From the Desk of Dave Linzey....Small Eagle Logo 
Linzey

 
The Voyage of the Eagle

At Clayton Valley Charter High School our motto is to develop "first class citizens with a world class education."  This is a noteworthy task and one that depends on robust and rigorous academic preparation but also a dynamic character education program.  It is important to note that these two goals are equally important.  Producing quality individuals with a strong sense of civic responsibility has been at the forefront of our work to transform this institution since day one.  While we are firing on all cylinders during the school day, what happens when students go home?  We can put hours of time and energy into a fabulous Challenge Day program (the mission of this program is articulated on their website: "to provide youth and their communities with experiential programs that demonstrate the possibility of love and connection through the celebration of diversity, truth, and full expression") here from 8:00 to 3:00 but that hard work can quickly be erased if the student is exposed to poor examples of character once they leave the grounds of CVCHS.

 

In many communities across America this mixed message phenomenon is often what prevents character education from truly taking root.  However, in the Clayton Valley community, this is not the case.  The role models here are abundant and they show love and support for our school, our students, and our motto of "first class citizens."  I hear testimonies nearly every day.  Here is a great example from our Girls Golf Coach, Ms. Jennifer Moore:

 

"I want to share with you a very awesome act of generosity that happened at Oakhurst yesterday.  I was working with two of my girls at the top range showing them how to chip and hit out of the sand.  A club member approached us and asked my player if the shoes she was wearing were golf shoes.  She innocently replied, "No."  At first I thought oh no, we must be out of compliance with some new rule.  The gentleman smiled and handed Katie a gift card for the pro shop.  He said, "Here let me give you this gift card.  There's about $90 on it.  You can get a pair of golf shoes."  Katie and I were blown away by this man's generosity.  He then asked my other player if she had golf shoes.  Her reply was also no and to that he gave me his member number and said it was okay to get Annie a pair of shoes also!  We all thanked him and I introduced myself and shook his hand.  I asked if he had kids at CVCHS.  He told me he has two kids, but they are in college in Oregon.  I feel so honored to be a part of this community and this school!  This generous offering made a huge impact on my two players, one they will probably never forget."

 

I want to take a moment to express my sincerest appreciation for this community.  It is heartwarming to see what shining examples of character and citizenship our students have to look up to.  CVCHS is so lucky to have amazing parent volunteers, business and community partnerships, and political support - it feels like a wonderful family.  The random acts of kindness like Jen's story above are evidence that this is true.  Let's keep paying it forward and making this the greatest community in America to raise a "first class citizen."