Box bows out for the last time....

[MadJack]

And don't forget your MJ family. :0008

 

[UGA12]

Today was my last day as Principal of my HS...Last Friday I had my last graduation ceremony...last graduation message and last presentation of diploma's...... for 23 years was at SL where I coached,was AD and Asst Prin...then off to PJ as an Asst Principal and Principal for 10 years...then I retired...that lasted 3 months...became principal of BHS for 2 years...NY state only allows me to do 2 years with a waiver until your 65...retired from BHS and then another school needed a Principal....did 2 years at EHS...my MO as principal was " a Vince Lombardi and Mother Theresa style principal"...I did clean up all these schools with not allowing Do-rags,PJ's,flip flops,underpants showing,etc...all these schools needed some discipline and rules enforced...that was my strong point especially with my back round of being a basketball coach....I was also a principal that ate in the cafeteria with the students...never in my office,roamed the halls,did bus duty in the morning and afternoon...etc...greeted 1,200 every morning and said goodbye every afternoon.. on friday was "high five friday" and high 5'ed half the school...I loved popping into classrooms watching teachers teach...

After 2 years at BHS I really retired...went to Austin,Texas for the winter...bought a condo there...did the snow bird route....got to see some UT and Texas St basketball games..capped many of those games here and probably lost more then I won.... missed my Marist games though...then got another call from KCA another HS with all students with special needs...
Almost similar to SL my 1st school...I told them I would do just one year...But fell in love with the students,teachers and parents and did 2 years...

So the last few days I have been packing..summer school starts on Monday....finished the entire summer school schedule...this week...the AC in one of our wings is out..was on the roof this afternoon with the plumber..he fixed it....said goodbye to all my staff. a lot of crying .....I know this is it...have my wife,3 daughters,one son, one granddaughter,one grandson on the way and my Austin son is getting married in April...
How lucky can you get...if only my Phillies and NY Giants can get their act together..

After I got down from the roof I walked in too any empty class..there are 2 big white boards in the front of the room...in 1997 when I left coaching white boards were just starting to replace blackboards..I coached my whole life with chalk and a blackboards...I would of loved to draw my plays on a whiteboard...so smooth and easy to erase....
So I wrote a "Box" farewell...
I diagrammed my zone offense that I used for 20 years..its really coach Tom Davis's offense...drew 3 set plays with the options and player movement.....put at the bottom I love KCA..KCA Pride...took a picture of the board and maybe will have one of my own kids figure for dad how to download it here... on Monday morning an English class will come into that room...probably not read anything on the board and the teacher will have someone erase it...and that's OK....I started as a basketball coach almost 40 years ago....what better way to say goodbye...I walked downstairs,down the hallway,out the front doors and into the parking lot...had my head down with some tears.. got into my car and drove off....I had a sweet life".. we Italians say " La Dolce Vita"...

After 15 years of the classroom(ss) and coaching, I accepted an assistant principal position last week. I have not thought a second about whether or not I can do the new job, only worried about my baseball players and my classes. No greater title than coach imo(or as some of my students called me "Mr Coach ......"), and no matter where I go from here on, I hope i am always "Coach".

Congrats man, your post really hits home with me as I am essentially taking your same path and feeling some of the same emotions im sure. I know the impact you have had on countless lives and only hope that I can someday walk out the same way. If ever in Ga would love to buy you a beer and pick your brain about my new path. Enjoy retirement, you have earned it!!!!!

 

[hedgehog]

Enjoy retirement Box, you deserve it :toast:

 

[Box and one]

MJ and the MJ family,thank you guys for all the nice comments...they are greatly appreciated.
Old south..you been there...with your back round..

Oakas..Herb passed away in Queens,NY the night of the Hurricane....was it Katrina{ the one that hit NY} damn forgot the name....he was in the hospital with an infection...a few years ago his mother had a memorial service in NYC for him..it was awesome...about 15 people from North Texas attended and many from the NY area...Billy E who played at North Texas with him and was his best friend spoke and introduced me..he told everyone about the guardian angels and how checks came in from 35-40 states and 10 countries... that was so awesome what everyone did here in MJ's.....we also did Michael Madden one of my students who was in a car accident going to football practice...I believe Michael was in a coma for about 2 years before he passed away...he had 4 or 5 brothers and sisters and we collected christmas money for presents for them...his aunt just friend-ed me in facebook so I keep in contact with them...

UGA..good luck crossing the street...one of my favorite lines to teachers and administrators is
Teachers..." don't ever forget what it was like to be a student"
Administrators.." don't ever forget what is was like to be a teacher"
Not sure who said it but like a good basketball coach we steal everything...good luck..

I told this story before here many years ago...how can I not tell it again.....in '97 I left my school SL after 23 years..took a job at PJ, a school with about 1,100...it was a friday afternoon in Oct...around 4.30 pm on a cold autumn day...everyone had gone home for the weekend.. no one was in the building....I had one box left in my office..I walked down to the gym for a final look...the lights were off and the gym was somewhat dark...I walked over to the bleachers and sat on the bench where I sat and coached for 23 years..and I looked up on the wall and saw all the banners my teams had won..1981,'82,84' etc ..all the way to '96...etc...was thinking of the players on those teams..many dead,many incarcerated,many successful, NY Trooper,NYC cop,NYC fireman,many lifetime armed services...and was crying....all of a sudden the double doors in the gym opened with the hallway lights coming into the gym..it was YAZ our polish-american janitor with a mop and bucket ..he walked into the gym not seeing me at first..then he looks across the floor and see's some one sitting on the bench..at first he doesn't recognize its me...then he see's me and yells " get the f..k out of this gym..I just mopped the hallway floors..WTF are you doing here...get the F out and walk near the walls.. I just mopped...Now I'm still crying but did leave the gym..he didn't realize it was my last day...he was upset I had to walk on his wet floors...went to my office,grabbed my last box and walked over to my car...was just laughing after 23 years...and that's how my career there should end...a crazy place for 23 years and I loved every minute..right up to the final buzzer...I always say if I ever wrote a book about my life I would start the book with Yaz kicking my ass out of the school..
Again sorry for the long ass stories...next one will be about Army's football team...they just threw off their star running back Kemper yesterday..again thank you all here...

 

[RAYMOND]

class act:0008

 

[BGFalcon]

After 15 years of the classroom(ss) and coaching, I accepted an assistant principal position last week. I have not thought a second about whether or not I can do the new job, only worried about my baseball players and my classes. No greater title than coach imo(or as some of my students called me "Mr Coach ......"), and no matter where I go from here on, I hope i am always "Coach".

I did the same thing many years ago (taught and coached for 13 then moved into administration). The big thing to remember as an administrator is your main function is to develop adults, not children. It may not seem like it but you will have an impact on many more students if you help the teachers grow and develop. Either by providing them with training, setting good examples for them, or, in difficult situations, getting rid of them, you will indirectly make things better for kids.

Best wishes on this new phase of your career.

 

[vinnie]

Congrats Box ! :toast:

 

[UGA12]

I did the same thing many years ago (taught and coached for 13 then moved into administration). The big thing to remember as an administrator is your main function is to develop adults, not children. It may not seem like it but you will have an impact on many more students if you help the teachers grow and develop. Either by providing them with training, setting good examples for them, or, in difficult situations, getting rid of them, you will indirectly make things better for kids.

Best wishes on this new phase of your career.

Thank you for the sound advice:toast:

 

[BOBBYW]

GBY & your Family...I salute you !!