Everett McNair’s Letter to the Community

Welcome students!

I hope you’ve enjoyed summer and are ready to get back to school.

As we begin another year, it’s a good time to consider the subject of pursuing excellence. I like the way Los Angeles Lakers coach Pat Riley defined it: “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” Pursuing excellence means pushing ourselves beyond our comfort zones. It means holding ourselves to the highest standards. It means trying with all our might even when others give in to mediocrity. If you’re an athlete, it means laying your heart on the line every single play in every single practice. If you’re an artist, it means pouring your heart into every flourish of the brush. In academics, pursuing excellence means learning the subject beyond mere memorization to pass the test. Whatever we happen to be doing, pursuing excellence is about freeing ourselves from the peer pressure to do the bare minimum. It’s about being unafraid to be passionate about everything we do.

Let’s strive, because we know that excellence isn’t an act but a choice. A choice that we make every single day of our lives. So let’s choose today to excel. Let’s drive ourselves to be stronger, to be smarter, to be better.

Let’s achieve excellence.

Everett McNair