Norris School District

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Opening comments to students from Mr. Skretta

[Mr. Skretta addressed freshmen and seniors on Tuesday, September 7th and sophomores and juniors on Wednesday, September 8th]

            Can we feel the Titan Pride?  We’re back, baby!  Give yourselves a round of applause!  It’s great to be back here.  People didn’t think it was possible, but the Titans do not flinch in the face of adversity.  That’s a part of what being a Titan is all about.  We’re not going to let a little 280-mile-per-hour breeze deter us from our objective!  Today I want to share some comments with you that I hope you find to be pertinent information and take to heart.  I will start with some generalities about what I think is meant by the theme of being a Titan and I will then include some specifics and ask Mr. Bates to follow up and help me out with any details I miss.

            First allow me to introduce myself to you.  My name is John Skretta and I come to you from Northeast High School in the Lincoln Public Schools.  As someone coming to you from this background I want to assure you that throughout the Lincoln Public Schools, throughout southeast Nebraska, and throughout the entire great state of Nebraska, the reputation of Norris Public Schools and especially Norris High School is one that is exemplary.  Your sportsmanship, your character, your achievements, are renowned.  Many of you who have grown up in the Norris district---and I know some teachers whose teaching experience has been exclusively in the Norris district---and you do not really understand the extent to which you are blessed to be a part of this special district and this special community because you’ve never seen it from the outside.  You don’t know how unique the Norris experience really is.  Let me tell you what I think makes it special:

            I believe there are three key ingredients—the school, the community, and a third influence I’ll get to that’s even more important and precious than these other two.  First, the school: please realize that a school is not bricks and mortar.  School is about the relationships you establish with one another and the relationships you establish with your teachers to promote learning.  The relationships here are incredible: that’s due to the dedication of your teachers and your support of your teachers to engage in learning.  Second, the community: I have been amazed at the extent to which this place, while clearly not in the heart of a bustling metropolis, is undoubtedly the center of a community.  You talk to people in this school and there is so much community spirit and community pride here that whether you are coming from Hickman or Firth or Roca or any other point within the district boundaries, everyone is from “NORRIS.”  That’s who we are, that’s how we identify ourselves.  We’re the TITANS.  YEAH!  Third, and the one you might just be least thankful for now but maybe someday you’ll have some real gratitude for if you don’t right now, is that you happen to be just lucky or blessed enough to have parents who made sure you lived in this district.  The district that Mr. Boldt has always described as “the best district in the state,” the Norris Public Schools.  I believe him just from what I’ve seen already.  You know, many young people do not have adults in their lives who are real advocates for them, who really want only the very best for them, and who want to give them the best educational opportunities to prepare them for their futures.  You’ve got that here.  You’ve got parents who made sure you’re in the best district in the state.

Those three factors of school, community, and parental involvement or parental advocacy have resulted in excellence in this school in Academics, Activities, and Athletics.  The first is the most important and from which everything else proceeds.  We are first and foremost a place that values learning and prizes student achievement-- over everything else.  I expect you to maintain that focus.  I want you to give 100% to your teachers in all your classes.  That’s 100% every day, so don’t try to pull any computational math tricks like, “Dude, I could give, like, 20% a day and over a week it adds up to like a hundred.”  You know what I’m talking about.  We’re not here to coast, you’ve got to earn it.  You earn it on the field or the court in athletics, and believe me when I say victory won’t be handed to you out of sympathy from another team because of May 22^nd.  You’ll have to earn it in the classroom, too, and I know that you will.

To go back to the bricks and mortar for minute, many of you may have noticed that there are a few things different about your school upon your return this fall.  You have a new ‘outdoor’ auditorium that’s got a lot of dirt clods and you have a trailer court where some of your classes are being held!  You have a very unique experience this year: you are attending school on a campus that is also a construction zone!  Who else can say that?!  What’s that sound?  Listen closely: Beep, beep, beep, beep.  It’s not Bob The Builder.  It’s real heavy construction equipment and it’s backing up.   Stay away from that stuff!  What all this means for us is that SAFETY—your safety and the safety of everyone here---is absolutely crucial.  You must not engage in any behavior that jeopardizes your safety or puts the safety of any others, students or staff members, at risk.  You must remain ONLY in assigned areas that have been declared safe for us to occupy.  These are the areas on your schedule and you must remain out of and away from any other place where work is still proceeding.  Other helpful hints: if there’s a fence there, don’t pass it.  If there are guys wearing hard hats in the area, you don’t belong there.  Understand?  We will view this as a disciplinary matter if you fail to follow this instruction because the LAST thing we want is for you or anyone else to get hurt.  You will have a disciplinary consequence if you violate this.  We will have ZERO TOLERANCE for safety violations.  Related to that include behaviors that are deemed by myself or Mr. Bates to be threatening, intimidating, harassing, roughhousing, or horseplay. 

            While we’re talking about student conduct, I want to share some additional specifics in the areas of dress standard, electronics devices, and attendance.  We are not going to lower our expectations in these areas of student conduct because it would be easier to do so.  We are not going to reduce our expectations of one another for appropriate behavior simply because we face challenges in other areas this year.  I will not accept that, your parents will not accept that, and this community will not accept that.  We expect you to continue to conduct yourselves as Norris students have in the past, that is to say, with excellence, with kindness, and with respect for one another and your school. 

            In the area of student dress, this means that you must not attire yourselves in a way that is immodest or displays excessive skin.  Tank-tops must have a 2” minimum shoulder strap width.  No midriffs, mesh, or see-through.  Don’t make me make the call, and trust us, we will make the call, where we have the conversation with the parent and get to hear, “Well I dunno.  She wasn’t wearin’ that when she left this morning, I can tell you that much.”  Because then you have disrespected the school’s standard but even worse, you’ve also disrespected your parents.

No caps should be worn in the building.  Take them off upon your arrival.  No do-rags, bandanas, or other head gear.  I know the look, I’ve seen the look with the cap turned sideways and it’s often accompanied by the baggy pants.  NO bagging, no sagging, okay?  Guys, nobody wants to see your boxers and I guarantee you none of us want to see what’s under the boxers.  Get some jeans that are snug around the waist or wear a belt! 

            To complete the look, in the area of electronic devices, remember they are prohibited.  No cell phones, beepers, pagers.  Don’t give me reason to confiscate them.  Just don’t.  I don’t want to look at a guy attired the way I just described and he’s acting like he’s got his turntables out with his giant headphones going “Yeah, Boyeeee!”  Hey, guess what?  You’re from Firth.  Your street credibility is shaky in my opinion, so don’t front.  Be real.  You’re real when you abide by this school’s and this community’s expectation for appropriate attire, expectations we intend to enforce. 

            In the area of attendance, don’t forget that any unexcused absence is a truancy and a truancy is a specific rule violation punishable by detention or out of school suspension.  Worse yet, you miss school, you miss the opportunity to learn.  Your consistent attendance is absolutely vital to your academic success.

            I am asking you for your leadership.  Each class has a special role to play and a unique opportunity to make the Titans stronger than ever.  For in facing adversity and overcoming the obstacles we encounter, we will grow stronger together.  Remember, let’s show respect for one another, care for one another, and learn together.

            Thank you very much for your attentiveness today during my comments.  I really appreciate the respect you have shown toward me and I am looking forward to getting to know each of you individually.  You are dismissed back to your class and have a great week!