Week of November 9

Wow, what a weekend! The Lake Panthers PTO did it again. The annual Spaghetti Feed and Carnival was an extraordinary evening. I felt so proud to be part of such a colossal event! While sitting with some friends of ours during dinner, a question was asked if this event was a combination of several schools. I smiled and with a twinkle in my eye, answered, "No, this is just how we roll at Lake Elementary." Or what may be a more current saying of the times, "Go big or go home." Well, we certainly did it big and I was grinning from ear to ear the entire evening.

Many might be surprised to know that I coached girls basketball for about eight years while teaching. In basketball, players are often excited/anxious to be chosen as one of the five "starters". What teams fail to realize is basketball is more than just five players, it's a team of players who bring various strengths to the court. I tried to instill in my players the importance of the "sixth man". Wikipedia defines the sixth man as "a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in.  The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the starters. The presence of a good sixth man is often the sign of team excellence. It usually means that a team has excellent depth..."

Our sixth man, the Lake Community, showed up in force on Saturday night. Our sixth man includes parents, grandparents, babysitters, neighbors, friends. And while they might not be "starters" who are "on the court" at school everyday, it's my belief that the sixth man is what makes Lake Elementary so strong. How do I know this? I had people I have never met before approach me Saturday night to thank me for having such a great school. Well, of course I beamed and politely thanked them, but quickly explained that Lake was an excellent school before I got there, that it's truly the Lake Community - their support of the staff, the students, and the events - that makes Lake Elementary what it is.

So if you see me this coming week and I have a funny little grin on my face and a twinkle in my eye, it's because I'm still thinking of all the families I saw Saturday night, the old and the young and all in between, enjoying their time together; and to know that it was all because of a small, rural school in northern California that many years ago decided to have a spaghetti feed and carnival. Way to go, Sixth Man!