 II don't believe in first impressions. I believe in lasting impressions.
8 I went through all this year's failures with that solidly in mind.
9 Over the years whenever I would start to lose faith in a show, or even think that it might not make it to the stage, I would always step outside of myself and tell myself, "What is this director's track record for getting things up there?"
10 It would always help. It's good to know your limits; it's better to know your potential. It's best to know your actual.
11 I imagine that's why despite all the seemingly bad things that have gone down this year, I remain brighter, more optimistic, and happier than I've been in years.
12 I gave most of it my all; rains happened, other situations happened, but I honestly feel I did all I could to make things happen. So just because our half-time on the Homecoming game consisted of three guys hopping onto the field and running across in their chonies, I was able to see something funny there.
13 And I STILL haven't put any Mondays in January yet. Hasn't been a big priority.
14 The Homcoming rally that can't be called a rally finally happened two weeks after the game. You might recall it had rained out and needed to be re-scheduled. We had it Friday. I thought it was grand. It wasn't up to my show standards, but it went exactly as the students planned, and to me, that was a major success.
15 People still complained; things still went a little wrong, but overall I feel the kids did everything in their power to get the thing there, and it got there.
16 I can officially declare the Homecoming rally a success for now. Ah, our MC yelled at the football team for loafing, made some inappropriate remarks, but for what it's worth, the overall event went fine.
17 Pretty bad first impressions, but really, I aimed for the future with all of this. The decisions I made I would have made a million times over. The place just isn't quite ready to be a traditional high school yet. Too new. It requires patience. It requires vision. It requires a buy-in. So far, it's been challenging. I met lots of resistence from all sorts of areas. I ignored a lot of it and maintained a vision.
18 The result? We had the school's first nightime football rally, with focus on the cross-town rivalry. We had the first ever staff tailgate live-fire barbecue and jazz fest on the night of the game, complete with Andy's Barbecue and a 12-Piece Latin/Jazz band. Congas. Horns. Down to the Nightclub. Cuban hats.
We decorated the Homecoming dance with all the Magic of Disney decorations from Spirit Week. And we acknowledged all the sports on Friday with a day rally for the entire school, all of which came off without a hitch, and this time WITH the cheerleaders, mc's, class skits, team intros and all the rest.
19 And I rested over the weekend. And I feel that for all the failures, we set in place a Homecoming tradition that will become a real tradition that may last for many, many years. I had to fight nearly everyone on it, but the lasting impression is that we have returned football and Homecoming to their rightful place and hopefully we have begun some solid traditions based on classic Homecomings.
20 I guess that's why I kept saying that failure is overrated.
21 Because someday we'll see that there are no failures, only successes with a fresher vision.
22 At least I hope that.
23 Because I would certainly like to make a lasting impression.
24 So that's the end of the first real Homecoming I ever fashioned. Last year I just monitored the students doing what they always did. This year I dug in and decided not to wait, that the future begins now, come Hell or high water.
25 We had both.
26 And we all conquered if these traditions continue and get stronger. Most staff loved the concepts, but the rain drenched most of the rest of it.
27 Anyway, the biggest stuff this Fall is over, with the exception of the Winter Ball.
28 We're going to make that one something special.
29 Gottago.
30 Thanks for listening. I had to do all of this making a terrible first impression.
31 Those of you who know me know I'll give it all I have and then some until it works.
32 This weekend was a celebration of all of that.
33 I've had a swingin' time, and now I'm ready for more.
34 Bring it.
35 Live life, love life.
36 Peace.
37 And again, thanks for listenin'.
~H~
http://www.xanga.com/bharrington
"Only he who attempts the absurd is capable of achieving the impossible."
--Unamuno
peace.
Recent Comments