Southwest High School – Once a Raider… Always a Raider

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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Amazing Raider families,

“It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.”

~ W. Edwards Deming~

When you think of Nike, you inevitably connect it to the slogan “Just Do It,” which conjures up champions like Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, just to name of few. The slogan is so simple yet so impactful that it is synonymous with champions. The question that begs to be asked is , “What is it that these champions do and how did they know to do it?” As a tennis fan, I have heard countless interviews with Serena and Nadal, where they have iterated concepts of sacrifice, practice, willingness to be coached and learning to never give up. These are actions that the BEST athletes demonstrate at all times. It does not mean that they end up winning a tournament but what they will say in post-interview is that they prepared the best that they could to be in a position to win a championship. That BEST was done prior to the final outcome. As Deming’s quote states: “It is not enough to do your best, you must know what to do, then do your best.” I often hear students say and this includes my own children, “I have done my best.” What does that mean when you say that statement? Did you know what needed to be done to do your best? Did you know what was expected of you? If you wanted an A in class, did you know what the class required for the grade of A? It requires knowing what is expected to reach the end goal; in school, this means the highest grade possible, and then do the work that is needed to reach that end goal. Students, as you evaluate the grades that you will be receiving, I challenge you this: know what it is you need to do in order to do your BEST for each class moving forward. Know that while your teachers will vary, it will require sacrifice on your part, practicing what you have learned, willing to receive feedback from your teachers and learning to never give up. In the end, if you do all of this, your BEST will always shine.

Easter Finley, Principal