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| HOME OF THE TIGERS |
| (Author's note: In the November Rainbow Center Newsletter, I wrote an article about values. this is a follow-up to that article.) This time of year we focus on the values of joy, peace, hope, and love. At our schools, we encourage behavior that reflects these values. If our school family continuously displayed these values, we would have a harmonious environment. I thought I would take this opportunity to envision this ideal. Joy of learning is a shared goal of educators and most parents. When we experience the world through the eyes of a child, we realize the thrill of new knowledge, greater understandings, and the wonder of the universe. As parents, it would be wonderful to get as excited over the completion of a high school assignment as when we saw our children learn to recognize all the alphabet characters. Sharing the joy of accomplishments with our children is a great gift parents can give. Peace in the world has received significant attention throughout history. Unfortunately, as individuals we can not accomplish world peace, but we can seek to accomplish peace within ourselves. Inner peace comes when one accepts the things one can not change. Inner peace comes when one feels capable and lovable as a human being. As adults, we can help foster that feeling in children. We can also teach children how |
to resolve conflicts without fighting by fostering a respectful attitude toward everyone and caring communication with others. We all need to learn how to deal with anger in appropriate ways. Finding healthy ways to calm ourselves and relieve stress are skills valuable for a lifetime. Hope is that guiding light that keeps us struggling beyond any obstacles. Hope is something we can offer to one another in the form of encouragement. We all need from time to time a pat on the back, a gentle reminder that things will be easier to handle in time, or a hug that says "I care about you." Love is at the center of this holiday season. The Greeks realized there were various forms of love- the love of human companionship, the love of God, and the love of mankind. We would benefit by showing the compassionate form of brotherly love to all those with whom we come in contact. We can do this by acting in kindness, showing mercy, being patient, and acknowledging goodness. May your holiday season be blessed with joy, peace, hope, and love; and may your new year see greater fulfillment of these values in all those around you. |
| We all stood watching as the ground was broken! It was April 17, 2001, and the Barbourville Independent School was conducting the official ground breaking ceremony for the new Activity Center. The Activity Center will house a gymnasium, which will hold 1,600 people. The facility will include dressing rooms, a weight room, classrooms, and additional office and storage space. The initial cost of the project is $3,552,246.00. The final completion date is scheduled for March 22, 2002. With this completion, the class of 2002 will honorably be the first to conduct the graduating ceremony in the new gym. As a member of the class of 2002 and having had so many memories, I think I speak for us all when I say that we will miss the old gym and all the traditions that have taken place in it. At the same time, however, we are honored for the thrilling privilege of being the first to graduate in such an outstanding establishment. |