Westside Story – 3 Letter Joey

Do you remember the Suburban Times story published October 21, 2019, titled, Westside Story – 3 Note Charlie? Click the link if you would like to refresh your memory.

Essentially 3 Note Charlie was a story about a child prodigy born with a gift for playing the piano. Charlie Albright is now a young adult who has become a fantastic and highly remarkable world-renowned pianist.

One of the videos embedded in my previous story shows Charlie asking random audience members to shout out 3 – 5 random notes. Charlie then sits down and fingering his piano keyboard creates a one-of-a-kind, never before played improvised musical piece using the few random notes shouted out from the random audience members.

When I was young, I, too, showed signs of being a child prodigy. My gift was not playing the piano. My youthful gift was creative writing.

For example, I demonstrated my gift as a young child by creatively writing my name, Joe, backward as Eoj. My artistic talent allowed me to scribble Eoj on all my books and worldly possessions.

My creative alphabet mixing backward name writing occurred during the early 1940s. Instead of recognizing my improvisational child genius, narrow-minded adults labeled me with D-words such as dummy & dyslexic.

As I developed into an amazing and highly remarkable writer, parallel to Charlie Albright, I was once again misjudged. My college English professor, Dr. Simonson, wrote a cutting note on my first college English paper. The note read, “Mr. Boyle, if you continue writing at your current level of perfection, I predict a life of doom, despair, and financial disaster for you till your dying days.”

Undaunted, I have never given up hope. In my effort to become more Charlie Albright-genius-like, it occurred to me to copy Charlie’s random musical notes from random audience members idea only instead of random notes, I would use random letters from our English alphabet.

I decided to ask for a letter shout-out from the first random businessman I came in contact with as I walked down Gravelly Lake Drive in Lakewood.

As luck would have it, I ran into Bart Dalton while entering Bart Dalton’s Edward Jones office on Gravelly Lake Drive. I guarantee you, it was a totally random meeting.

COMPLIMENTARY SHAMELESS JOE BOYLE PLUG: Mr. Bart Dalton, Stock Broker – Edward Jones, 9524 Gravelly Lake Drive S.W., Lakewood, WA 98499. T: 253-581-3863. BART DALTON – EDWARD JONES WEBSITE.

Bart is one of the finest stockbrokers on this side of the Mississippi River. If you have some money and want more money, go see Bart. After investing with Bart, I am now able to support my daily double espresso habit from just my investment dividends alone.

As requested, Bart shouted out 3 random letters from our English alphabet. Because I am not musically accomplished like Charlie, I chose 3 letters instead of 3 notes. Make sense?

Bart arbitrarily yelled out 3 letters; E, and then an R, and lastly the letter B. To be a creative genius, like Charlie Albright, I was suddenly faced with the challenge of sitting down and fingering my laptop keyboard to create a one-of-a-kind, never before written or read improvised article starting with the few random letters shouted out from the random business guy.

Allow me to improvise before your very eyes.

My creative genius-like efforts developed a surprising result. I accepted Bart’s three letters, e, r, b. I then mixed them into different configurations ending up with the name, Bre.

What a coincidence. The letters b, r, e, form the name, Bre, which amazingly happens to be Bart’s daughter’s nickname, short for Breanna. Now that is random. A miracle, don’t you think?

To follow up on my improvisational writer’s creation, I arranged to meet Bart’s highly accomplished daughter, Bre Giove, at the Topside Coffee Cabin (TCC). Over coffee, we discussed Bre’s past, present, and future. Most importantly, from Bre’s perspective, we discussed the value of the impact a school district, teachers, parents, and a community can have on each student in a school’s particular neighborhood.

Here is what I learned as I sipped my Cappuccino.

Bre moved to Lakewood in 1983. She started second grade with Clover Park Schools by attending Idlewild Elementary School. Hudtloff Middle School was next followed by graduation from Clover Park High School. During Bre’s secondary school years, she developed a significant level of talent in sports, public speaking, teaching, and coaching. She continued to improve these same skills during her college career.

Bre now holds a Bachelor of Science degree with an Endorsement in Physical Education, a Masters degree in Teaching, and a Master in the Arts of Teaching degree.

Following college, with a background in coaching tennis, basketball, and soccer, Bre went on to teach and coach at Clover Park’s Southgate Elementary School. Her next position was at Saint Martin’s College, where she started and for 11 years coached the college’s soccer program. Wait, there is more. Bre coached girls for two years at Pacific Lutheran University.

For anyone familiar with Bre’s work ethic, background, qualifications, experience, and dedication, it was great news to learn Bre was returning to Clover Park School as Athletic Director.

Everyone in our community, even those of us who do not have children in school, should be excited and pleased that Bre is back.

Bre is not a clock watcher. Her new position as Athletic Director and her pay was scheduled to begin in September 2019. Bre, wanting to get a jump on her first official day as Athletic Director, started working for free beginning in February of 2019.

Why would she do that? Because Bre well knows and understands that Clover Park students face and experience a multitude of transitions as their young lives move forward during their school years. Bre knows the Clover Park community does not compare with many other schools, including Lakes High School. Each school is made up of a different population. Each school needs something different. All schools are not alike. Clover Park and its students need increased community support in various forms.

Increased support can include such things as (a) Members of our community attending sports events. (b) Helping with fundraising. (c) Supporting school levies. (d) Watching drama activities. (e) Attending band and choir programs.

Bre emphasized that no one at Clover Park Schools is focussed on asking for free stuff. They wish to make the school / community relationship a give and take relationship where everyone takes care of one another. If any of us purchase a fundraiser item, the students benefit from the sale. The purchaser benefits from obtaining the item they purchased. It is a supportive exchange, not a hand out arrangement.

Alumni, if you are reading my article, seriously consider reaching out and reaching back. There are lots of ways to help. There is a saying, internships lead to scholarships. Think creatively related to where you are in your post-high school graduation life and how you can help those young students coming up behind you.

Bre told me, Mr. Timothy Stults, Principal of Clover Park High School, wants to help students develop a sense of commitment. Additionally, Mr. Stultz wants his students to build a Clover Park Warrior for life mentality.

One of the key goals is to help the students develop pride in their space, which will ultimately cause them to return their commitment back to their school. Following graduation, today’s students can choose to help tomorrow’s students.

Bre told me the school plans to establish and maintain a Warrior Council. The purpose of this school organization is as follows: (a) Explore ways for Clover Park warriors to positively impact on school culture. (b) Determine how students can support one another. (c) Make each student feel important and valued.

It has been said that a Warrior for life will return his or her commitment and caring tenfold.

Bre, growing up as a Clover Park Warrior, never lost her “Warrior for life” mentality. Bre did not want to teach in just any school, and there were other schools she could have applied to, such as Lakes High School, Curtis High School, or Charles Wright Academy. Actually, the list of schools Bre could have applied for is endless.

I asked her why she was so committed to Clover Park Schools. Her answer was an eye-opener. Having grown up and gathered her life experience as a student inside Clover Park Schools, she was acutely aware of the challenges faced by a majority of Clover Park students.

Students in Curtis School District, or Charles Wright Academy, or even Clover Park High School’s across town sister high school, Lakes High School, for example, have an amazingly strong school, parental, and community support system.

A majority of the students in these other schools are not burdened with financial problems, family problems, academic or athletic difficulties. The other schools surrounded and supported by healthy family and community provide students with a fertile environment within which to successfully pursue and reach their well-defined life goals in obtaining a solid education resulting in the successful pursuit of lifetime success.

Conversely, the Clover Park Schools community lacks many of the success producing elements found in these other school communities. Many students come from an environment of broken homes, poverty, single-parent homes, no-parent homes, family substance abuse addictions, and unemployment or underemployment.

As evidence, Clover Park Schools have DOUBLE the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch programs when compared to many other surrounding schools. What does that mean? THERE IS NO MONEY.

Bre is rather quiet about her own personal achievements and did not want this article to be about her achievements. It was her expressed desire that my column focus on the kids; Clover Park School kids. Sorry, Bre. I felt compelled to include some Bre information to help our readers become inspired by your steadfast commitment and 20 years of service to our community, Clover Park Schools, and, most importantly, the kids in our community.

I asked Bre, “What is that you want for the kids in our Clover Park Schools neighborhoods”?

Two things:

#1. More money to support school programs, including sports. Bre asks that as citizens, we vote yes when we can to help pass school levy elections and thereby support the students in our community.

#2. Support our kid’s efforts in sports by attending athletic events home and away. Let the kids know you care. Even if you never had or no longer have kids in school, think about the fun potential we all could experience by attending Clover Park School athletic events. You have football, baseball, basketball, soccer, and field hockey, to name a few options you have to choose from. Grab a friend or relative and go root for our hometown team. Do the same when there is a school play or musical performance.

Come on, Lakewood, let’s help Bre help our kids.