Greeson: Broad school board meeting, lifting all students, not-so-good Knights, thanks Dr. Gallagher

Jay Greeson
Jay Greeson

Apparently everything this side of Russian meddling was covered at the Hamilton County Board of Education meeting Thursday night.

And all of it was important, from the all-consuming topic of protecting students to the asinine assertion that arming teachers is the solution to protecting them to building projects to new organization charts to some Opportunity Zone stats.

A big part of the discussion was a new equity task force and the efforts being made to lift the lower-performing schools in our district.

That's a noble and admirable goal.

But where in school board or school administration conversations are questions about how to make sure our high-performing students and schools remain top-notch?

Don't get me wrong, helping challenged schools and struggling students across Hamilton County is necessary.

But should that be at the expense - whether in planning, resources or capital - of the top-level achievers who often work ahead in their classrooms, from Daisy to Dalewood or from Nolan to Normal Park?

Want to know why cities in general and parents in particular look toward private schools?

Because, and maybe I'm the only who will say it, while trying to lift those at the bottom, those at the top can be ignored.

Those elitists

The gall of those Signal folks.

Did you hear that they are looking at breaking away again?

That's right, Signal residents are trying to figure out how they can do their thing one more time.

Wonder how all of the folks from Soddy to Central and from East Hamilton to East Ridge think about the Signal folks looking at a different water provider? Where's the outrage in that?

I'm willing to bet - somehow - that evil Chris Howley is behind that community trying to explore different options to see what could be better than the status quo.

How dare they.

Forgettable Knight

From the overflowing file that everything is offensive to someone, let's review the latest.

The College of Holy Cross, a religious school in Massachusetts, has decided to end the run of the school's mascot, The Knight. The school's sports teams will remain the Crusaders, but the Knight emblem and the Knight mascot are being retired.

Why?

Because the violence involving the Knights and the Christian armies during the religious crusades can come across as offensive so someone. Somewhere.

Here's what school president, the Rev. Philip Boroughs, wrote in a letter to students and alumni: "The visual depiction of a knight, in conjunction with the moniker Crusader, inevitably ties us directly to the reality of the religious wars and the violence of the Crusades. This imagery stands in contrast to our stated values. Over the coming months, the College will gradually phase out the use of all knight-related imagery."

Well, Reverend, what about the word Holy? There likely are some in the masses of unreligious out there who are offended by that, right? And that's way before we get to the "Cross" because that's the cause of the fight the no-longer applicable Knights were waging, right?

Here you go, sir. Scrap the whole thing. Start from scratch and we'll rename the school "Eternal Artifact" and let that name mean whatever to anyone in whatever denomination they choose to worship.

As for a mascot, well, apparently - amazingly - Redskins somehow continues to survive.

(But that may be offensive to those of us who are sensitive to sunburns.)

Saturday's star

I know I got a little wordy this morning, so let's close this quickly.

I know a handful of things in my life. I know my wife is the love of my life. I know I am proud of my kids. I know my Savior came for me.

I also know that no one wants to face the life-changing narrative that brain cancer brings.

Trust me.

But I also know that if life forces you to stare that monster in the face, you best pray that Dr. Michael Gallagher and his amazing staff are taking new patients.

Having gone through this a time or two, Dr. Gallagher is Michael Jordan mixed with Marcus Welby, M.D.

Yes, he's that good.

Until next time.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com and 423-757-6343.

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