As many students and teachers usually are, I was quite excited to see snow flurries falling outside my window at ACS Tuesday at lunch time. In fact, if you saw a man of my size wearing a suit jumping around with excitement in the car line early Tuesday afternoon, it was not me! Ok, it was. First off, I love snow! Secondly, any unexpected days off are a great blessing. Third of all, I love snow! Sadly, having snow often means having ice also. Even the most experienced, careful driver stands no chance maintaining control of a vehicle while driving on ice. I’m certain you have heard or seen some of the coverage of the fiasco in Atlanta last week. The arrival of snow and ice collided with the departure of what seemed like every Atlantan. The two did not mix well. Travelers stranded on roads hour upon hour and students stuck at their schools were the two most notable stories of the situation. Obviously, things would be done differently if a mulligan was allowed.

Schools are in a lose-lose situation when making decisions about weather related closures/delays. When a school cancels or delays but no hazardous conditions occur, parents complain and outsiders mock. When a school does not cancel or delay but conditions prove it was needed, parents are outraged and the media seizes the opportunity to highlight the mistake. School administrators truly have an unenviable responsibility in making those calls. Surely, Fulton County (among others) wishes they could go back and do things differently.

When discussing this issue with some of our faculty and staff last week, one lady made a comment that really stuck out to me. “We’re all a family here. When we heard Tuesday morning that school would be dismissed early, a mom called me and asked if I could help with her child’s transportation. We’re a family-that’s what we do.” What a great statement! Her comment resonated in my mind as I considered how often I hear of our faculty helping with transportation or I hear of ACS parents helping each other out in different ways. Also, I couldn’t help but to wonder if there are some ACS families that have not experienced this unique idea of community and family here. If you have not, there are two things I would ask you to consider. First, get involved! From volunteering with class projects to assisting with coaching to helping with parking and much much more in between, there is a plethora of ways for you to get involved. Your help will prove to be a great blessing both to the school and to you and you will start realizing the idea of family/community that most experience. Secondly, I want you to know that ACS is here to be a blessing to your family. Obviously, there are rules and procedures in place to help us follow 1 Corinthians 14:40’s command (“let all things be done decently and in order”), but you will find ACS to be gracious in your time of need. If you haven’t found a “family feel” at ACS, it might be because either you have not taken any steps to get involved in this ministry or perhaps you have not felt comfortable to mention it when you have a need.

Each morning before school starts, our teachers are lifting many of our families up in prayer who have asked us to pray about different struggles which they are facing. Our faculty desires to rejoice with you when you rejoice and sorrow with you when you sorrow. Most importantly, we want you to know that beyond the academics, the tuition, the extracurriculars, and everything else, our goal is to partner with you in developing well-rounded students who bring glory to God with their lives. We encourage you to reach out to us, to communicate with us so that we can be more effective. Also, please know that I am available to you. If you would ever like to pray about an issue or to meet for any reason, feel free to contact me!