Yesterday was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Every year, I like to listen to his "I Have a Dream" speech. I recommend it. I also would recommend you go and read some of his letters from Birmingham jail. He was a master communicator and those letters are a great example of how to win support and develop ethos.
One line has always stuck out to me from his "I Have a Dream" speech. He says,
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
I had always looked at this quote as a reminder for myself to judge others based on their actions and not how they looked. And, to be fair, that would be a wonderful message for all of us to embrace.
But there is another way to look at that quote. So often, we look at that quote and we cannot WAIT to jump to the conclusion that it MUST be about us judging others. Human beings are hardwired to judge others, so it makes sense this would be our immediate viewpoint. But how often do we turn that lens on ourselves? Have you ever considered, "What if I were the one being judged by my character?" It changes how you look at that quote doesn't it!
So often, we are so concerned with what other people are doing, we lose sight of our own thoughts and actions. We put the spotlight on others because it is far safer and feels much better than seeing the flaws in ourselves. If we were the ones being judged based on the content of our character, what would that look like?
Are we kind?
Do we have integrity?
Are we humble?
How about honest?
Do we follow the golden rule?
Are we the type of people that others can depend on?
Am I forgiving?
Do I see the best in others?
Do I put others before myself?
When we self-reflect a little, we may see some things in ourselves that need some work, and that can be very uncomfortable.
This week, let's all take a few moments to honestly self-reflect on our own character. Look for some things you can work on for yourself. Improve your character. And remember to be less quick to judge others for things beyond their control.
Challenge for the week:
Take a look at your OWN character!
Every day is a great day to be a Gorilla!
Have a reflective week!
GAME UPDATES for Today, January 20th
Middle School boys basketball games will be played at the Gregory Memorial Auditorium starting at 4:00pm
High School boys JV basketball game will be played following middle school.
HS wrestling will be in Atkinson, NE starting at Noon.
Boys basketball will be in Burke. MS will play at 3:30, JV at 6:15 followed by Varsity.
MS boys basketball will be in Platte on Saturday
NO SCHOOL on Monday the 19th for Martin Luther King Jr Day
Gregory Team Places Second and Wins $500 at Q1073 Quiz Bowl
By Ronda Graber
The Gregory Quiz Bowl Team brought $500 home on Saturday by placing second in the Q1073 Quiz Bowl championship in Mitchell. Parker won the championship. Other teams who qualified for the final eight were Dakota Christian, Platte-Geddes, Menno, Mt. Vernon, Mitchell Public, and Sanborn Central.
Gregory’s first match of the day was against Mr. Vernon. The team started a little slow, allowing Mt. Vernon to take the lead, but came back strong, winning 6-4. The next match was closer, Gregory defeated Menno 6-5, placing them in the championship round with no losses. Madisan Graber was the captain for the first two matches with teammates Dani Timanus and Dylan Johnson.
Timanus took over for the championship round as team captain due to Graber leaving for a cheer competition in Sioux Falls. Piper Bartlett came in to round out the team of three. Parker beat Mt. Vernon to advance to the championship round. They had one loss for the day, so they needed to beat Gregory twice to win; unfortunately, that is exactly what happened. Parker beat Gregory in the first match 6-4 and 6-2 in the final, taking $1,000 home to their school.
Luke Barreto was an alternate for the team as well but competed in a track event on Saturday and didn’t travel to Mitchell. The four team members and their coach will decide how to spend the $500. The GHS team from 2024 bought a new Gregory Gorilla bench for the entryway of the high school with their winnings.
Reserved seating tickets $50 per person. Athletes have order forms or they are available in the office.
Form
a-me.io/SPXCGK7
The Multimedia class needs 1 baby/toddler picture and 2 senior portraits (one being a close-up or head shot) and by January 31st.
We can scan in actual photos in the office or you can email high quality digital images to kristy.ring@k12.sd.us (images must be high resolution, no screenshots)
If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Ring as soon as possibly.
Someone once asked me how I come up with these messages each week. The answer is actually a bit embarrassing. Most of these weekly messages come about because I have noticed something in my OWN life that I need to try to fix or improve. They are aspects of life I need to fix MYSELF. They are not meant to be a criticism of others, but as a suggestion of something to work on that others may be struggling with as well!
One lesson I learned from a mentor of mine, is something that has stuck with me for years. I fail at it all the time, but it is one of those things that can really change the tone of your day-to-day interactions. I noticed, after being around this mentor for many years, that I rarely, if ever, heard him say something negative about ANYONE. Even when discussing situations where a critique of character would be appropriate, this man never indulged. When others would be bad-mouthing someone, he would just say something like, "Well, that may be, but that guy would show up for me anytime I asked."
He would always deflect, and counter with a compliment about the person being discussed. He never piled on. It was around this time that I decided he must be a great friend! And also, that I needed to work on the quality of my own friendship.
We all want to have friends that will speak well of us when we aren't around. We want people to stand up for us. But we don't always practice that ourselves. We let others talk down about friends of ours and don't correct them. We allow rumors to continue when we could easily set the record straight.
Ben Franklin said, "Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everyone."
As we go out into the world this week, may we all be a little more aware of the words coming out of our mouths. Let's take every opportunity to speak well of others, even if they aren't close friends of ours. Be the type of friend we all wished we had! You'll be amazed how much better your daily interactions become. You will be surrounded by less negativity as well because negativity needs an audience!
Challenge for the week: Speak well of others!
Every day is a great day to be a Gorilla!
Have a marvelous week!
https://stores.Inksoft.com/gregory2026