Message from our Superintendent
ASOMEX & Newton Laws
Dear ASFM Community,
I’ve really never felt anything quite like the energy of an ASOMEX soccer tournament before. The crowds, the cheering, the competition, and the pure joy of being part of something so great. Community matters…a lot. I kept thinking (perhaps because I’m a worse case scenario planner) that the wind, heat, or bad luck was going to get the better of our teams, but that never happened. Was it just our heart? Some sort of accumulated inertia that pushed us to victory? Or maybe the momentum gathered from the chants from the “porras”carried us? What we know for certain is that we spent two years at home on Zoom and we were desperate to get out! Go Eagles. Given the opportunity, they soar.
Because every competitor in this event is a student first and then an athlete, I felt like I needed to consult somebody who could truly help me understand the physics of our impressive win–Newton’s laws of motion.
Newton's laws of motion concern inertia, acceleration and pushback. I’ve applied these principles to our recent life here at school.
"Objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force."
My takeaway: Our soccer teams, our fans, our community became that force. A force for good. A force for joy. A force for gratitude. We stayed in motion despite the wind, the sun, and the unrelenting pressure of the opponents.
"The rate of change of the momentum of a body is directly proportional to the net force acting on it, and the direction of the change in momentum takes place in the direction of the net force."
My takeaway: Put your whole mind, heart, and soul into that force - that push for gratitude. The fans never stopped chanting, the players never stopped believing, and the coaches never stopped pushing. The “net force” acting in favor of our teams was insurmountable and, eventually, they won. (Did the boys really have to torture us with 9 penalty shots? OMG!
"To every action (force applied) there is an equal but opposite reaction (equal force applied in the opposite direction)."
My takeaway: Expect pushback–we did. Keep plugging–you bet! Every breath–until we were gasping. Every moment–all 70 minutes and more. Every clash–played through injury. Your response always matters, and if you hang in there long enough, good things will happen.
Does Newton help? I wonder what our science teachers will say about how I used Newton’s laws of motion.
Our vision for ASFM is always to be that school and community willing to work hard to ensure every child finds that part of themselves that allows them to exceed expectations. We require parents and students to demonstrate their investment in this community of learners by being present and engaged: engaged emotionally, mentally, and physically in all the activities to which they are committed. This dedication was clear over the last few days. Well done, ASFM. Remember what this feels like. Remember it takes all of us all the time to compete successfully.
Tomorrow we start a well deserved spring break. On Monday, April 25, we will be PCR testing the entire school population and for this reason we will be with Zoom classes. In-person learning will start on Tuesday, April 26. Please find attached here a calendar of end-of-school year events. Make every day count because this school year is almost over. Our high school students will start AP Exams, MAPS tests, and a myriad of other final evaluations for the school year almost as soon as break ends. Rest, read, take lots of deep breaths, but be ready for the final 30 days of school when you return from spring break.
Onward, George
Other resources:
Coronavirus in the US: Latest map and case count https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html
Is this what endemic looks like? https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/04/07/science/endemic-meaning-pandemic-covid.html