Hello, Ursuline families,

Most of us who taught through the 2020-2021 school year still feel some anxiety when we hear the buzzword of that year, "pivot." With recent weather impacting our powderpuff game a couple weeks ago and another round of weather affecting our school day and theater performance last week, I’m realizing how useful and beneficial the 2020-2021 disruption in our school plans has been in our community’s learning to accept unanticipated changes and things we cannot control.

In late summer, a Cross Country Meet illustrated to me the unexpected gift that disruption and disappointment can be. This particular meet was a miserable hot run on a September morning. After a strong effort by our team, the girls were anxious to get back to campus, enjoy a shower, grab a hearty lunch, and still make it to their afternoon classes. Our tired runners boarded the bus and helped themselves to the last of the granola bars as we moved down the aisle like flight attendants. Just as we settled in and sent a text to school to confirm we were on our way, our bus driver closed the door, and the door popped back open. He proceeded to push the button, and we watched on as the door continued closing and opening repeatedly. It will be fine, I thought, surely there is a manual way to close the door. Wishful thinking. Worsening to our spirits, our bus driver commented, “That’s funny, I’ve never seen this before.” He hopped on a call with the bus company as the bus heated up and our team fidgeted. Time went by… 10 minutes… 30 minutes… 45 minutes, and we watched longingly as the other teams departed. Even more disconcerting was that the only information and update from the bus driver was, “I’m working on it.” When we realized we were in for the long-haul, we got the team off the bus and tried to stay calm in the parking lot.

Time to pivot.

One coach was rescheduling her work meetings, and one of our teachers was communicating lesson plan changes back at school. In the meantime, I was researching if Dominoes would deliver to this parking lot in the middle of nowhere to keep our hungry Bears happy. Unexpectedly, and uninitiated by us, some seniors on our team gathered up the freshmen into a semicircle and put on the track to the Freshman Dance. In this lonely, hot parking lot, despite the frustrating circumstances, our freshmen runners, cheered on enthusiastically by the upperclassmen, did the Freshman Dance with no inhibition. I could not have been more grateful for our seniors who truly have become leaders in Serviam, not just in their senior service projects but in their day-to-day encounters. It was an out-of-this-world experience where we momentarily forgot where we were and celebrated who we are – what Ursuline community and tradition is. Funny enough, I would have been sad to miss that 90-minute bus malfunction, because it reminded me that we always have a choice: whatever the circumstances, we can choose our attitudes.

A Christian artist named TobyMac recently released a song titled, “The Goodness,” that plays frequently on the radio. His lyrics begin,

You made the rain, so, when it falls on me, should I complain
Or feel You're calling me?
It's all on me to stay
And really catch what You're showing,
It's my roots that You're growing,
'Cause life is more than this moment.

The striking thing to me about the release of this song is that the artist wrote it following the accidental death of his son in 2020. If anyone has reason to complain about the hard things in life, it’s TobyMac. But, the lyrics testify to the truth that God works His goodness into our lives through some of the most difficult times.

I’ve spent over half my life in a high school. One of the highlights of being in a high school is that we get to witness the many ways our teens’ roots are growing, most often as the result of their willingness to stay in the discomfort and look beyond the moment. While complaining is an easy response to struggles, the challenge for us, both teenagers and adults, is to open our eyes to the goodness of our own growth. We have a choice.

The joyful and unifying experience for the members of our Cross Country team would not have happened if the bus door had cooperated. It would not have happened if Uber had rescued them from the moment of discomfort. It also would not have happened but for the choice of attitude by our upperclassmen and their decision to lean into a bit of discomfort rather than complain about the circumstances they could not change. A post-it note on the wall of my office reads, “Discomfort hides us from what we are capable of.” What I saw at that cross country meet was discomfort propelling us into what we are capable of.

May we invite God to continue to grow our roots, may we remember that we always have the freedom to choose our attitude in our circumstances, and may we not miss the goodness he’s showing us in moments of both joy and discomfort.

Thank you,

Mandy Briones
Dean of Students
469-232-1805