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Dear St. Serra Parents,
One of the things that I love about the month of March is March Madness. The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) Division 1 basketball tournament, branded as “March Madness,” is a single-elimination tournament that features 68 college basketball teams, and is played each spring to determine the national champion.
Of the 68 participating teams, 32 of them receive automatic bids into the NCAA tournament for winning their conference tournament. Many of these 32 teams are from smaller universities; they are often just thrilled to be in the tournament and are generally considered the “underdogs”. Every year, some of these “underdog” teams unexpectedly beat teams with much more talent and who tend to have much greater financial support from television contracts, shoe deals, and big time boosters, and are usually more athletically skilled. Everybody loves these “upsets!” It's exhilarating to see “the little guy” beat the odds.
In the Bible there are many stories about how Jesus surrounded Himself with “underdogs”. In Mark 14:13, Jesus tells his disciples to go into town, find the “man carrying a jar of water” and follow him to his house where they would celebrate the Passover meal. We don’t know who this man was, why he was chosen, or how he knew to meet the disciples. Yet this man with the water jar represents the epitome of an “underdog”; unknown and seemingly unimportant.
Another “underdog” story takes place in John 6:1-14, when the faith of a little boy allows Jesus to feed more than 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Because this boy gave Jesus all of what little that he had, an extraordinary miracle was able to take place.
The well-known story of David and Goliath is also a great example about faith, courage, commitment, resilience, and the “underdog” emerging as the champion.
People love the story of the victorious “underdog” because it exists in our everyday lives. It is a tremendous feat to overcome great odds, and very inspiring. It is no different at St. Serra, where many of our students prevail over difficulties or challenges in order to succeed. Not everyone can be the smartest kid in class, the most popular, the most athletically skilled, or the most musically talented. Yet with the encouragement and nurturing they receive from our teachers and staff, our students do well in their studies, explore their passions, find their talent(s) and increase their confidence. They can then go on to be successful in high school and beyond, because of the positive experiences they have had at St. Serra.
Like us, God often uses the story of the “underdog” to teach us important life lessons, which can be very humbling. Who knows how God will use us to inspire others.
Always striving,
Tim Tolzda
Sr. Principal
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