It's All About the Pie

My blog is not always centered on education, family issues, or Sumner Academy, sometimes I like to have a little fun…so…here are some random thoughts on pizza.  We Americans love that pizza pie.  Did you know that…October is designated as pizza month?  Every second, Americans eat 350 slices!  About 93% of all Americans eat at least one pizza per month.  The National Restaurant Association estimates that Italian food is the most popular ethnic food in the country and that it is a thirty billion dollar industry.

Being the pizza lover that I am, I have rated the best pizza parlors I have frequented…

Top Five Pizzas Parlors for Mr. J.

1. Grand Lake Pizza, Grand Lake, Colorado

www.grand-pizza.com/

A braided dough crust and outstanding toppings are the highlights for these pies.  We were in Grand Lake two days and ate dinner here both days.  The second day we even waited two hours due to a power outage!  Now THAT is a great pizza!

2. Crozet Pizza, Crozet, Virginia

www.crozetpizza.net/

Housed in a very rustic building in Crozet just outside of Charlottesville, Crozet Pizza has all the ingredients listed on a huge blackboard.  You build your own pie according to which ingredients they have for the day.  Great sauce and those fresh ingredients highlight these pies.

3. Bilbo’s Pizza, Kalamazoo, Michigan

www.bilbospizza.com/

The absolute best deep dish pizza I have had (no travels have taken us to sample Chicago’s yet).  It comes to your table still sizzling.  That crust is crunchy on the outside edge and soft and doughy inside.  Terrific sauce as well.  This was a happening place of my high school years and remarkably is still around.

4. Mellow Mushroom, Memphis, Tennessee

www.mellowmushroom.com/

Fresh ingedients, lots of choices of ingredients and a tasty crust make this one the best I have had in Memphis.  I know this is a national chain, but I still love it.  Their selections of microbrews is also outstanding.

5. Luigi’s Pizza, Harrisonburg, Virginia

RIP

Sadly, Luigi’s went out of business since we lived in Harrisonburg.  It was a great place to go after the softball/soccer/football game for some wonderful pizza.  They had fun t-shirts.  If you went somewhere notable in the world and had your photo taken in a Luigi’s t-shirt, you got a free pizza (if no one else had done it).  We wore four Luigi’s t-shirts all day on a visit to the Four Corners one vacation!  They also let you play with dough regardless of your age.

Honorable Mention...

Pete and Sam’s, Memphis, Tennessee

http://peteandsams.com/

A Memphis tradition, Amy even used to go there as a child.  I have tasted a couple of barbeque pizzas in Memphis, but this one is tops in my opinion!


OK middle Tennessee friends, now I need your suggestions…will they be good enough to crack the top five?

Looking to the Future

I think we can all agree that every parent wants the best for their children.  The tricky part of this wish is determining just what is the best course for our children to follow.  I know Amy and I had long conversations about which paths to take for our son Tucker and our daughter Madelyn.

A fellow headmaster shared an article with me in which Tony Wagner, Co-Director of the Change Leadership Group of Harvard University, discusses what skills our children need for the future.

These are seven areas he discusses:

1. Critical thinking and problem-solving

2. Collaboration across networks and leading by influence

3. Agility and adaptability

4. Initiative and entrepreneurialism

5. Effective oral and written communication

6. Accessing and analyzing information

7. Curiosity and imagination

As I informally observe our classrooms here at Sumner Academy, I see each and every one of the skills listed in action in our classrooms PK – 8th grade!  Our teachers are outstanding at taking each child where they are in many different areas and nurturing growth in each.  It seems to me Sumner Academy was built on these seven skills and has been cultivating them for forty years.

At Back to School Night, I thanked each parent for the sacrifices they are making by sending their children to our school.  I know it is a financial struggle for many.  The investment in education however, cannot be taken away from you.  Other investments fluctuate with market influences and outside forces.  A Sumner academy graduation diploma from 8th grade is an investment which will last a lifetime.

Thank you for entrusting your children to us each and every day.

New Kid by Friday!

Do You Really Want a New Kid?

I was waiting for a prescription at one of the thousand Walgreen's locations locally when a book title caught my eye.  "Have a New Kid by Friday" written Dr. Kevin Leman.  The premise is to buy this book on a Monday and by Friday, all those annoying behaviors will dissipate.  All in five days!  I am really wondering why we are required to have a minimum of 175 days of school by AdvancEd (formerly Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) and SAIS (Southern Association of Independent Schools).  According to Dr. Leman we can make the necessary changes in five days.  I should not be so harsh to Dr. Leman.  He holds Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona and is a retired psychologist.  He has written books on topics regarding marriage, toddlers, and adolescents.  I am sure he has a wealth of information that I am not privy to and uses it to help families.  It's just that title that caught my eye.

From everything I can tell during my short tenure at Sumner Academy, I see our faculty and staff devoted to presenting a program of study here from pre-kindergarten to eighth grade which creates a well rounded, well educated leader.  While there may be some great ideas in Dr. Leman's book, we realize that it takes years of great parenting and schooling in building children. 

Trust us, as a school, to be in communication with you as parents when issues come up with your child.  Our faculty and staff is a fine mixture of veteran teachers and new educators.  Thank you for allowing us to help in building your child here at Sumner Academy.