SUPER MONDAY

A motivational and informational morning message from Superintendent Willis

Week 17 ~ December 4th, 2023

Super Monday Message

Many of us have heard the story of the Starfish. It is also called the Parable of the Starfish. This story or parable originates from an essay named “The Star Thrower” published almost 55 years ago. There are many variations to this story and so my retelling may not follow the original exactly.

In the story an older man casually walks a large open beach and sees a young boy in the distance. As he draws closer, he sees that the young boy is throwing starfish from the beach into the ocean. When he gets close to the boy on the beach he inquires what the boy is doing. The young boy responds that he is saving the starfish by throwing them back into the ocean. 

The older man then looks around incredulously. There are miles of beach with thousands of starfish. He then chuckles knowingly and remarks “There are hundreds of starfish, what makes you think you can make a difference?” The young boy then replies by picking up another starfish, throwing it into the ocean and saying “I made a difference for that one”.

The man is profoundly struck by the boy's words and goes away in heavy contemplation. In some tellings of the story he returns and joins in throwing the starfish back into the sea. In the original essay the author, Loren Eiseley, discusses the event from the first person perspective of the older gentleman. In a direct quote Eiseley says…"Call me another thrower. Only then I allowed myself to think, He is not alone any longer. After us, there will be others...Perhaps far outward on the rim of space a genuine star was similarly seized and flung.”

I don’t know of any starfish in Piute County and if we do have some we certainly can’t throw them back into the ocean from here. However, there is a simple moral to this story, simple acts can make a powerful impact for individuals and the world. Even if we can’t do everything, we can do something.

Don’t worry if you don’t think the simple things you are doing are making a difference. The small and simple things that bring great things frequently can’t be measured on a daily or monthly basis. You can make a difference right now for someone. It may just be kind words or the decision to be happy for yourself, but you can make a difference. Have the best Week 17!

Super High Fives

Just a couple of the awesome recent accomplishments that need a big thank you. 

• A super high five to Josh Bowles and Julian Mar who have served as Brontus the Thunderbird at our home games. It certainly adds some fun to have them there.
• A super high five to the FBLA team. Tavin Jessen, Amy Morgan, and Sage Nowers placed 2nd in Public Service Announcement. Hadley Morgan, Makayla Miramontes, and Emma Wilde placed 2nd in Social Media Strategies. Hadley Morgan placed 3rd in Intro To FBLA. Taesi Morgan and Alayna Severe placed 3rd in Intro To Business Presentation. Hadley Morgan, Kazlee King, and Jalee Barnson place 3rd in Social Media Strategies. Cooper Springer placed 5th in Job Interview.

Other Super Information

• Winter Sports Schedule

Super Weekly Schedule