Knightly News

Like all teachers, I know it is important to highlight student success. But how do we recognize success that is truly extraordinary? What do we do when students truly exceed expectations?

Well, at the very least, we can tell their story. And this student success story begins with an email.

As he has for several years, Fr. Skully sent an email to the entire faculty in the first week of December. Veteran teachers recognized the subject line immediately: “IRIS Domestic Violence Center Christmas Gifts.”

Based in Baton Rouge, the IRIS Center supports and shelters families who are fleeing sites of domestic violence. By providing safety as well as counseling and legal assistance, the center aims to reduce violence through empowering survivors and promoting justice. Typically, there would be about ten families in need, and various teams, clubs, and groups among the Episcopal community would “adopt” them and provide some Christmas joy. 

But this year, Fr. Skully felt he had to add this to his message, “Come on, y’all. We have a lot of families this year. Let me hear from you.” Because instead of ten families in need, there were twenty-three—twenty-three families, made up of over sixty mothers and children in need of safety and joy this holiday season.

While many unrecognized teachers and coaches activated their resources, the largest families, encompassing nearly thirty survivors altogether, seemed the most daunting to care for. Hoping to get each Upper School grade level to adopt one family itself, a hasty lunch meeting was called—just hours after Fr. Skully’s plea. 

Packed into a single classroom in Perkins Hall, nearly forty student leaders huddled with their lunch trays, elbow-to-elbow sharing desktops. Student representatives from the Student Vestry, the Student Council, the Honor Council, and the Class Officers of all four grade-levels were told the dilemma: they had two weeks to raise funds, purchase gifts, wrap the presents, and deliver them, all while preparing for their end of semester exams.

Despite the challenge, with mouths full of chicken, rice, and gravy, the student leaders formed the IRIS Christmas Task Force, selecting the four largest families— and a couple of others too to adopt. 

Then, the students went to work.

They put out calls to grade-level reps in the Parent’s Guild, had small collection drives among their classes, and coordinated with grade-level sponsors to support their efforts.  A sense of clear purpose and a determined will motivated them, even as their own exams loomed over them. The anxiety that comes with ambition was there too, but so was the faith and drive that Upper School student leaders have been developing all semester long.

The day before they were to deliver the presents, a group of over twenty students from all four grade-levels stayed after their own stressful exams for a “wrap” party. In between music requests for Bieber’s “Drummer Boy” and calls of “Who has tape?”, the students and class sponsors wrapped the gifts for their IRIS family. 

In the end, Fr. Skully had to pack his vintage Isuzu Trooper with boxes, stockings, and gifts four times to deliver all of the gifts the students had collected to the IRIS Center. 

And in the last trip, he was also able to bring a check donation from the Student Leaders for over $1100 because, despite the limited window of time students had had to do all this meaningful work, the leaders had far exceeded expectations.

So again, how do we recognize students who do more than we can possibly anticipate? Without a medal, a certificate, a ribbon, or a sticker to give, we have only gratitude and admiration. 

Thank you, student leaders. Thanks for the pride your efforts inspired among your teachers. But most of all, thanks for the goodwill, grit, and generosity that brought so much joy to others this past holiday season.

Scott Engholm

Scott Engholm has taught Upper School English and co-directed the Honors Thesis program at Episcopal for the past ten years.  In that time, he's devoted himself to project-based learning, the social-emotional development of his students, and the cultivation of communities of trust in his classrooms. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Central Arkansas and a Masters of Arts in English from the University of Kentucky. In addition to teaching English III and Honors Thesis, Scott also helps coordinate LAUNCH, the upper school student academic showcase.

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