A Remarkable Start to the School Year

What an incredible first week of school—it’s truly great to be back on campus!

At the opening All-School Assembly, I shared some words of wisdom from the legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano. I recently read a powerful article in The Athletic that reflected on Valvano’s iconic speech when he received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award. In 1983, he coached the underdogs of NC State to a national championship. At the time, he was gravely ill—so much so that it was uncertain whether he would be able to attend the ceremony. After being helped to the stage by friend and colleague Dick Vitale, Valvano just came alive.  

I encourage you to watch this with your students, not just for the content, but for his delivery.  There is one skill that I doubt AI is going to replace anytime soon, and that is the ability to deliver a meaningful message that is personal, powerful, and succinct. After watching him, you will feel like you know him and his core being. 

Watch Jim Valvano’s Speech

The heart of his message that I shared with our students is captured in this simple yet powerful and  profound piece of advice:

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears—could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day.”

I shared this with our students as a compass for the year ahead. Laughter lifts our spirits. Thinking sharpens our minds. And allowing ourselves to feel deeply—whether joy or sorrow—is what connects us to the world and to each other. I admitted to our students that this last part doesn’t come easily to me, but that it’s something I’m working on, too.

As we step into this new school year together, let’s take Valvano’s words to heart. Let’s laugh, think, and be moved. Let’s be fully present for the people around us. Time is precious, and as Valvano reminded us—especially in the face of great challenge—it’s not the quantity of moments we get, but the quality with which we live them.

Here’s to making every day a “heck of a day.”

Read more about the first day of school.

Watch the video of the first day of school.