It’s a great day to be a Blackhawk!

All of us should represent town well

Dear Blackhawks

We have a saying around here: “It’s a great day to be a Blackhawk.”

Congratulations to our junior girls volleyball team for winning the 4A West District Tournament, senior and junior cross country teams won 4A District Championships, junior boys football team is (7-0) and last Friday night our senior football team (6-1) lost against the 2015 State Semifinalist Prairie Grove Tigers.

After observing Blackhawk events, I always like to look back. I believe that by observing both the successes and failures we experience, I note what can be done to improve.

Reflection is good for the soul and is a true evaluation of success. Over the last couple of years, our success has come from hard work, preparation, great coaching and parental support. Success also has come from failure, adversity and ability to overcome negativity. Being a part of team involves everyone having one common goal and how we model it is important. Players, cheerleaders, band members, coaches, players, fans make up the recipe for the success of the event and the teamwork is so important. That’s what good teams and good fans do.

Reflecting on last Friday night’s game, it’s important to take a step back and think about what makes Pea Ridge athletics and our community a special place. Our support for all our programs and community is unprecedented. Our focus on student responsibility, sportsmanship and leadership comes right out of the athlete’s playbook. Athletes are taught to overcome officiating, mental mistakes and how to handle victory and defeat.

Those expectations we’ve created have resulted in observers from outside our area admiring how our community, fans and athletes conduct themselves. Friday night’s football game ended in a loss and disappointment, but it also allowed us to reflect on our success and how we handle those emotional situations with dignity going forward. We have incredible student athletes, coaches, facilities to compete at the highest level and we all enjoy being involved in the atmosphere of the event. However, we need to remember, coaches coach, players play, officials officiate and fans cheer enthusiastically and not negatively.

Final thought!

I have witnessed and enjoyed watching our student athletes help players from the opposing team up off the ground, tap players on the helmet acknowledging a great play, and praying together after the game. We as a community, parents, coaches and teachers have taught them well. It is my hope and encouragement moving forward, that everyone takes a page out of our student athlete’s playbook and continues to work hard on meeting those difficult challenges. Respectfully,

Rick Neal Superintendent