Thank you, Dad.

The older I get, the more I realize how much my parents are actually pretty smart. Here is one example. My dad has been in education for as long as I can remember. He has a passion for students and helping them to learn and believe they too can do things with their life. He was always very involved with Student Council. I had the privilege of serving on Student Council all 4 years of high school. My senior year, however, something happened that I didn't realize was so cool until probably just a few days ago.

The National Guard wanted to create opportunities to recruit at different schools. They were asking what they could do to get involved. At this same time, our basketball coach was taking a group of kids to the National Summer Special Olympics games or something like that, but it was a big deal. This coach was their head coach and he knew it was going to cost money. Student Council was determined to find a way to help them out. When the National Guard arrived, we quickly thought of something and acted. What better way to support a basketball team than by playing basketball! We arranged a group of students and faculty and they played against the National Guard. Tickets were sold and we held a raffle for a TV.

Oilton is a small town. Yes, small towns do come together and support goals such as this, but that night there were also little league games going on so several people couldn't attend. Everyone had a great time and we were able to present Coach Madison with a check for approximately $800. You might not think that is a lot, but I still think that was pretty good for us!

You see my dad allowed us to dream as big as we want. He allowed us to do what we want. He let us have input. But, he helped, guided, and encouraged us along the way. Why did I just realize how great of a teacher my dad was until a couple of days ago? With the way some things are going, I feel like I had more of a chance in high school to be responsible, to be trusted, and to dream. It doesn't always go like that, but right now I am just trying to jump some of those hurdles. Thank you, Dad for believing and trusting in me and the rest of the Student Council for allowing us to do something we were passionate about.