John Dick, board member from the Monroe County School District, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about our schools.
The school year is coming to a close and a lot of our athletic teams are in the spotlight.
Dick said, “Don’t be surprised if you see some of these names playing in the majors later on in life. Because both Marathon and Coral Shores went on to interdistrict play and won in their locals. Had they won one more game each, they would have played each other for the final district position to win the whole thing. Key West, of course, went on and did win their district and they won in the final game in Key West and I was watching. The Key West one was for the championship. They wound up pulling that game, tying it up in the last inning and then winning it in the next inning. They were playing the conference leader, this was an away game and they were not the final one at that, but that must have been some game for them also, and for them to come back in the final inning in the seventh inning, down that by that score and come out ahead for a while is incredible. So I would just like to say to the coaches and the players and the fans that stood by these three teams, they had a great year and everybody should be commended. It was fantastic.”
A lot of scholarships are going to different schools, too.
Dick said, “The women are doing great in their sports, also in softball and in soccer is really, really fantastic. It’s the end of the year and the big thing, of course, is graduation. As a board member, I attend all three of them. Coral Shores will be next Wednesday, the 22nd at seven o’clock, and Marathon will be Thursday, the 23rd at seven o’clock also and then Key West will be in the new stadium, they’ll get to sit in the new stands, and that’ll be at eight o’clock at the stadium. So that’s all great thing. Of course, prior to those graduations, during that same week, between Monday, Tuesday Wednesday, there will be the class nights, the capping nights for all the seniors where they’ll get their scholarships and that’s fantastic. The communities go out of their way to support these students going on to further themselves. I know we always have some going into the military, very thankful for that. We have, of course going on to colleges. I think we were going to see more going on to vocational schools. I think, while I agree with it, the colleges seem to be losing their luster lately, and I do hope that our students that are going off to colleges, choose wisely. I think these expensive, overpriced colleges are showing that they are not what they’re cracked up to be. I hope students and families and people understand that. I am very upset with what I see going on in colleges.
The number of scholarship awarded throughout the county really is amazing.
Dick said, “I know, when I worked in Marathon High School, it was part of my job of getting scholarships. We’re talking, the community is coming out with hundreds of thousands of dollars, it just adds up. I remember the community organizations come in to me, John, what can we do? How can we help? They always are looking. Some of them require top notch students, and some of them are requiring, who needs a helping hand, who needs a little bit, maybe that extra is going to be the thing that gets him or her to go on in life. It’s really, really fantastic the communities and the amounts that they do. I can’t be more proud because I know when I went to school in New York City, I think the valedictorian got some sort of a scholarship, and that was basically it. And of course, I wasn’t valedictorian. But here, everybody gets something, it’s incredible, really.”
Monroe County School District is a great place to learn.
Dick said, “I think there can be no doubt in anybody’s mind that there is a lot of political things going on in colleges and I would say, I’ll use that word indoctrination that’s happening in colleges, and I think it’s happening in some K to 12 school districts, but not in this school district at all. This is a good high quality district. We’re doing a great job here. I hope our students choose wisely, like I say, going into the colleges. I want them to learn. All these kids in these colleges standing up for Palestine, I would remember, people should remember when 9/11 happened, there was a video of what was going on in the Gaza Strip, and they were dancing in the streets. These were the regular people dancing in the streets because 9/11 happened and killed 5,000 Americans. So they need to realize what’s going on and not fall for this stuff. But anyway, I wanted to stay on good things. So I will also tell you that as I start to hear some of the scores coming back from testing, we’re well on our way to go from recovering from COVID and going on beyond, as we were before COVID, we were on an upswing. I think we’re back into it right now and it’s looking good. I’m very, very satisfied with what’s happening in this Monroe County School District.”
Memorial Day is also important in this area.
Dick said, “Law enforcement, I don’t think anybody has a better Sheriff than us. Yes, he gets the job done, but the community loves him, and also our state’s attorney is doing a great job. If somebody does a crime, they get convicted, and they get punished for what they deserve. This is the way it’s done here. I think our community is happy with all aspects of our law enforcement setup. The military, I always say once in a while, people change on the school board, but at one time, we had three combat veterans from the Vietnam War sitting on that school board at the same time. That’s a good thing. It looks good on somebody’s resume when they’re trying to run for election down here. I think it shows this community, I know, on Veterans Day, the pride up and down this community, in all the schools, there’s always functions going on, and the amount of American flags being waved is incredible. This is almost like middle America is what you expect that from, but here in Florida and South Florida, patriotism is alive in his community and I’m very proud of it.”
Teacher Appreciation Week was last week.
Dick said, “The American Legion post of Marathon delivered the breakfast bagels and the bagel shop with egg sandwiches to 80 people at Marathon High School the other day, and I delivered it. So it was a wonderful time. Memorial Day. I appreciate them, everybody, remember, it’s 11 o’clock on that day and that’s to remember those that have given the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country, and that’s what it’s for. It’s fine to have your barbecue, but first, remember what Memorial Day stands for.”