This week I want to talk about one of our Cobra Core values. The one I chose this week is probably the hardest to personify as it is the impossible task: Strive for Success. While we should always strive for success, it is hard to really feel as though we really did something with it, and how we measure it. I have a very specific example for you that has been highlighted in the last few weeks here at Jackson Heights. One of our students has been pushing the boundaries of this particular Core value for a very long time. From birth actually.

Jackson Holliday was born with a genetic condition known as Pradder-Willi Syndrome (PWS). A rare one that only affects roughly 1 out of every 30,000 people. Unlike some genetic conditions, PWS is one that can not be predicted or inherited. At some point in development a stochastic event occurs that caused development of his chromosome #15 to fail to properly develop. Because of this, there are a host of other symptoms that come with PWS that we could talk about that we work with daily with Jackson, but what I want to hit on here is a few major ones that could have, should have, and would have affected him had he not been given the village that he was given. A typical PWS individual will have underdeveloped musculature and be of small stature. Jackson has neither of these traits because he comes from a family that has cared for his health greatly and has insisted on his involvement with extra curricular sports. In particular, Jackson’s involvement with Cross Country.

Now it is worth nothing that I have only been here for three years. Because of this, I can only attest to his High School career in cross country. I have been told by his coaches that my observations and assumptions would be accurate in telling you this. Before I got here, his “runs” during cross country were slow at best and that might be putting it kindly. He would have been scattered in his focus and often would wander when on the course and require a great deal of patience in working with him. Since my arrival, his freshman year was not much different from the assumptions of his middle school years with a few key exceptions. We made a few large leaps and bounds with the state to get Jackson a pace setter to keep pace with him at events. That freshman year Anna Schierling volunteered to help out and keep pace for him. Albeit tethered to him like she was leading a puppy. Because of this concession with KSHSAA, he was able to compete in two away events that year. While we say compete, I will say he was more competing against himself as he was running a two miles run at the high school level and would get a separate finish line. And his family got to be just that for the first time. I got to witness his mom, Carrie Holliday, be a mom at a cross country event at his first away meet and cheer on her son. He would go on to run in four meets that year. Two away plus the two home meets we host. All of which finishing his two miles at his own pace. For the most part Sophomore year is much like Freshman year. We were able to remove his leash (Thank heaven) and change out Anna (who is now going out for Volleyball) with Aby Wellman. Same results. Four meets, two away, two home. Mom gets to be a mom. Family celebrates at the two mile mark.

Now summer Sophomore to Junior year something snaps in Jackson’s head. He listens to Coach Gary Keehn talking about the 100 miles challenge and how proud the coach would be of his athletes if they finished that and Jackson decides he wants a piece of that. He chunks out his summer two miles at a time with his dad, Jackson Heights Alumni Chris Holliday, and mom takes turns running with Jackson to knock out the miles. I start to take notice as I see on social media the milestones popping up, “Jay just hit mile 50,” “Jay is getting closer Coach Keehn, he just finished 80.” I call up mom and ask if Jackson would like to finish off mile 99 and 100 in a special way. We offer for Jackson to run the last two on the course that he is used to and he jumps at the chance. On July 29, Jackson comes to Jackson Heights and blows the doors off of the last two miles. We are all amazed at how much of a difference we see in this kid.

Now look at the season. We now have a new running buddy in the form of Mrs. Michaela McKenzie as Abby found love of running last year and joined the team. He is keeping pace and setting new personal records almost daily. He ran his two miles at Holton and was just fine. Then the normal meet at Onaga gets canceled, which was a bit of a setback. He then gets to go to the Horton meet to run as an alternative. Understand this is uncharted territory. He has never seen the course, and we have no clue what to expect. All of these things are a recipe for disaster with a PWS individual. However this is Jackson Holliday we are talking about now. He defies the odds at every turn. For this run, the decided plan was for him to just stop once he hits 30 minutes. He gets to the two miles mark with plenty of time to spare and keeps on going.Then he hits 30 minutes and Coach Lierz looks at his stop watch and is dumbfounded. Jackson is running at a pace that he could finish the race properly if he wanted to. He asks Jackson if he is up to it and Jackson just replies, “I’m finishing it”. He winds up crossing the finish line. A true finish line at a high school cross country course. A young man who, by now shouldn’t be nearly where he is now physically, just finished a three mile race to a true finish line and got the finish in the books. That shouldn’t have been possible. But he did it. Mini fast forward to last Thursday at the NEK league meet and there is no question that Jackson will be running the full course at our own site. And what does he do, but finish with a personal record.

There is one more race this year for Jackson to run which is this upcoming Tuesday afternoon. If you want to see adversity at its finest, or see a person who is genuinely striving for success, come to the cross country meet this Tuesday to watch the races. See what Coach Keehn and Coach Lierz have done with this team as they push these young men and women past the edge of what they think is possible. I promise that Jackson Holliday won’t win the race, but he will win his race.

"Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind" The Doctor

From the first day to the last day, It's a great day to be a COBRA!

Derek E. Smith

This article was written with consent from the Holliday family.

Well they pulled it off. They hit their quota to get me to go all pink for the pink out game this past Friday. During the little cheer clinic, I came in so the little cheer crew could be part of me going pink. Of course, I then went home to clean it up a bit because I wasn't about to walk around during the game looking like I savagely ate a whole cotton candy factory.

A lot of people made a deal of me doing it. However, the cause made the choice to go pink an easy one.

And I didn't, Talen Browning did it again at the Home NEKL meet last Thursday. He got a top ten finish. He just keeps on plugging along doing his thing. I am infinitely proud of this guy. He said at the start of the year he would be happy to get below 20 minutes and he crushed that by about thirty seconds. He just keeps on doing it. Keep it up kid!

As does the whole team. I love talking to the cross country team after a meet and asking how we did and this year I have yet to hear a single runner complain about their run. Every time they are excited about how they did and they are always smiling and giving me a high five telling me that they got their best time yet. I never hear complaints from any of them.

You have one last chance to watch Cross Country at home this Tuesday at our home invitational. It will also be our senior appreciation night for the Cross Country runners where we will celebrate Korbin, Emi, Abby, and Emma.

Monday:

• Varsity Volleyball Regional @ Horton 5:00

• MS Girls Basketball @ JCN 4:30

Tuesday

• MS/HS Cross Country Invitational @ Home 3:45

Wednesday

• FFA National Convention

• HS Scholars Bowl @ JCN 4:00

• MS Girls Basketball Vs. Everest @ Home 4:30

• FFA National Convention

Friday:

• HS Varsity Football @ JCN 7:00

• FFA National Convention

Saturday

• Volleyball Sub-State Tournament

• Cross Country Regionals

Coming up we will start having a month long competition with the houses as we start to move into Kindness Month. There will be several opportunities for them to acquire house points for a good cause.

Some spotlight students in each house this week were:

House Corn Fed Cobra: Jamison Huyett along with April Slipke (Corn Fed Cobras)For Presenting to the Board of Education for a proposal to start a middle school level student council.

House Gold Rush: Max Watkins When the haunted was about to be overwhelmed, Max stepped in an became a guide for the trail.

House Snake Kingz: Maddie Smith For her exceptional work on the haunted trail.

House Triple G: Addeline Banks For multiple reports of positive displays of core values this week.

Sort of the official start of the family Halloween for us is when we go to the Boo at the Zoo. This year, the boys told me that my Haunted trail costume was too scary so I had to wear my scarecrow again, which still scared people a lot if I stood still long enough. Afterward we got our pumpkins for carving and to decorate the house. It is one of our fun little traditions and now that both boys are actually carving pumpkins it is more than just keeping Hank from destroying a pumpkin, it's actually fun.

It's a great day to be a Cobra!!

Email: derek.smith@jhcobras.net

Website: jhcobras.net
Location: 12692 266th Rd Holton, KS 66436
Phone: (785)248-4386
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jackson.Heights.USD335

https://www.citylinktv.com/channel/cobra

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1a0QJd_3uUnHcCppNy4KIttr-i_TO_Q1QcxSKC8PZaHo/edit