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The ABCD Award goes to...

February 05, 2020 - 00:00
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Superintendent’s Update

When I was a rookie coach on the staff at New Caney High School, I made a rookie mistake that I still get razzed about to this day. Every year, at the end of the year, the coaches voted on the “Above and Beyond the Call of Duty” (ABCD) award.

Well, it was my first year, and in my defense, they didn’t give me any directions. I just remember getting a slip of paper and being told to write down my vote for the ABCD award. So, I started thinking about who goes above and beyond? Who was always the first one to jump in there when something needed to be done? Who never complained about having to do the jobs that other folks didn’t want to do? Who was the first one in and the last one to leave? Who truly went above and beyond what their job description was? Even the fine print that reads, “and duties so assigned!”

For every single one of those questions, there was one answer; Coach Nelson! So, on my piece of paper, I wrote my vote down Coach Nelson! Then, I folded it up and turned it in.

The next day, at our staff meeting, I learned what my rookie mistake was when it was pointed out, in front of the rest of the staff that the ABCD award was supposed to go to one of our students... NOT one of our coaches! To say that they gave me a hard time would be putting it lightly and they still do on occasion... 28 years later!

Author William Hyche has a quote in his book entitled Handbook for Success that reads:

“Few things create a more positive impression than going above and beyond the call of duty without being asked.”

Basketball legend, Larry Bird, puts it best:

“I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow, things will work out in the end.”

“Thank You!” to Coach Nelson, and many others, for teaching me what that looks like!

And thank you to all of our NISD Family that do just that on a daily basis for our kids!

#WeAreNavasota

And we are ALL IN this TOGETHER!

Dr. Stu Musick is the Superintendent of Schools for Navasota Independent School District.