Basketball Players Spread Smiles and Cheer

On a recent Saturday morning, Bryan Adams High School men’s basketball team took to the shores of White Rock Lake to participate in a community service event, the goal of which was to put a smile on the faces of all the runners, riders and everyone there.

For five years (with last year off due to the pandemic), the team has been holding this ritual,  greeting everyone at the lake with smiles, signs and the words, “Morning, Morning, Have a Great Day, Don’t Let it Get Away!”

Coach Juan Rivas says the yearly events are the idea of Joe Chatham, a retired Dallas police officer whose nonprofit group, Empower Your Future, works with young people on “Refresh” projects to spread good cheer. For Chatham, the idea started years ago when someone who was attempting suicide on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge said he wouldn’t have tried it if someone had just said a kind word. With that in mind, the project aims to put smiles on everyone’s faces. The Refresh project operates on the premise that “he who refreshes others shall himself be refreshed.”

Coach Rivas says the response at White Rock was “overwhelming, with people stopping and talking to the kids, offering to come to the games and wanting to learn more about what we’re doing.”

The coach says they’ll be out there again next year, and quoting another axiom, he says: “Education + Perseverance = No Limitations.”

Bryan Adams Cougars to Kick off the Season

The Cougar Kickoff Pep Rally is coming up Wednesday, September 15, from 7 to 8 p.m., on the new Bryan Adams Football Practice Field on campus. The outdoor activity will follow all district COVID Guidelines such as mandated masking, 3-foot social distancing, and any other protocols that might be put into effect. The rally will begin with a ceremonial ribbon cutting for the new turf practice field, featuring some of the Bryan Adams Football, Band, Belles, Cheer, and JROTC Alumni along with other special guests. Several of the athletic programs and organizations will speak or preform during the pep rally. Go, Cougars!

District 3 Teachers Awarded Junior League Grants

For almost three decades, the Junior League of Dallas’ Grants for Innovative Teaching project has funded dream projects for district educators to provide interesting and unique learning experiences for students. This year, 41 teachers received grants to cover the cost of dozens of classroom projects – a total of $86,800 in grants. Many thanks to the Junior League of Dallas, and congratulations to the following District 3 educators who received grants: Jose Delgado, Bryan Adams High School; Amy Drury, L.L. Hotchkiss Elementary; Arianna Zeb, Lee McShan Jr. Elementary; and from George W. Truett Elementary: Jennifer Belchi Segura, Elma Martinez, Sue Mendoza, and Natecia James.