Celebrating Everyday Heroism

In an early post that I made last May, I mentioned that I work in a tough neighborhood.  My program, among other aspects of the school, helps to create an oasis where our students can be safe from the local drama; however, we still receive our fair share, and it is in those times when I see everyday heroes rise.

Without getting into the details and negativity, tensions have increased on our campus.  We've had numerous incidents lately and while it is not necessarily my role to handle such issues, I am often close at hand when they happen and will often find myself in conversations with students and staff long after the encounters have occurred.  It's affected us all in some way, including myself; I'm a couple of days late in posting.  Sorry - I have several drafts in the works, but this is foremost in my mind right now.

In such times, it's easy to become consumed by negativity, but right now I'd really like to recognize a few everyday heroes from my community, not all by name, but through their actions:

• During a parking lot scuffle, one of our parents (a retired vet) stepped out of his car and separated the combatants while support arrived;
• Numerous teachers and staff were on hand to deal with the issues of the past few days, and I appreciate their quick thinking and decisive action;
• A member of my student team, Ranfis Villatoro, was provoked during a passing period by another student, who engaged in classic textbook pre-fight interviewing.  Ranfis held his ground and talked him down without having to fight;
  
• Another member of my student team, Armond Witherspoon, was caught in the middle of an encounter between two students and helped his teachers separate them by standing in the way.  It became especially tense when control was lost and a pair of scissors was produced.  His sweatshirt was cut in the process, but thanks to his quick sidestep, he was unharmed....and a lucky young man.  Another student stepped in and calmly helped to take away the scissors.

There are no words for the gratitude and pride that I feel, for the honor of working alongside everyday heroes like those I've just mentioned.  It's a mixed feeling every time, but I find myself appreciating most.

This is not how things are every day, of course, but this did all happen within the span of several days.  Incidents like these, while uncommon at our school, are somewhat commonplace in the neighborhood that we serve.  Our school was built here to help transform the community through empowering people.  It's why I chose to serve here six years ago, and why I continue to help build the school.  This work is my ultimate black belt test.  It's not found in my pushups, my mileage, or my bag work; these are a means to achieve something within myself that must be passed on and shared....so that heroes may rise.

Every hero that rises is a victory for us all.