President's Blog: A Student's Voice Amidst The Noise
Most of us can remember people in our lives who have mentored us or advised us along the way. Whether it be teachers, coaches, or members of our family, we can all point to people who have made a positive impact or inspired us to follow our dreams. At AMHS we have a tremendous community of leaders who strive to guide our students to become Christlike leaders. We are likewise blessed with amazing young men and women who often teach us life lessons. I’d like to share a story about one of our students.
Emily Leiker is a member of the Archbishop Murphy High School class of 2018. I first met Emily at our 2013-2014 Admissions Open House, and I will never forget the impression she made. Our conversation involved her interest in media and broadcasting, especially in the world of athletics. By this time she was an experienced blogger and was already planning a future career at ESPN. I was impressed with her energy and spirit. Over the past two years she has attended countless school events, and she is always one of the first to favorite AMHS tweets on Twitter. She reported about the boys soccer team run to a second straight state title on her blog this past spring, and celebrated with our community their rare achievement of also winning the academic state championship.
This fall, amidst the media frenzy involving our football program, she eloquently captured her thoughts and emotions on her blog. It was quickly noticed by our Marketing and Communications Director, Shannon (McCann) Reese, who met with Emily to discuss her blog.
Shannon is an alum of AMHS (class of 2007) and a graduate of the Gonzaga University broadcast journalism program. Prior to her return to AMHS, she worked in television and journalism in the Seattle, Spokane, and Tri-Cities media markets, as well as public relations work in the Seattle area. Upon her return to AMHS, the school moved to a hosted website, complete with current technology for scheduling bulletins and announcements. Shannon led the transition to the new website, developed the templates for all weekly communication, took over the marketing and branding identity standards of the school, collaborated with admissions and development projects, and, in her spare time, helped coach the cheer program. What Shannon saw in Emily Leiker was a young woman with a dream and a gift.
Their meeting coincided with the beginning of international media coverage of the AMHS football program. For a few weeks, the school tried to keep football situation from spiraling out of control, but by the third forfeiture, the leadership team felt compelled to tell our story and support our community. Shannon organized a press conference, and led meetings with our student athletes, and our leadership team to help prepare us for the cameras. The leadership she has demonstrated is a testament to her education at St. Thomas More Parish School, AMHS, Gonzaga University, and her previous work experience in the media. Thanks to Shannon, we successfully held interviews with the CBS nightly news and morning shows (national), ESPN’s Bob Ley (Outside the Lines) and Kenny Mayne, the NBC nightly news (national), Dori Monson (KIRO), Brock Huard (KIRO), Craig Bishop (football writer for Sports Illustrated), and local interviews with the Everett Herald, Seattle Times, KING 5, and KOMO.
We certainly didn’t ask for the events of the past month to happen, and we’d much rather have coverage of actual football games rather than forfeits. However, something special has happened during these trying times. Our community has banded together, especially our alumni students and parents. Our student athletes have eloquently focused on how they are overcoming adversity and challenges, rather than complain about things beyond their control. Head Coach and Athletic Director Jerry Jensen has talked about coming together as a team and family to remain focused and finish a goal established four years prior. Adults in our community took to social media and submitted articles and letters to the editor of the Herald, to speak about AMHS, Catholic education, and the many sacrifices our families make to send their children to our school.
And while the games weren’t held, we found a way to stay positive. In place of one forfeited Friday night game we held a powder puff football game and a movie night—both hosted by our student leaders and moderators of ASB. Without a Homecoming game our Development office planned an alumni flag football game and social. Over 50 alumni from the past 20 years gathered to support the school and have fun. The students miss joining together on Friday nights, but they have increased their attendance at our volleyball matches (currently ranked #1 in the state), and our final regular season home football game on October 22 was played in front of a full house. The football players and coaches have kept their focus and worked diligently in the classroom and in team scrimmages and practices. The band and the cheer team continue to practice and perform at school assemblies and the band was seen on KOMO TV as the station's first late night musical guest.
But perhaps the most powerful voice came from Emily, also a student from St. Thomas More Parish School, who wanted to have her voice heard amongst the countless articles from the BBC to the Washington Post, to the LA Times. Shannon encouraged Emily to speak her mind and share her feelings. She also helped Emily network with a columnist from Mill Creek Living. Emily has landed two writing assignments for the publication including a story on a service project with our football team. The entirety of her original blog post is linked under the “News” section on the website. Here are a few lines:
During the school day, we learn of course, but we also do more than that. We talk with teachers, laugh with our classmates, and interact with people from different backgrounds. We smile at people we don’t know in the hallway, hold open doors for visitors, and help others out when we can. This is why we are so close. This is why we are a family.
We are loyal to our family. Each and every one of us is a Wildcat and deep down, we all love each other no matter what. That’s not to say we don’t have the everyday quarrels most high school kids have, but we’ve learned to overlook them when it matters. When we come together during assemblies, games, and even in community service, we do it in immense pride for our school. There isn’t a single one of us who doesn’t feel the excitement when we are all together and full of Wildcat spirit.
We are a deeply interwoven community made up of people from all different life experiences. We are high school kids having typical high school experiences in a unique environment. We are a family, supporting one another and our school.
We are Archbishop Murphy High School.
Read Emily's Blog HERE