Welcome to Anderson, Dr. Chow.
The new Anderson Community Schools superintendent, Felix Chow, came here from Michigan, home of the woeful Detroit Lions football team. So you can’t really blame him if he didn’t fully grasp the extent of Colts mania in Anderson.
Unless you’ve been living media free, you know that the Indianapolis Colts will play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday in the Super Bowl.
Everybody in Hoosierdom, seemingly, is excited about the big game.
Businesses and organizations across Indiana are having Colts Friday today, encouraging folks to wear the team’s colors of blue and white. Many schools are getting in on the act, too, seizing on the excitement of Super Bowl week to energize students and staff.
But Chow sent a memo Monday that left some ACS building administrators scratching their heads. The message declared that “each building principal is the CEO to make the decision about having or not having a ‘spirit day’ in his or her building.”
The memo related Chow’s philosophy that the “dress code remain in effect until changed ... by (ACS) board policy” and encouraged building officials to consider whether the person or entity being honored has a direct “connection” to ACS.
Chow also used the curious hypothetical analogy about whether a spirit day should be declared if Hoosier violinist Joshua Bell were to win a world-class competition.
Dr. Chow surely realizes that such an analogy won’t resonate with the vast majority of Anderson school district parents, kids and staff.
It’s also possible that Chow is really attempting to put the power in the hands of building principals to make decisions about “spirit days” and, presumably, more important matters.
The mixed signals of his spirit-day memo might demonstrate the philosophical nuances that he wants administrators to ponder. But wouldn’t it have been better, certainly clearer, to say simply, “Building principals: I encourage you to consider the declaration of Friday as Spirit Day for the Indianapolis Colts. This community needs rallying points, and the success and excitement of the Super Bowl offers such an opportunity.”
Editorials
Editorial: Colts spirit day memo sends mixed signals
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