Bulldog Launch
I was the first to arrive at Mason High School field house on the first day of school. It was stone silent; however, 10 minutes later, the place was inhabited by nearly 1,000 high school students as, together, we launched the 2025-2026 school year.
Words cannot adequately describe the synergy and positivity in the air as our student leadership team took the microphone and engaged the student body in a host of activities.
After a couple of deafening cheers and lively introductions of faculty, teachers, administrators and secretarial staff, the student leaders orchestrated several competitive games that were met with great enthusiasm. The finale was a poignant message from teacher Andrew Chapin who talked about the value of trying hard things and feeling good about being successful, even after struggling at the outset.
During his remarks, he talked about the high school’s new implementation of the cellphone policy as an example. He said while the “bag it if you bring it” rule may be a be a challenging practice at the outset, it is a requirement for devices during classes and if the behaviors in the class sessions that followed on the first day are any indication, we are headed in the right direction with this change!
It is no secret that cellphones can distract students from learning and limit their interactions, but our ice breakers had high school students talking up a storm. We hope to keep the momentum going.
Our launch truly felt like a fresh start for all of us, and a time to hone our hopes and dreams and take on hard things. Not unlike a rocket or product launch, an enormous amount of planning take place, and it will take all of us to “bring it” every day to ensure student engagement and their voice are sustained allowing us to remain “Bulldogs at Our Best.”
