You may have seen the blue words that lie above the entrance to the South Commons here at Blaine. “The finest students in the world walk through these doors“ . They appeared after winter break, leaving most kids wondering why. I talked to our principal, Mr. Phelps, to get more information about these words, such as who’s idea it was, the reasoning behind them, and also more on his philosophy too.

The idea to put the phrase there was actually Mr. Phelps own idea. He had also put positive phrases in his previous schools. The words were going to span across both  doors, but instead were put above one door. The words were put there for one reason. There are “too many negatives”, shared Mr. Phelps. He said this was a great place, with the smartest people, and these words will have “positive results.” Mr. Phelps has a very positive perspective on Blaine High School.

Mr. Phelps also told me a little about his coaching and his perspective on things. He coached for 36 years and has a wide knowledge of running hurdles. He said there was a lot of positivity there too, and told his runners instead of calling them hurdles, call them opportunities. When most people think the word hurdle, they think of obstacle. Instead he said they are “opportunities to grow.”

Mr. Phelps said that there will continue to be more popping up around the school. He said they will be short messages, such as “Welcome”, to let people know that we care. Mr. Phelps shared with me some great philosophies, and I know he is doing his best to make Blaine a more positive environment, starting with these messages.