The children of West and the city of Boston both demonstrate resilience of the human spirit.
CISD News with Dr. David Faltys, CISD Superintendent
I consider myself a runner. It's my way of staying fit. ButbrI've never competed in a marathon. Those who have don't just run one time and expectbrto make it to the finish line. They prepare, they train, they work out, theybrrun. And they run. And they run some more. Their goal is to finish. Life is muchbrlike a race. Our journey takes us up hills, down valleys and into curves thatbrsometimes won't allow you to see exactly what's around the bend. You train tobrfinish the race. Of course it's nice if you win, but for many runners, that'sbrnot the point. The goal is to finish strong.
Rockenbaugh Elementary AdministratorbrJanet Blackwell knows what it's like to finish the race. She crossed the finishbrline at this year's Boston Marathon about 18 minutes before the first bomb exploded.brIt was her ninth marathon, her first in Boston. It was a memorable momentbrmarked not by the usual satisfaction of hard work paid off, but rather by thebrterror of not knowing where her loved ones were until an hour afterwardbr(Thankfully they were not hurt.)
What followed in Boston was abrfive-day manhunt that ended with the capture of the alleged bomber. We watched; gripped with interest as a major metropolitan area was put on lockdown andbrsocial media played a key role in the capture of the perpetrator. It was admittedlybra proud moment watching Americans celebrate and thank law enforcement officersbras they sang the national anthem on the streets of Watertown. There was a sensebrof unity experienced in Boston and across the nation.
Being united in purpose to protectbrour children is an important part of dealing with tragedy. We've learned thatbrthis year as we faced a number of tragic events affecting our own Dragonbrstudents. The same week as the Boston bombings, we heard the devastating news ofbran explosion in West, Texas. You know the place: that small stopover town headingbrsouth on I-35, where I find my favorite jalapeño peanut brittle. West representsbrsmall-town America — hardworking men and women who are raising their childrenbrto be good citizens and to welcome others into their community. It could bebranyone's hometown.
First responders raced to helpbrothers. Neighbors helped neighbors. The Czech Stop served free kolaches, hotelsbroffered warm beds and nearby communities sent water, food, diapers and schoolbrsupplies. I'm proud of our own Dragon students who began collecting donationsbrto aid those affected by the crisis. The result? The children of West were inbrschool the following Monday thanks to the help from neighboring schools. Thebrmayor quickly assured everyone in America that his hometown would bounce backbrand rebuild.
One thing I've learned aboutbrAmerica is this: knock her down, and she'll bounce back stronger and with a greaterbrsense of hope for the future. We arebrcommitted to finishing the race for this generation and the ones to come. Rightbrhere in our hometown, I can introduce you to Dragon after Dragon who hasbrovercome so much because of hope, love and a compassionate community.
The online dictionary definesbrresilience as the ability to recover quickly from illness, change orbrmisfortune; buoyancy — the ability to bounce back. According to Psychology Today, resilience is “thatbrineffable quality that allows some people to be knocked down by life and comebrback stronger than ever. Rather than letting failure overcome them and drainbrtheir resolve, they find a way to rise from the ashes.”
Maybe it should just read, “Resilience? See Boston. Visit West. Meet a Carroll Dragon.”
Dr. David Faltys serves as superintendent of Carroll Independent School District, the largest 5A Exemplary district in the state of Texas. He was named the 2010 Region XI Superintendent of the Year after being nominated for the award by his local school board.