Hat Trick! Another Valley Championship for CNHS Forensics

Congratulations to CHAD and his forensics team for winning the Valley Championship in speaking events...for the third year in a row!  Below is an excerpt from the news article he circulated around the CNHS campus, sharing the tremendous achievement.

The Clovis North Forensics team won the SVFL Valley Championship for a third consecutive year last Saturday at South High School in Bakersfield. Clovis North fended off a very competitive Stockdale High School to win its fourth title in five years. Overall sweepstakes are determined by points awarded for students in the final rounds of all 12 speaking events. The final sweepstakes points for the top three teams are as follows:

1st place - Clovis North High School - 85 points 

2nd place - Stockdale High School - 79 points 

3rd place - University High School - 56 points 

Special congratulations go out to the following students for their exceptional performance and to those who qualified to the State Championships being held April 17-19 in Temecula, CA. 

Hayk Kosaian & Sammy Linkowski - Valley Champions - Duo Interpretation (State Qualifiers)

Vishnu Pamula - Valley Champion - Original Oratory (State Qualifier) 

Maya Srikanth - 2nd Place - Original Oratory (State Qualifier) 

Justin Lagera - 6th place - Original Oratory (1st Alternate) 

Alexa Perricone - Valley Champion - Original Advocacy (State Qualifier) 

Pooja Heragu - 3rd place - Original Advocacy (State Qualifier) 

Meenu Pamula - 5th place - Original Advocacy (State Qualifier) 

Matthew Cuevas - 2nd Place - Humorous interpretation (State Qualifier) 

Spencer Rosen - 4th Place - Humorous Interpretation (State Qualifier) 

Erika Osilla - 5th Place - Humorous Interpretation (State Qualifier) 

Seshaan Ratnam - 5th place - Impromptu Speaking (State Qualifier) 

Jashanpal Mangat - 6th place - Impromptu Speaking (State Qualifier) 

 


Mr. Hayden and his Valley Champions!

Teacher Appreciation Night

Last week Chad was picked by one of his students (on the girls' basketball team) to be recognized at "Teacher Appreciation Night," where select teachers were introduced during basketball game halftime and presented with an award by the student who nominated them.  Below is the script, written by his student, that was read when he was presented with the award.  Way to go, Mr. Hayden! 

"Mr. Hayden has made such an impact on my life.  He has helped me value my education by showing compassion for his students and his subject.  He is the most intelligent man I've ever met.  He is also an eloquent speaker who can capture anyone's attention.  I've learned that there is always an opportunity to learn and grow as an individual.  He has taught that there are more beautiful aspects of life if you make the effort to look beyond the surface.  Mr. Hayden is a great teacher and person.  His love for English and speaking is contagious and has personally inspired me to be more loving and pursue a more fulfilling life."

Clovis North Valley Champs - AGAIN!

Chad shared the following update with all Clovis North faculty last week.  His coaching successes continue to impress all of us! 

 

 

 

Congratulations to the Clovis North Forensics team for winning the SVFL Valley Championships for the second year in a row.  Saturday's competition was held at Sanger High School and was the second leg of the tournament, completing the final 6 of 12 events.  Clovis North edged out a very competitive Clovis East who had been threatening throughout the tournament. Sweepstakes points are based on the number of students in the final round of the competition.

 

 

Clovis North: 73 points - 1^st place

Clovis East: 69 points - 2^nd place

Stockdale: 30 points - 3^rd place

Edison: 22 points - 4^th place

Sanger: 22 points - 5^th place

University H.S.: 20 points - 6^th place

 

 

2013 Crystal Award Winner!

Chad received quite an honor last week when he was given a prestigious "Crystal Award" from Clovis Unified School District!  According to CUSD, "Clovis Unified’s Crystal Awards program seeks to honor exceptional district employees. Specifically, all Crystal Award recipients have demonstrated that they effectively exhibited Clovis Unified’s core values and that they have moved the district forward through applying these values to meet one of the district’s aims. Ultimately, these employees are making a significant impact on the lives of students, their colleagues, their site and the district."  (The award's webpage shows a complete list of winners for 2013.)

 

The honorees were invited to a special pre-ceremony reception before the beautiful awards show in the gorgeous Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall (which is, conveniently, just across the street from our house!).  For each award winner, a slide show was presented showing what they have done to earn the nomination and recognition.  I was able to capture Chad's slide show on video (below).  I've also included some pics from the evening and a slide show of the best pics from the ceremony's slide show...if that sounds confusing, just see the stuff below my signature!

 

None of us who know Chad and how hard he works were a bit surprised at the nomination and award!  And each year it becomes more and more clear how much his colleagues respect him and how much his students esteem him as one of their favorites and most influential.  And this Mrs. was so blessed that in the event's program, he credited me for much of his success!  It's true that we both work hard and support each other relentlessly in our respective careers.  I couldn't be more proud of Mr. Hayden!

Oxford to Turnberry

From the beginning of November to the end of March, we went from this.....
 

 

 

To THIS!

 

Life has been crazy busy, to say the very least. When we started the process of building a home, we felt like we had all the time in the world to "get ready" for moving. But then we blinked, and escrow had closed....and we hadn't even started packing! We began moving things over the first week in April and were officially "moved in" (i.e., sleeping at the new house) by April 27th. I'm so grateful to my mom for coming up and spending an entire week with us, keeping Tess occupied so that we could do the work of packing and moving!

For years, we knew that eventually we'd need more space than our Oxford house provided. And we firmly believed that we would eventually just add onto the house, given our love for the location (Old Town) and our huge backyard space. But as our family grew, we realized that more space wasn't the only thing we needed. We needed a street that our kid(s) could play on-- with other kids -- and a neighborhood where we could feel more of a sense of community. When we reached the point where we felt ready to "make a move" on the addition, we had a huge check and decided we needed to look for a different, bigger home. Long story short, we were very cleary led to build a new house in the Rivers Edge development by Bonadelle. Coincidentally, the neighborhood -- and even our specific lot -- is right across the street from Clovis North High School.

We're moved in, we're getting settled, and we're almost completely "out" of the Oxford house. In a few weeks we'll be having a big yard sale to offload all the furniture and other "stuff" that didn't assimilate into the new place. And we're getting Oxford ready to rent out, which will be a whole new adventure....as much as we felt led to move out, we didn't have ANY peace about selling it (even though being a landlord is the last thing I want to do in my life right now!).

What we'll miss about Oxford:

--Our wonderful neighbors, Tom & Niki, and their two adorable doggies, Shorty & Brownie. We had some very fun nights eating, drinking, and playing cards on their back patio!

--Being able to walk to Old Town: the Farmer's Market, antique shops, coffee shops, etc.

--Being so close to our spiritual community AND one of our fantastic babysitters, Julianna.

--The IDEA of our cute little bungalow home with wood floors, crown moulding, and custom carpentry.

What we won't miss about Oxford:

--The lack of community on our street, and the run-down houses.

--Our cranky neighbor who loves to call the policy for every. little. thing. and whose cats were ALWAYS in our business.

--Trying to leave for work in the morning with cranky parents dropping off their kids at Weldon.

--Primitive living! No dishwasher, garbage disposal, limited hot water, low ceilings, and minimal closet/storage space!

What we LOVE about our new place:

--More space! Just enough, but not too much, at 1783 square feet.

--A beautiful, landscaped backyard and large back patio for entertaining.

--An endless supply of hot water, thanks to our tankless water heater.

--Room to move and cook in the kitchen! And of course the dishwasher and garbage disposal.

--Location, location, location: Chad's commute is 5 minutes, door-to-door, and ON FOOT!

--The potential for raising a family in a neighborhood full of other families where the kids all get to go to school together, too.

It's been difficult to be "in transition" over the last 6 weeks or so, and it will probably be end of Summer before we've got things just how we want them. And then, projects begin. (Even though it's a new house, it's like a blank canvas and there is much we want to do to it!) Being in transition is difficult for me -- I want things done, and I want them done NOW, and I hate living in any state of limbo. But I'm choosing to remember that in life, almost everything is a process. I'm reminded of a quote by one of my favorite authors, Anais Nin: " Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death." Here's to becoming!

Some pics from along the house-building journey can be found below!
 

Clovis North State Champ!

Chad hit another career milestone last month when one of his students took first place at the state speech and debate championships.  That's right -- number one in the whole state of California!

To quote the article in the Fresno Bee, "Ritu Jayakrishnan won on April 29 for his speech advocating the passage of the STOCK Act, which would end insider trading among members of Congress...Jayakrishan competed in the Original Advocacy event, in which competitors must give an originally crafted speech that discusses a problem and provides a legislative solution."

Ritu was the only state champ this year from the Southern Valley Foresnic League, which includes schools from Fresno to Kern Counties.  He competed against 194 other students in this particular event and was among 56 who made it to the state tournament.

If this doesn't speak to fantastic coaching, I don't know what does!  Did you know? Chad was once himself a state champ -- in debate! I had almost forgotten it until I sat down to share this little update.  The excellency continues...we are so proud of him!

Yes Sir, She's Our Baby!

Well, it's been just over 5 weeks since little miss Tess's arrival, and as we have always heard it would, our life has changed dramatically.  We find ourselves asking the usual questions: What did we do with our time before Tess?  How is it possible to love something so small, so much?  (And, of course, how many poopy diapers did she have today?) Anyone who is a parent knows all that we are feeling and how profound it is, and it's probably too much to try and put into words here.  Suffice it to say, I (we) feel fulfilled and completed in a way that we didn't know was possible and our hearts have expanded beyond what we thought they were capable of.

Tess is such a good baby!  At 5 weeks, she is sleeping 5-6 hours at night, and she's alert and smiling.  Naturally, we think she is the sweetest and cutest baby ever.  Tess means "harvester," and true to her name, she is bringing up so much joy and love -- not just for us, but for our family and friends as well.  It's quite impressive how many people have invested in knowing and loving her -- she has at least 2 visitors a week, it seems!  We've already had some memorable "firsts," most notably her first "official" bath in her tub and her first "real" smile. Then there was Mommy & Daddy's first "date night" and her first photo shoot (newborn pics and birth announcements coming soon!). Oh, and the first diaper blowout.... There have also been a few trips out and about, and visits to both PrideStaff and Clovis North. 

After about 4 weeks, it felt like life had started to take shape into the "new normal." Each day brings a new lesson about how to care for her, how to schedule our time, and how to incorporate chores and errands into the mix.  Occasionally I even get to do frivolous things like update this blog.  

I have yet to download all the pics from our camera (frivolity!), but here are more pics taken with my phone over the past month (the iPhone is always handy to snap a quick photo!):

 I wonder what this blog will look like now that Tess has arrived and has consumed all of our time, attention, and devotion.  I hope everyone is prepared to see a lot of her!

Performing Big - Deep In The Heart Of Texas!

For the second year in a row, Clovis North Forensics qualified to the National Forensic League National Championships -- this year in downtown Dallas, Texas, from June 13-18. On all accounts, the tournament proved to be terrific experience. 

The team qualified 6 students to the tournament -- 3 seniors and 3 sophomores:

Dalton Defendis & Michael Greenbury – Policy Debate

Eugene Park – Lincoln-Douglas Debate

Dolapo Sangokoya – Dramatic Interpretation

Jennifer Zheng – International Extemporaneous Speaking

Josh Samra – Student Congress

The week-long tournament was run differently than previous Nationals in that the entire tournament was held in the Downtown Sheraton Hotel! That’s right, all 50 states, Guam and representatives from China converged on the Sheraton for a week of crowded hallways and backed-up elevators. But in the end, the chaotic logistics of competing in a large hotel proved to make for some interesting memories. The tournament began with registration on Monday, June 13th. Students competed in 6 preliminary rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday night, the field of 250+ students in each event were cut to 60 students. And for the first time in my National Tournament career, Clovis North Forensics broke students from the preliminary rounds into the demanding out-rounds.

• In Policy Debate, Dalton Defendis and Michael Greenbury advanced to round 9 – one of the top 40 teams in the country.
• In Dramatic Interpretation, Dolapo Sangokoya advanced to the Semi-Final round and placed 8th in the country. No other student from Clovis Unified has performed so well since 1991.

In addition to the highlights of the tournament, the students got to enjoy Texas BBQ, as well as the beauty and efficiency of the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), and witness the very spot where JFK was assassinated. By the end of the tournament, all of us were ready to come home. It was a bittersweet moment at the Fresno Air Terminal where I had to say goodbye to 3 seniors who had become like my own children over the last three years of competition.

2010-2011 was a memorable year for Clovis North Forensics. Valley Champions, District Champions, a finalist at State and a semi-finalist at Nationals. Next year, it's back to square one. After losing so many seniors, we will begin the process of rebuilding. But isn’t that what’s fun about coaching? The challenges are always new and they never cease.



Visit To New Hope Community Church

Last Sunday, after Chad’s super-impressive Baccalaureate speech for CNHS, I told him – “You just wait! Now the word is out that you’re a talented speaker, and you’ll be getting calls to speak more.” Less than 24 hours later he received an email from a pastor who was in the audience (his daughter was one of Chad’s AP Lit students) asking him to share his Baccalaureate address at their church the following Sunday. Chad graciously accepted, and so yesterday we were happy to attend services at New Hope Community Church where Chad spoke to the graduates in the congregation during both services. Pastor Tim Rolen (what a great guy!) couldn’t say enough about how impressed he is with Chad when introducing him, and of course many people wanted to talk to Chad after the service to thank him for speaking and for making such a positive impression on the students.

The speech was just as fantastic the second time around, and maybe even moreso as he was able to add a little bit more “meat” to his message given the church setting. I was literally on the edge of my seat (again) watching him. I was so glad that both of his parents could attend, too. He is so talented, with such an amazing heart, and his words really spoke to so many people in the audience (including me!). I couldn’t be more proud of him!

I have always loved New Hope church. I had never attended a service there, but always thought it looks like the epitome of a “little country church,” complete with stained glass windows. The sanctuary is warm and inviting, as are the congregation. The sermon was encouraging and practical – “7 Ways to Know You’re Making a Good Decision.” It was such a nice visit!

Clovis North Forensics Awards

On Wednesday night I had the pleasure of joining Chad and Broc (his assistant coach) as they gave their annual awards presentation to the speech & debate team. Plaques were presented for MVP, Coaches' Award, Outstanding Freshman/ Sophomore/ Junior/ Senior, etc. We gathered in Mr. Hayden's classroom for pizza first and then went next door into "The Forensics Room" (yes, Chad has 2 classrooms!) for a special video and the awards presentation.

The video was fantastic, put together by senior student Christiana. Each senior student on the team gave a tribute to Mr. Hayden. I will see if I can get it to upload to Blogger.

After the awards, the seniors also presented Mr. Hayden with some very special gifts, which are pictured below. This year's team had 13 seniors who performed SO well but are now going off to college...we will miss them very much!

"Baby" quilt made for Mr. Hayden by the graduating seniors

Signed poster from the graduating seniors

Clovis North Baccalaureate

On Sunday night, Chad was honored to be the Baccalaureate speaker for the very first graduating class of Clovis North High School. He was listed on the program as a "teacher of distinction" and absolutely proved that to be true with his AWESOME message and delivery! So many people came up to him after the service to say what a fantastic job he did and how great the content was. I felt like I was married to a local celebrity! On the way home I told him, "I predict that you get asked to speak again -- the word is out about you!" Sure enough, on Monday morning he received an email from someone who had been in the audience -- a local pastor -- asking Chad to give the speech at this pastor's church next Sunday (both services)! He graciously accepted and will be speaking to the high school graduates in the congregation.

Needless to say, we could not be more proud of him! Here are some pics of him on stage at Northside Church in Clovis. And, although it makes this post super long, I've included the transcript of his speech below.

The Speech...

This really is a forensics coach’s dream come true. But the irony is that forensic coaches rarely get to speak in public. In fact, after giving it a little thought, it dawned on me that I haven’t given a formal speech since May of 1994. That was my senior year in high school, 17 years ago. Preparing and practicing this speech has been a real exercise in humility. I’ve spent the last 12 years coaching forensics and teaching students the fundamentals of public speaking. And now the shoe is on the other foot. So to the members of the Clovis North Forensics team in the audience, here’s your chance to critique Mr. Hayden. Tomorrow morning you can let me know of every word I didn’t correctly enunciate or paragraphs that I spoke too quickly on. But… be gentle … I’m sensitive. I’m sorry I was mean to you! You’re the best! I love you.

I really do want to thank you for the privilege of being part of the first Baccalaureate service in the history of Clovis North High School. For the last three years I’ve had the pleasure to teach this class in sophomore and junior English, AP Literature and Forensics. In three years I’ve seen you crawl out of the primordial ooze of ignorance and on to the firm standing of intellectual brilliance. Thank you for giving me the chance to publically send off an exceptional class. Although comparing you to Tom Brokaw’s Greatest Generation might be a little heavy handed, I have no doubts that this class will make a significant mark not only on America, but the global community.

2010-11 has been a year of firsts for Clovis North. The first year to drive off campus, , the first year to beat Buchanan in varsity football, the first year to win a rally. In fact, Clovis North had a break out year both athletically and academically. Valley Champions in boys basketball, cross country, water polo, swimming, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys golf, Mock Trial and Forensics. State Champions in Marching Band. A National Champion in Wrestling. And our API or Academic Performance Index is the highest of any public high school in the Valley. For the last four years you have worked hard to be first. Not surprisingly, your excellence has been recognized by prestigious academic institutions all over the country. Universities from UCLA, Berkeley, Pepperdine, Harvey Mudd, Santa Clara, George Mason and Duke have awarded this class more than $1.5 million dollars in scholarships. You should be proud of your hard work! And yet, four days before we send you out into the cold, harsh world, I have to admit, I’m a little worried. I’m not worried because you’re unprepared. You’ve all been given the necessary tools to succeed, to adapt and to chase after your wildest dreams. And I’m not worried when Daniel Lee takes over the world. He’s assured me that I get a key position in his empire. Don’t forget our deal Bucko! I can still change your grade! No… I’m not worried because of your preparedness to succeed and to be first in whatever you do. I’m worried that many of you don’t know how to be last.

Last? Well sure! Can’t you hear coach Simons psyching up his football team at the beginning of the year with such inspirational words:

Simons: Alright men, we’re going to win the Valley Championship this year. And you know how we’re going to do it?
Player: Uh… hard work and determination, Coach?
Simons: Of course not you nincompoop! We’re going to be LAST in Run Defense, LAST in Special Teams, LAST in Turnovers and LAST in Passing Yards.

In a school district that has prided itself on its intense competition I understand this idea seems contrary to everything you’ve been taught for the last 13 years. But I tell you, there are a lot of lessons you’ve learned in public education that are the exact opposite of the real world. I know…I know… It’s like a crazy scene from The Matrix:

Morpheus: The world you’ve been living in is a dream world Neo. Everything you’ve been told is a lie. But what I’m offering you is the truth. The first shall be last, the last shall be first. And Justin Beiber really isn’t an amazing singer.

So what does it mean to be last?

Jesus of Nazareth provides some interesting insight on this concept. In the ninth chapter of the book of Mark, we find Jesus’ twelve disciples entering the small fishing village of Capernaum. Upon entering a house Jesus began to question his disciples. “What were you discussing on the way?” he asks. But they kept silent, for on the way they had discussed with one another which of them was the greatest.” If the disciples are anything like my 7th period class, I can imagine that the conversation going something like this:

Jesus: Hey. Hey! Would you pipe down! What’s all the fuss about?
Disciples: Uhh… Nothing.
Jesus: No… really! I’m always up for a good story. Thomas? What were you discussing?
Thomas: Well Matthew said he was the greatest, but Phillip said that as a tax collector he was about as low as a dirty goat hoof. And then Peter piped up saying how he was the greatest, and Bartholomew told him that his fish nets were so weak, they couldn’t even catch a cold. So uhh… you know Peter gave Bartholomew a wedgie and called it good.

The rest of the verse tells us that Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples to gather around and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”

Class of 2011, you’ve worked hard to be first. And because of that hard work you been recognized, celebrated and honored as first. But as you prepare to exit the hallowed and extremely wide halls of Clovis North, its time to walk to the back of the line. So what does it mean to be last? Jesus said that to be first meant that you must forsake your self-righteous claims to be served and to serve those around you. I know that you’re on the precipice of preparing for that perfect little life.

Harvard boy: Oh I’ve got it all planned out. I’m going to UCLA for my undergraduate work, then an MBA at the Wharton Business school, an internship at Goldman Sachs, Portfolio manager of a moderate hedge fund, a house in the Hamptons and Polo every Sunday. Oh life will be grand!

Oh life will indeed be grand! And you’ll be so happy. Or will you? Because about the time, you’re going to remember Mrs. Emma Sanchez, the cluster secretary for Mrs. Enns and Mr. Rodriguez and how she always took the time to answer your questions, or pop a bag of popcorn for you, or to give you her leftovers when you forgot your lunch. You’ll remember how Mr. Anderson gave up his lunch to watch over manditutorials and how you couldn’t remember any other principal really giving a rip because you had an ‘F’ on your report card. And then you’ll remember how happy they were. How they always had a smile on their face.

Harvard Boy: Have they stumbled on some cosmic secret that I missed? I mean, I have a quarter of a million dollars in school loans. What did I miss?

Mrs. Sanchez and Mr. Anderson will tell you that happiness comes from serving others.

Empirical evidence proves this to be true. What is the happiest country in the world? I’m going to going to ruin the surprise and tell you that it ISN’T the United States. In fact, according to Reuters, America was ranked 20th behind such countries as Panama and Columbia. The happiest country on earth is… Denmark. Denmark? Cold, dreary, unremarkable Denmark? A country synonymous with a perpetual state of rottenness and Gertrude’s whiny son Hamlet. What makes Danes so happy? A 2002 study published in the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, points out that the difference is an emphasis on family. When asked, “What makes you happy?” Danes consistently emphasized time with friends and family. But for Americans, they emphasized achieving ones goals.

Notice the root of these objectives: Although we may automatically imagine hanging out in the back yard relaxing and laughing, friends and family suggests selfLESSness; shopping for birthday presents, doing dishes after Thanksgiving, changing dirty diapers, helping jump your buddy’s car at 2:00am in the morning, or taking care of grandpa after his recent hip surgery.

But achieving one’s goals connotes selfishness,: it conjures up images of ambition, rugged individualism, stepping on a colleague just to get ahead and Gordon Gecko from Wallstreet. Jesus didn’t tell us to be servants because he was trying to create some socialist utopia. He told us to be servants because it’s how we were meant to function. We are happiest when we are serving others. And perhaps most importantly, we are meant to serve because that is what the kingdom of heaven looks like.

Ladies and Gentleman, look around. If you look closely, you’ll notice several students in the audience who shaved their heads to help raise money for children with cancer. I want those students who participated to stand up. These students are a just a small fraction of 140 students at both Granite Ridge and Clovis North who selflessly sacrificed an integral part of their very personality. In the process, these saints helped raise $17,000 so that children suffering with cancer might have hope to actually walk across the stage during their graduation. I surveyed those students who participated immediately after their heads were shaved and asked them to complete two questions.

They were to first identify three words that best described their emotional state after sacrificing their hair for charity. Some of the more insightful participants wrote down, elation, inspirational, invigorating, breathtaking, rewarding and Sexy. Just look at Timmy Souza’s head. There’s a sexy bald head! And then there were those students who decided to add to the American Lexicon with such words as Breezeful. I’m hoping that was a 7th grader.

Next, students had to circle one of the following five words that best described their emotional state. HORRIFIED, DISAPPOINTED INDIFFERENT, CONTENT, OR OVERJOYED. Of those students surveyed, 77% replied that they were OVERJOYED to shave their head for charity. 18% said they were CONTENT, 1 student said they were INDIFFERENT and one student said they were HORRIFIED. Probably another 7th grader. Ladies and Gentlemen, these are more than statistics. These are real students and staff members who remind us that serving others isn’t a chore. It’s not some box that you need to check to prove to Harvard that you really care about your fellow human being. Serving others is a way of life and the way to life.

And as Shakespeare reminds us in The Merchant of Venice, service much like mercy, is twice blest:

"It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest:
it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown…
It is an attribute to God.”

Now I’m not telling you to give up on your dream to control a $2.5 billion hedge fund portfolio. But if that dream doesn’t leave room to serve others, you’re fate will be a lonely statistic opposite the page of some lame Scandinavian country boasting a higher rate of happiness than America.

Class of 2011, let us heed the advice of an ancient Jewish Carpenter who knew a little something about sacrifice. Seek not a life of privilege or entitlement, but a life of being last. God bless each and every one of you. May His life, His love and His sacrifice lead you to the desires of your heart.

Thank you!

Students Of Excellence At CNHS

Last night we ventured over to the Clovis Unified district office to attend the school board meeting, as several students within the district were being recognized for their various academic achievements. Chad's top students were on hand to receive "Student of Excellence" medals for their achievements in speech and debate! L to R, below: Chad, Dolapo, Jennifer, Michael, Dalton, and Eugene. Go team!

Clovis North "Showcase of Talent"

Last night Chad and his Forensics team hosted their first annual "Showcase of Talent." The purpose of the event, a dinner fundraiser, was to feature the students who were the top speakers in the Valley and raise some much-needed funds for their trip to the National Forensic League tournament in Dallas this June. Guests enjoyed the meal catered by Luna's Italian Restaurant and served by the kids. While eating and enjoying dessert and coffee, the 6 students going to Nationals performed their award-winning pieces. The night was a big success for the team (they raised more than $2,000.00!) and a great opportunity for parents and family to hear the pieces that the kids have worked so hard on all year. Chad is looking forward to making the event even better next year -- hopefully it will become a fun tradition! Below are pics of Chad introducing the students going to Nationals and the trophies the team has collected over the year.

Most Inspirational Teacher

Congratulations to "Mr. Hayden" on being named "Most Inspirational Teacher" by the first Senior class of Clovis North High School! That's an award much more impactful and meaningful than standardized test scores! I'm soooo proud of my sweetie!

Clovis North Forensics: More Record-Setting Achievements!

Last month I blogged about the team's success at the Logan Invitational over the weekend of February 11th. This has quickly become old news! The very next weekend, the team went on to partipate in the even-bigger annual speech and debate invitational at UC Berkeley (you may recall my posts from our trip to Berkeley last year) where more than 2,500 kids from more than 20 states compete. In a victory unprecedented in Chad's coaching career, one of his kids (Kyle) made it all the way to the final round in "dramatic interpretation" and took 6th place in the tournament.

From there, just one week later, the team won the entire Valley Championships (the best out of all 23 schools in their League, which stretches from Fresno to Bakersfield) and Dolapo again took first place in "dramatic interpretation," using the same piece that scored her the victory at Logan.

Talk about a "hat trick" -- that's three weekends in a row of record-setting achievements for Chad and his team!

As if that weren't enough, last weekend Chad and the kids ventured down to Bakersfield for the District Championship. This is the tournament that qualifies kids to the National Forensic League tournament in June. (Learn more about "Forensics" here.) In another string of impressive victories, Dolapo again took first place in "dramatic interpretation," while Eugene took first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate and Jennifer took first place in "international extemporaneous speaking." Dalton took second place in "oratory," and the entire team took sweepstakes, once again showing the other 23 schools in their League who is the top team in the Valley!

In June, Chad and 5 of his top competitors will travel to Dallas for the National tournament. In the meantime, we're grateful that the tournament schedule slows down until then.

Another MAJOR Clovis North Forensics Victory!

Better to share late than never....the Clovis North High School Forensics team had a MAJOR victory last month! The team attended the "James Logan High School Speech and Debate Invitational" over the MLK holiday weekend. (Logan High School's Forensics program is one of the top 5 in the country; thousands of students from around California and surrounding states come to compete at this famous 3-day tournament.) One of Chad's star competitors, a Senior girl named Dolapo, took first place in Dramatic Interpretation. This is record-breaking, first-time victory for Chad as a coach, for CNHS, and for the South Valley Forensics League overall! To have a student take first place at this level of competition is extremely impressive, and speaks highly of the quality students at CNHS and Chad's abilities as a coach. Congrats to Chad and the team!

World's Busiest Sweetie

These past few months have felt like the busiest EVER for The Haydens! Chad's schedule has consisted of the usual teaching (2 periods of English 11 and 2 periods of Advanced Placement Literature ["AP Lit"], 1 period of speech/debate ["Forensics"]), coaching Forensics tournaments on the weekends, fitting in some private debate lessons (a great way to earn "fun money"), grading essays (about 75 at a time) and also participating in the ELA program with a group of other esteemed teachers from Clovis Unified. The ELA program participation requires him to write 6 lesson plans per semester that are 100% based on California's standards. Each lesson has to have its components cross-referenced with this 92-page standards manual. Fun, fun! It's been a lot of hard work but also speaks to his knowledge as a teacher and the respect that his peers have for his teaching/lesson planning ability.

Last week I took the day off work and spent a few hours in Mr. Hayden's classroom. I've always wanted to do this, and we finally made it happen. It's fun to make a rare appearance and hear the kids whispering, "Is that Mrs. Hayden?" I got to observe the Forensics class (kids practicing their speeches) and the AP Lit class (kids explicating poems written on the theme "An Ode to Autumn" - very impressive!) and watch my sweetie in his element. Interesting trivia, my boss's daughter is one of his students and was in the class I observed. Anyway, it was so much fun and I can't wait to do it again! Here's a pic that I was able to sneak, of Chad interacting with some of the kiddos. I'm super proud of him for being such a well-liked and accomplished teacher and coach!

From Sprinklers To Syllabi

With our backyard project still in the works, Chad headed back to school on Monday. This year he is teaching English 11 (reading highlights include The Crucible, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, along with various poems and short stories) and 12th grade Advanced Placement Literature (students will be reading The Scarlet Letter, The Sorrows of Young Werter, The Awakening, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Heart of Darkness, Hamlet, No Exit and The Stranger). Along with a hefty syllabus and numerous late nights spent grading essays, teaching AP Lit promises a year full of insightful discussions with Clovis North’s most academically involved and ambitious students.

We spent the weekend getting “back to school” ready by hitting up the Tulare outlets (shopping for him – it’s a rare occurrence!) and putting the finishing touches on his classroom décor. This year Chad has TWO classrooms (how cool is that?!) – one for English and the other for the Forensics (Speech & Debate) team. Check out the pics of Mr. Hayden’s room below!

Record Victory For Clovis North Forensics!

This past weekend, Clovis North High School hosted the national qualifying forensics tournament. (For those of you who aren't sure what I'm talking about, check out this post.) By way of background, each school in the region takes a turn hosting one tournament each season. Some tournaments are for speaking events; some are for debate events. This tournament was a 3-day ordeal that included ALL events (both speaking and debate) to qualify students to the national forensics tournament this coming June (in Kansas City, MO). There were 28 schools represented, with more than 250 students competing. It's an exhausting, whirlwind event for Chad because, as the coach for the hosting school, he's got to coordinate everything it takes to run the tournament -- classrooms to be used during the competition, parent judges to judge rounds, custodial staff during the event, snack bar fund raising, food for the volunteer judges, etc. I'm typically on call to help with the snack bar, judging, and food service as needed. However, the event absolutely couldn't happen without help from Chad's mom, who is always available to coordinate, pick up, and serve meals to the parent judges. Thank you so much Barbara -- and Paul, too! This year we fed a total of 5 meals to the 80 or so judges who came out to support the tournament.

The GREAT news is that for all of our hard work, Chad's team had several outstanding victories! Brandi (a freshman!) won first place in Lincoln-Douglas debate, with junior Christiana coming in 2nd place behind her. Dolapo (junior) took first place in Dramatic Interpretation for her presentation of "The Color Purple." Dalton (junior) took first place in Original Oratory for his speech called "The Blame Game." Shaun and Jennifer (both juniors) took 2nd and 3rd place, respectively, in International Extemporaneous. Overall the team took 2nd place in "sweepstakes" behind Bakersfield High. This means that Chad has six students going to the national tournament this summer! (In previous years, he's taken anywhere from 1-3 kids.) Look out, Kansas City!

Chad's Forensics Team Update

Just in time for the end of the year, below is an update that I wrote for our "Bronco Newsletter" at Clovis North, featuring the successes of our forensics team so far this school year!

Famous playwright George Bernard Shaw once quipped that “youth is wasted on the young.” In only its 2nd year of existence, the Clovis North Forensics team is working hard to disprove Shaw’s wisdom with their consistent triumphs in regional and out-of-town tournaments. The competitive speech and debate team has had a productive 1st semester preparing for the upcoming Valley Championships during the spring semester.

In October, Clovis North Forensics traveled south to Cal State Fullerton to compete against the best speakers and debaters from Southern California. Novice Policy Debaters Jerikko Agatep and Michael Greenbury advanced to the quarter final round while Andrew Botwin and Josh Samra advanced to the semi-final round. In individual events, Christiana Chen was a semi-finalist in Original Oratory. Throughout regional competition this semester, Clovis North Forensics has proved to be more than just fleeting nuisance to perennial powerhouses like Clovis East and Edison. The team placed 2nd in varsity sweepstakes behind Clovis East with dominant performances by Dolapo Sangokoya (1st place, Dramatic Interp), Shawn Samra (1st place, International Extemporaneous Speaking), Ritu Jayakrishnan (1st place, National Extemporaneous Speaking), and Naveen Heragu (1st place Original Advocacy). As the semester closed to an end, the debaters of Clovis North Forensics punctuated the season with an exclamation point by taking 1st place in Lincoln Douglas Debate sweepstakes, 2nd place in Policy Debate Sweepstakes and 2nd place overall. The team was led with powerful performances by Dalton Defendis and Kevin Brar (3rd place, Policy Debate) and Christiana Chen, who was the regional champion in Lincoln Douglas debate with a near perfect record of 11-1 through-out the semester.

Clovis North Forensics will begin the second semester at James Logan High School in Union City, CA to compete in one of the West Coast’s most competitive invitationals. They will be gearing up for the first of three Valley Championship tournaments beginning on January 30th at Buchanan.