March 9, 2007
posted 3/9/2007 10:58 PM

A father's perspective
I’ve been dreaming all year about ways we can advance disability awareness in our VCS school community. Tonight I was treated to a dream come true. I met three role models who reinforced my beliefs that each of us has special gifts that build the diverse foundation of our school district. Those role models were a parent, a student, and a coach. We heard about the parent who patiently served his child’s passion in basketball. J-Mac talked about how much he appreciated his father transporting him on a constant basis to basketball practice, clinics, and camps. We heard about the coach who struggled early in his coaching career, but stay dedicated to his passion and mission to help young student athletes develop. And we heard from a charming, but humble young man whose instant celebrity has made him a leader at such a young age. This is a young man who has met more celebrities that we identify by a their first name, including politicians like George W., athletes like Magic, Kolby, and Peyton, and media moguls like Oprah, that any of us could only dream to mingle with for a minute. Yet, he stays grounded, unlike Brittany and Paris, and has set new goals such as working toward his GED diploma or excelling at his job at Wegmans. But everywhere he goes, he’s the real celebrity. He was at the NCAA final four and although there was a retired NBA basketball star set up to sign autographs, it was J-Mac that had the line of autograph seekers. This is a young man that talked about attending different schools, different classes, and always just wanted to be the same as his brother and other kids in the neighborhood. He found early on, that basketball was his passion, and his favorite class was PE because he was re-united for one period with the “other kids”. It was over a year ago in February that his special night was recorded for the world, and yet at the Victor Junior High School today, there was a huge line of our local children who didn’t dart for the buses when the bell rang, but mobbed J-Mac on the gym floor, just as his fellow students at Greece Athena did over a year ago. If you ask J-Mac about his success last season, he’s quick to make sure everyone knows the most special part of his basketball dream was putting his shirt and tie back on for sectionals to re-assume his role as team manager, and participate in this role while his school won basketball sectionals. One of my favorite learning’s from the evening, and there were too many to recall right now, but this one in particular struck a chord as a parent. When Jason was cut from the JV basketball team, and by the way, he tried out for the basketball team and was cut three times, his mom called the coach and asked if there was any way he could stay involved with the team. This led to his successful role as team manager which he gladly accepted and excelled. It was this role that allowed him to earn a chance to seize the moment and realize his dreams, playing in a varsity basketball game and scoring 20 points in a little over four minutes! His mom’s willingness to shepherd her son’s dreams and the coach’s willingness to make accommodations to fuel this young student’s passions is the lesson that I need to remind myself on a daily basis. It’s that lesson that reinvigorates me to double-down my efforts with our VOICE advisory group, the other parent groups, and our school staff to make sure every child has a chance to pursue their dreams at Victor Central. Special thanks to Carl Christensen and his great staff and Karen Ballard at PTSA for making my dreams come true this evening. It was a memorable evening because I listened to a father, a coach, and a fine young man who reminded us to pursue our dreams. And even if we don’t always hit the stars we stretch for, it’s the ride that we commit to those dreams that make the world special. Please send comments to kpartin1@rochester.rr.com for me to share with our community!

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