MESSAGE FROM THE SCHOOL BOARD PRESIDENT, David Kurlinkus The new school year has begun. We know the challenges that the construction is going to present. Hopefully, by the time you read this, the site preparation for the field house project will have begun. The old Rockton Grade School is already being used for parking, and the Board has approved sending out bids for both the field house and the grade school work, so it won't be too long before we begin to see some progress on both sites. Only the look of the building will change, but what's inside won't. And what's inside is pretty remarkable. We often talk about the great educational program we have at Hononegah and the academic achievements of our students, high test scores and all the other positive indicators of success. Sometimes, however, we forget what outstanding young men and women our students are. Last month, at the Purple and Gold Fall Sports Kickoff, I was reminded. It was a nice evening, breezy and overcast, but the threatened rain bypassed the event. The band, spirit squads and athletes lined up to enter the stadium along with the administration, new members of the teaching staff, and several members of the school board. After the teams and band took their places on the football field, after the school song had been played and Princess Hononegah had danced, it was time for the singing of the National Anthem. As part of the introductions from the field, Superintendent Lynn Gibson, Principal Eric Flohr and I had ad- dressed the crowd using the wireless field microphone, and for each of us, the microphone cut in and out sporadically. Two of our students who were to sing the National Anthem acapella , picked up that same microphone on the field. After the first few bars, the microphone failed completely, and the stadium went silent—but not for long. You see, there is a very active student spirit/cheering section that takes up an entire section on the east end of the stadium. During games, they cheer, wave flags and banners and generally support the team and the school. On this particular Friday night, they did more. Literally, without missing a beat, they picked up where the microphone quit and led the whole crowd in completing the singing of The Star Spangled Banner . Our students didn't hesitate; they didn't let an un- expected equipment malfunction spoil the moment; they simply did what needed to be done. There are not many places where this would have happened. The sound of all those voices spontaneously joining together was truly moving. These students embody the best of our community, honoring our school, our country and our anthem. These exceptional young people are what make Hononegah an exceptional school. We should all be extremely proud of them. I know I am. Our regular Board meetings are on the third Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. in the school library. If you are interested in being placed on the agenda to speak or would like to attend a committee meeting where most of our planning is done, please call the district office at 624-5010. You can always contact me at 389-1382 or e-mail me at dkurli@ hononegah.org .