Whoa dude, school is starting already? Whoa dude, be nice! Okay, OK, all right, sure. Yes, school is really starting already. It seems the older I get, the quicker the summers go by. But I digress.

That was actually a lead into two new clubs at MTHS. The first is a club started by some average Joe/Jane Skater folks and it’s really simple with a really cool website. dudebenice.com. And the “OK Club” speaks for itself. Listen up for announcements.

When these two new clubs start meeting, we will welcome everyone who wants to join us.

We are also excited to announce three new head coaches here at MTHS. Our new head football coach is Kelly Dougan. You may know him as the guy who coached almost every Terrace player for the last 12 years at the community level and resurrected the MTYAA Community program.

Oh yeah, he also owns the best pizza joint in the county. And we have a new head volleyball coach who happens to be a Terrace grad, Rene Noeun. And Jessica Annisipour who also happens to be a Terrace grad and former ASB president.

All three new coaches have come out of the gate with tons of experience and enthusiasm.

If you’re keeping score at home we now have six Terrace graduates coaching at MTHS.

So clubs are rolling, fall athletes are toiling, and freshman parents were crying, “Oh, my baby is going to high school,” last Wednesday at the 18th annual HawkWalk and Link Crew Freshman Orientation.

It’s so cute to see the freshman parents trying so hard to let go and let their child be on their own for three hours. Well, to all those freshman parents, I have to say your kids are in good hands.

We are proud to say we were the first school in Washington to run Link Crew in 1997. I have had the honor of working with these folks for all 18 years. So, how do I know the frosh are in good hands with this year’s Link Leaders and ASB officers?

Well, they sure took care of me this summer when out of the blue I got hit with an unexpected health issue that stopped me in my tracks.

Those who know me know that anytime the students I advise are working on something I’m there to help and advise: not do, but advise. I was unable to do even that the past three months.

Our ASB follows the guidelines of Maslow’s Triangle and my goal every year is to get as many students as I can to the top, meaning I try to get them to the point where they find the good in everyone and they commit positive acts for others without needing a reward.

Every time I talked with Liya Ewing or Gene An or Kaitlyn Anderson or Paxtyn Merten or AsiaLee Donnelly this summer about things we needed to get done, they all said the same thing: “Stew, we got it. Don’t worry.”

I know from experience those are not the words a parent ever wants to hear. When I arrived at Terrace last Monday to work on Link training, HawkWalk and Freshman Orientation, I expected to find five or six fires I would need to put out.

I always do my best to make it about the kids. I learned that from the various staff members and coaches I worked with at Ingrham as well as during my last 22 years as a proud member of the MTHS staff.

There will never be anything I can ever do or say to truly thank the Terrace kids who put their lives on hold this summer and put me on their shoulders so upperclassman and incoming freshman could get off to a good start this week.

This is how I know freshman parents have nothing to worry about with these kids running things.

Oh and those fires I worried about?  Couldn’t even find a spark.