What is a Flyer?

What does it mean to be a Flyer? This is a question I posed to our Teen Leadership Class and our Class of 2026 late last year. I asked them this question as part of an extensive peer mentoring project we took on during the second semester of this past school year. Over the course of several weeks these two groups of students worked together at developing an answer. We all know we are Flyers because it is the name on our jerseys and school, but what does it mean? Is it just a name or something greater? The following are a culmination of student responses to that question: "Flyers are people who are respectful and respectable, people who are reliable and trustworthy. Being a Flyer means that you are someone who puts your best foot forward. Someone who is kind and helpful. Someone who holds the door, someone who uses manners, someone who does their best under every circumstance. Being a Flyer means that you put in effort to grow and learn as much as you can. You are dedicated to developing your God-given gifts to their fullest potential. You work on bettering yourself in your education and faith so that you can support and communicate with the people around you. Flyers embrace differences. Most importantly, Flyers are people who strive to reflect God's unconditional love towards others." Last spring, when I was announced as the next principal of St. Paul High School, I knew these words needed to be the foundation of our beliefs, expectations, and behaviors moving forward. These are not my words to put on a bulletin board or plaque. These words are those of our students and represent their hopes, dreams, and aspirations of excellence. They also acknowledge that they realize their responsibility of what it means to be a Flyer and how they know their place in our legacy. Being a Flyer is special. It is a gift that I am profoundly grateful to have the opportunity to help instill and inspire in our students. And, it is a calling I cannot do alone, which is why I am so very excited to begin the school year with our students leading the way. In late June, the administrative staff of Norwalk Catholic held a day-long retreat focused on what each of us can do to live the wisdom conveyed by our students. We discussed and shared how we will use our individual gifts to positively impact their growth and, in turn, improve our school. We took time to read and reflect on each passage, then consider how we will apply them to our roles at Norwalk Catholic. For me, this has led to working with high school faculty and staff to incorporate them into our culture, classrooms, and communications. Our students' inspirational statements will become what drive our beliefs, expectations, and behaviors. They are the essence of the institutional culture we are cultivating and working very hard to teach and model. I believe in our school. I believe in our faculty and staff. Most especially, I believe in our students! The late, great Whitney Houston sang the memorable lines, "I believe that children are the future. Teach them well and let them lead the way." Our students are our present. It's their time! It's our time to lift them up and support them anyway we can. That may include getting out of their way and allowing them to lead. Our students have profoundly demonstrated that they know their paths, but need kind, compassionate adults to help guide them on those journeys. We are proud to have a century of history, tradition, and people who have built the foundation of our great school community. It is their sacrifice, their experiences, and their stories that make us who we are today. Our Flyer community continues to face challenges. When we respond as a community of faith, embracing all of our God-given gifts, great things have always happened. Our students are our greatest gift and, based on their words and actions, I am confident they will lead St. Paul High School to new heights of excellence and achievement. Let us all embrace the challenge to be a Flyer, wherever we are, and make our world a better place! I look forward to our community recognizing our students as Flyers. Not just by a name on their jerseys and clothing, but by the words they choose, the attitudes they project, and the behaviors they engage in. I am grateful to be a St. Paul Flyer and am honored to have been called to lead future Flyers through the upcoming school year. Go Flyers! Mike Gocsik is St. Paul High School principal.