A Word from Wayne

It’s a great day to be a Dillo!! Imagine blowing up a large balloon, looking at it’s beautiful color and shape, and then slightly releasing the air, then releasing more until you get that flub-flub-flub sound until all the air is gone. That is what the Governor’s announcement last Friday was like for the graduating class of 2020 all over Texas. Having school closed but instructing for the rest of the year is not what anyone wanted to hear, but that is what we must do to win this fight against the coronavirus.

There have been other times in history when hopes and dreams of young people have been crushed. Most of those had to do with war. When the Vietnam War was starting, many high school seniors received a draft call to go to war instead of college. In 1980 and again in 1984, the Olympic games were boycotted because of war and protest. Many athletes who had trained their whole lives for one chance to be the best of the best in the world were denied the opportunity. Those who put the 1980 boycott behind them and began to train for the 1984 Olympics, only to have their biggest competitors boycott, meant that eight years of training was for naught. Any gold medal was tainted because not all the best could compete. There may be some comfort knowing that others have had similar experiences in history, but it may not help the emotions people are experiencing now.

That being said, the students that make up the class of 2020 are history makers. They were history makers before the coronavirus upset our world, but now even more so. Here are some awards our coaches won this year: Andreas Aguirre - Dave Campbell’s 2a Coach of the week and Dave Campbell’s 40 under 40 (40 of the top coaches under the age of 40 in the state of Texas, college and high school); Mark Kyle - Big Country boys basketball coach of the year; Alicia Cummings - All West Texas coach of the year - TGCA All Star Coach; Brandy Eckerman - TGCA coach of the year. I wanted to highlight these coaches because each one of them had scores of all-star athletes working hard to make Dillo history. You don’t have award winning coaches without having award winning athletes.

We will make sure we recognize the accomplishments of all our students in the upcoming weeks. The big question now is how are we going to honor the graduating class of 2020? We are working on it. We will do the best we can with what we are allowed to do. I am confident that this experience for our students will not define who they are. We work hard in all our academic and athletic efforts to prepare students for life beyond high school. I am confident the class of 2020 will prevail in all of their endeavors. Go Dillos!!!