From the absurd, to the sad, to the way it should be. Interesting topics to think about

The absurd . . . Cupid better not aim his arrow anywhere near Bruce Vento Elementary School in St. Paul, Minnesota, next year. In fact, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, ghosts and goblins – even Tom the Turkey and individual birthday celebrations – are no longer welcome.
Why? The goal is to be more inclusive of their ethnically diverse student population. Principal Scott Masini wrote in a letter to parents that “my personal feeling is we need to find a way to honor and engage in holidays that are inclusive of our student population,” according to the Star Tribune. The school (and its district) include many, many cultures – students from around the world – including a very large Somali population, a district spokesperson told Fox News.
Masini explained, “I have come to the difficult decision to discontinue the celebration of the dominant holidays until we can come to a better understanding of how the dominant view will suppress someone else’s view.”
Seems to me if a school is trying to encourage more diversity in its enrollment it would celebrate more, not less. Just thinking.

The sad . . . In Bainbridge last week the Decatur County School Board voted not to name the high school stadium’s press box after Joe Crine – long-time sports editor of The Post Searchlight. The decision not to honor Crine was made with the statement that the Board thought it would set a bad precedent going into the future. Having worked with Crine at The Post Searchlight for almost twenty of his forty-six years, I cannot see how naming anything after him could possibly set a bad precedent. Like Joe, If you devote your life, and every purple and gold minute in it – promoting, supporting and truly caring about the students and athletes who are the Bearcat nation – the absolute least you deserve is a little room named in your honor. Hopefully the board will reconsider and find an appropriate and classy way to honor Joe for his service to the school and its students.

The way it should be . . . Recently I read where a middle school football team from Olivet, Michigan, conspired for weeks to create a secret play that involved getting as close to the end zone as possible without scoring. The reason why has tugged on heartstrings across America, bringing people to tears.
Unbeknownst to coaches, staff or parents, the group of jocks schemed a play called the “Keith Special,” named after fellow team member Keith Orr, a student who struggles with learning disabilities and social skills. Their perfectly executed secret plan changed the culture at Olivet Middle School from selfish to selfless, and will forever be cemented in the hearts of these young men.
During a home game, the players took the football down to the 1-yard line: and took a knee. Quarterback Parker Smith recalled the moment he purposely failed to score, and heard the noticeably upset crowd. “Us kids knew, hey, we got this. This is our time. This is Keith’s time.”
On the next play, the team closely huddled around Keith, handed him the ball, and gave him the chance to score his first touchdown. Video footage makes it hard to see Keith, because his teammates were fiercely protective of him while he ran. The Olivet Eagles’ least likely member had just scored a touchdown.
“Did he just score a touchdown?” asked Keith’s stunned mother. Keith’s parents laughed as they recalled fumbling to find their camera to capture the moment. Keith later described the moment as simply, “Awesome.”
Members of the team were later interviewed to explain what motivated them to plan something so kindhearted. “We really wanted to prove that he was part of our team and he meant a lot to us,” said one player. “It’s just like to make someone’s day, make someone’s week, just make them happy,” shared another.
Wide receiver Justice Miller sat with tears streaming down his face as he recalled the profound change that took place in his heart. Justice admitted he used to be only concerned about himself, and maybe a couple of friends. Now, his heart has compassion for everyone.
I have a feeling that Justice is not the only one with a changed heart. Today, Keith struts around campus as a new kid, and will always have a team looking out for him for the rest of his school career.
After reading this article I was smiling because I live in a community where this kind of story could happen as well.

Comments and impressions are requested and welcomed at david@donalsonvillenews.com