From My View - Dr. Jim Wipke

It's been a while since I've sat down to share a few thoughts via the From My View blog.  However, recently, I received a gift that almost brought me to tears. Yes, I — a 52-year-old superintendent of the Ladue School District in the state of Missouri – was on the verge of tears because of a gift. Before you start imagining a trip to Hawaii or a brand-new car, let me set the record straight: it was a pen. To be precise, the gift was a wooden pen snugly encased in a leather holder. Yes, a pen. Your natural reaction might be, "Why would a pen bring you to tears?" Years ago, when I worked in another school district, a guest speaker named John O’Leary shared his remarkable story with us. I use the term remarkable because, in reality, John’s story is remarkable but came about through a horrific accident. Many of you know John — he burned 100% of his body at the age of nine. He grew up in the St. Louis area, living in an area very close to Ladue. During his visit, I was pr

It all came into focus at the top of South Mountain. A recent trip to Arizona with my wife, Jennifer, and children Jacob and Jordan was fantastic for spending precious time together, and also came with its share of meaningful moments. As we stood at Dobbins Lookout, gazing over the Salt River Valley – the Phoenix metro and the many miles of desert extending outward – I thought about all of decisions and opportunities that life affords us. The drive up the mountain had been slow at times as we snaked back and forth, gaining altitude little by little. With careful navigation, we arrived at our lookout point, and I thought about how we often encounter winding roads in life. These roads will throw different turns and obstacles our direction, and sometimes it might feel like you aren’t making much progress. But the hope is that if we approach each obstacle with thoughtfulness and persistence, we can take one small step after another, eventually leading us to where we want to go. Once we’re

It’s interesting, isn’t it? Time seems to go by so fast, and we look back and wonder where it all went. Pre-COVID, my son Jacob was 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and two-and-a-half years later, he stands about 6 feet, 2 inches (by the way, I stand all of 5 feet, 9 inches, so don’t ask me where he gets his height from). The point is, that not only has his physical appearance changed, but he has changed in so many other ways that might not be as obvious. Jacob will continue to change, and I am sad that time with him at home is running out. Jacob will be our last child to graduate from high school and has just begun his senior year. As many of you know, I am blessed with four children: Jamison, Jordan, Jill, and Jacob. Just like fine wine, Jennifer and I have gotten better with time in parenting. As I reflect on being just 24 years old and bringing Jamison into the world, I remember thinking, “I don't know what I am doing. Thank goodness for my wife, Jennifer!” Things have come full circle a

“When we deny the story, it defines us.  When we own the story, we can write a brave new ending.”  - Brené Brown The story this holiday season is pretty clear—like most of the year 2020, it will be different in so many ways. We all experienced Halloween and Thanksgiving 2020-style, and we are now racing into the seasons of Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa. In the Wipke household, we have done our best to embrace change with a smile. However, I must admit that not seeing my mother, sister, and in-laws over Thanksgiving was a real bummer, to put it mildly. I try to remind myself there will be many holidays and events to celebrate in the years ahead, but right now those reminders can sometimes feel very hollow.    As noted in this quote above by Brené Brown, we should not deny our 2020 story; indeed, we should own it. It does absolutely no good to point fingers, find fault, or assume people are not doing their best. We have to not only acknowledge, but embrace, the fact that we are all in

The following message was shared with all district staff by Superintendent Dr. Jim Wipke at the 2020-21 back-to-school kickoff...                                                             _______________________ Seventeen years ago, when my eldest daughter was roughly eight years old, I started coaching her soccer team. As I began to put the team together, I quickly realized I needed an assistant coach to help me. Little did I know that this assistant coach would become much more than an extra set of hands on the field. He would become one of my primary mentors and a significant influence in my life.   Ron Boschert grew up on a farm in St. Peters, Mo. He was one of six children and credited his dad for giving him his greatest attribute — a positive attitude . This drew people to him like a magnet, and it was the same for me. Over the years, Ron and I got to know each other better, and we became more like co-coaches. He was consistently building the kids up and getting them ready to p

It Has Got to Be the Shoes! "It has got to be the shoes" As a young kid growing up, I constantly had a basketball in my hand and Michael Jordan shoes on my feet. My parents refused to pay top dollar for tennis shoes, so I would cut neighborhood lawns and save my money. Every once in a while, I was able to negotiate with my mom and dad and we would split the cost of a new pair of Air Jordans.  I can still remember the first few weeks of owning a brand new pair ... I would leave the shoes in the box and only wear them when I laid in bed so I did not scuff them. I’m sure my parents laughed and rolled their eyes a bit when they found me asleep with them on my feet.   The temptation to shoot baskets in them would eventually prove to be too much and I would find myself in our driveway arranging trash cans to play defense against me. I would weave through the cans and take shots, and every once in a while I would make one. “Yeeeeeeeessssssss!” I would say, “It has got t

April 15th... When we hear April 15, what is the first thing that pops into your mind? I bet that like me and many others… you think taxes . A note from your accountant (not) … With the Coronavirus and the CARES Act, the federal and Missouri governments have pushed the tax deadline to July 15, so if you haven’t filed/paid your 2019 taxes yet, don’t panic! Also, don’t panic because this blog is not about taxes! Does April 15 have any other significance to you? Like many St. Louisans, I am a passionate baseball fan and I have deeply missed Opening Day. The roar of the crowd, the excitement, the Clydesdales (for goodness sake), and the hope that maybe this will again be the year for our Cardinals. If you are also a baseball enthusiast, you may know that on April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier when he made his epic and historic debut into Major League Baseball. Each year, this is celebrated by all of the ballplayers in the major leagues wearing hi