Breakfast With Iron

Joe received a big honor this week and like any parent, I just have to brag a bit. Each month, beginning with October, random teachers at NCHS are invited to nominate a student who best exemplifies what it means to be an Ironman. These students are sometimes kids who fly under the radar, good students who for whatever reason might not get the big recognition. Joe was nominated by his Commercial Art teacher Jason Ruyle and I've included Jason's write up below.

This morning, Jeff and I attended a breakfast for all nominees where each student was introduced, and had his or her letter shared with the audience. Joe, who we know doesn't really like to be the center of attention, received a certificate and a nifty medal. You can see from his big smile that he was pretty proud of himself.
Joe has had an awesome start to high school and we are so proud of him!



One night this summer I was attending a Normal Cornbelters game with my family. While at the game, I was introduced to Joe Koski, a former eighth grader/almost freshmen/future Commercial Art 1 student, by his mother Barb. Like every other boy that age and in that situation, Joe looked half embarrassed/half confused by the thought of being introduced to a teacher weeks before the start of school. After a short conversation we parted ways and went back to watching the game with our families.
I did not know at that time what kind of person I was meeting. As we move through this semester I learn more and more about Joe. Joe is a very nice young man that is respectful towards his teachers and to his peers. Joe is quiet and maybe even a bit shy, but when you take the time to talk to Joe you find that he is observant and thoughtful about the things around him. He strives to do better than his best even though at times this causes frustration.
Finally, the part of Joe that has created a bond between him and I is his knowledge and love of movies and the movie making business. Since the beginning of the semester Joe and I have spent a great deal of time discussing all kinds of different movies, comparing movies saved on our DVRs, and geeking out over the free HBO and Cinemax weekend on DirectTV.
Joe is a great kid with some interesting ideas and that is why I nominated him for Breakfast with Iron.