A CULTURE OF CELEBRATION

While recovering from chemotherapy, I was sitting on the couch feeling pretty depressed. Suddenly, a police car drove up with lights flashing. I met the officer at the door-I just knew that something terrible had happened at school. The officer scooped me up and put me in his car. As we drove through town, police cars were everywhere. "What is going on?" I asked.

The officer replied, "Clara, you celebrate everything. It's now time we celebrate you. It's time for you to get back to work. . . . We need you."

I walked into the gym, and there were my students-all 648 of them. It was one of the most memorable moments of my life. The choir sang "Hero" and "Lean On Me," the band played, and the students rolled out a huge plastic banner that read, "WHATEVER IT TAKES." Then the student council president read her speech:

"Mrs. Davis, we just wanted to let you know that we have missed you very much, and things are not the same here without you. We need you to do 'whatever it takes' to get back home, and we'll do 'whatever it takes' to make sure that Freeport remains the place where great things happen. You are always there to support us when we need you, so let us return the favor. We love you. You can 'Lean On Us.'"

When kids embrace a culture committed to doing whatever it takes to help others realize their dreams, PLC takes on a whole new level.