By Dr. Dawson Orr
HPISD Superintendent

Sometimes there is a moment that embodies the spirit of a district and a community. Highland Park ISD employees were fortunate enough to experience such a moment the week before school started.

It was Monday, Aug. 15, and all our employees gathered in the Highland Park High School auditorium for the annual convocation program. This is the only day all year that we all gather in one place to affirm our common mission: serving the children of this great community.

The theme was "Making Every Note Count," and the Highlander Strings Orchestra performed onstage, adding music and inspiration to the program. The student orchestra serves as a metaphor for our work here in HPISD. Just like the talented young musicians, we have many players with important parts to play. District employees come together with our parent volunteers, community members, Education Foundation, Alumni Association and school board members to make up the HPISD family. Our common goal is to provide an excellent education for the children of this community.

Who better to tell this story than a recent HPHS graduate? Keynote speaker Zach Ballard, a 2009 grad, traced his journey from University Park Elementary through HPHS and on to his engineering studies at Brown University.

Zach reminded us that quirky isn't necessarily bad. He proudly displayed his school pictures from kindergarten through fifth grade, asking, "Does anyone notice anything about what I'm wearing?" In every single picture, Zach was clad in overalls. And it wasn't just for picture day - it was every single day - for six straight years!

"To be honest, I don't know why I did it," he told the audience, once the laughter had died down. "I guess in some pseudo-rebellious way I was exercising my right to be an individual. I was trying to break conventions. And the teachers at UP Elementary responded with warmth and support. As long as I came to learn, they were there to teach and cheer.

"And that is the true spirit of this school district. Here, there is a support system for any individual to engage in any type of academic pursuit. And I return to you two years after graduating as a testament to the diversity and strength of this school district, still breaking conventions, no longer with overalls, but with an uncompromising pursuit of both the arts and sciences. And I am here this morning to talk about how Highland Park shaped me as this enthusiastic and passionate bipolar learner."

Zach went on to explain his "bipolar" tendencies, the story of an intellectual whose curiosity knows no bounds. Zach said he didn't have the good sense to master one thing. Instead, he explored and mastered many things: theater, viola, bagpipes, guitar, writing, slam poetry, math and science. He thanked many teachers by name and challenged those in the audience to resist the temptation to spoon-feed answers to students, instead allowing them to wrestle with challenging concepts and figure them out on their own, learning from their mistakes along the way.

"During my time here I have worn kilts, concert tuxedos, tights, prosthetic make-up, and yes, overalls, and though it was often busy, I wished nothing else," Zach said. "I owe everything to this community and school district, to my teachers and parents. You have inspired me, challenged me, and given me the brightest of futures."

Zach ended by reciting "To the Lightning Teachers" by Derrick Brown, and the audience leapt to its feet to give him a standing ovation.

This is the moment all teachers live for - a young man or woman telling them how all those hours in the classroom planted the seed of intellectual engagement that blossomed unencumbered into original thought and innovation rather than a recital of facts. Zach most certainly inspired us and reminded us of why we are here.

What better way to start off the school year?

We spent the next week preparing for Aug. 22, the first day of school. About 6,750 students arrived at the doors of our seven campuses, ready to learn. Parent volunteers were out in force, serving lunch, selling school supplies, and planning the many activities that fill the school year. Teachers greeted their students and embarked on the journey of learning that enriches all of our lives.

Students in HPISD and across the state of Texas are preparing to compete in a complex, interdependent world that will demand character, responsibility, judgment, innovation, creativity, dedication and perseverance. It is our privilege to serve them.

My gratitude goes out to every employee, student, parent and community member who plays an important part in the lives of our students. As Zach so wisely pointed out, that is the true spirit of HPISD.

Dr. Dawson Orr is the superintendent of the Highland Park Independent School District. He is beginning his 35th year as an educator and his fourth school year as HPISD superintendent.