Impossible is nothing

Kia ora.

Bronco Mendenhall spoke to our senior students at assembly yesterday.  He was amazing, he was inspirational.    Talking briefly about his journey as Coach for the BYU (Brigham Young University) Cougars, he captivated the attention of the entire assembly - students and teachers!  His team has a potential audience (via TV) of 120 million homes worldwide.

He asked me, before leaving my office to enter the hall, what did I think was the most important message that he could share with our students.  I replied that I thought self-belief was probably the key message, the most pressing idea, which our students needed to hear more about. And, wow - did he deliver!

He spoke with the students engaging them to help unpack different ideas, and in particular the following quote;

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing." Muhammad Ali

Bronco combined the essence of the quote with information about what motivates us - referring to Dan Pink's work Drive: the surprising truth about what motivates us [short video].  Many of the students spoke with him after the assembly with Deputy Principal Walters.

Meeting Bronco and his family was a highlight for the week and complimented the conversations that I had with students around the school during the week.  There was a strong sense of optimism and interest for the seniors about how Assessment Week (last week) had worked or not, for them, and  I believe that students recognised the need to take ownership of their learning to realise their dreams and aspirations for the future.  The trick is believe that there is a future!

Returning to the words of Ali, impossible is nothing - invokes a passion, a call, to make real the dreams of/for our children. It starts with the believe and faith that nothing is impossible!

On another note, judges have reviewed all the nominations and selected the finalists for the 2012 Logan Print Sporting Excellence Awards (Gisborne).  On behalf of the school, good luck and best wishes to

• Rachel Hughes - nominated for Sportswoman of the Year
• Simon Davis - nominated for Junior Sportsman of the Year

Have a safe weekend with friends and family.


Video of the week - complete video (41 minutes) Dan Pink - Drive