“At North Cross, our children don’t know what is on afternoon TV.â€
 The other day while exploring the deepest recesses of one of our storage areas, I came across three framed advertisements from the 2004-05 school year. One of the ads boldly proclaimed that “Our children don’t know what is on afternoon TV.†As I walked the campus that afternoon, I realized what an accurate and positive selling point that is for North Cross School.
Of course, you’d know that I am quick to provide statistical evidence that 90% of our middle school and upper school students play sports, that we have 250 eligible kids playing 13 sports on 32 athletic teams, and that more than half of our student population regularly participates in the performing arts.
While these numbers are impressive, our inclusive educational philosophy is much better expressed by a walk across campus after school.
Last Tuesday I began my walk home at about 4:00 p.m. My first stop was our extended day program where 21 students were hard at work in homework club and another 10-12 were playing outdoors. After grabbing a bite to eat from their snack closet, I headed over to Thomas Field where the 16 members of our Girls Varsity Soccer team were preparing for their 4:30 p.m. kick-off. Watching from the stands were another 14 members of our Middle School Girls Soccer team who were scheduled to play immediately following the varsity game. While watching the girls win a thriller against a highly ranked opponent, I had to keep an eye on the 18 boys on our Boys Varsity baseball team who were playing next door on Porterfield Field.
By 6:15 p.m., I was ready to ease home when I remembered that another 50 students were actively involved in preparing for this weekend’s performance of Aladdin. I had to take a peek to see how they were doing. When I finally left campus, there was still a full parking lot, 18 students on our Middle School Boys Baseball team had not returned from their game in Martinsville, and 18 boys on our Middle School Boys Lacrosse team were putting the finishing touches on an 11-3 win. Throw in another 20 boys and 14 girls at lacrosse practice, five working on AP practice exams, two in after school detention for being late to assembly, and you have a grand total of 206 students actively engaged in school programs for the afternoon.
As a Headmaster, it is a great feeling to know that on any given afternoon, half of my students are positively engaged in pursuits that require hard work, sacrifice, commitment, and teamwork. These are the characteristics that make our students stand out from a crowd. Thanks for taking the “quick walk around campus†with me and seeing why it is easy to see why our students do not know what is on afternoon TV.
|
Beginning tomorrow at noon on the courts of our newly renovated Fishwick Tennis Center, North Cross will host the Blue Ridge Conference Girls Singles Tennis Tournament. Only the top two players from each team will play and our top two happen to be sisters—Evans and Helen Schmedtje! Come support the Schmedtje sisters as they represent North Cross! Evans is our #1 singles player and has been undefeated in singles. Helen is our #2 player and will also be competing in the singles tournament.
“Giving back to your community is a constant reminder that there is a world outside your job in which you can make a difference,†Roanoke attorney and community leader, Linda Frith, told the assembly of middle and upper school girls at North Cross School. 
Big Flea and the Olde-Tyme Family Fair is right around the corner and will be here before you know it. Mark your calendars, gather your donations, and get your order forms for wristbands, t-shirts, class pictures, family dinner, plant sale, and bake sale.
