The Lads return home to England today, and LH residents are sad to see them go. The British referees here to officiate Dallas Cup soccer matches had two weeks to tour Dallas, sample our favorite restaurants and meet folks in our neighborhood. They had a grand time.
On Friday, Leigh Doughty, one of three Lads staying with me, visited Lake Highlands High School. He attends Liverpool John Moores University, which specializes in preparing students to become Physical Education teachers. He wanted to see what life is like in an American High School.
Leigh and I toured LHHS’ athletic facilities including the basketball gym, the wrestling room and the small gym where dance classes are given. Judd Smith, assistant football coach, spoke to Leigh about teaching P.E. classes in an American school with a diverse student population. Coach Smith loves his job and he loves the kids, so he was the perfect person for Leigh to meet. Suzanne McKown introduced him to the Wranglers and the kids made him feel welcome. Athletic trainers Todd Holmes and Jessica Nelson gave him a tour of the training room and chatted him up about the Beatles.
Next we visited Paul Matchniff’s multimedia classroom, and Leigh saw the studio where the LH news program is filmed, edited and broadcast. He stood in front of the green screen and stepped into the control room with a tour by LH student Edin Redzic. We also explored the school library, where Molly Gittemeier was giving her students hands-on training in research. Everywhere we went, teachers and students walked over to shake Leigh’s hand and welcome him. I’ve never been more proud of LH.
Our last stop was Wildcat Ram Stadium, where Leigh stepped onto the “pitch” and examined the turf. Bigger and nicer than most university stadiums in the UK, he proclaimed, and he reminded me how lucky we are to have beautiful facilities and modern equipment to prepare our students for university and work life. In this photo, Leigh is the one standing in the back with my family and my other homestays. I’ll miss all three.
