Of Athletics and America

It is astonishing to realize we are already three-quarters of the way through the 2025–2026 school year.  It feels as though we were ringing in the New Year only yesterday.  This year has been remarkably eventful, and there is still so much to anticipate in the months ahead.

 

One highlight we celebrated was the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.  For 17 days, we witnessed the extraordinary physical feats of athletes from around the globe and cheered on our fellow Americans as they pursued dreams years, sometimes decades, in the making.  While the dedication of these Olympians was inspiring, equally inspiring is the hard work displayed by the scholar-athletes here at Liberty Common School.

 

While they may not be pursuing Olympic gold, LCS students are rewarded through the cultivation of character.  At Liberty, we encourage athletes to embody our Foundation Stones and Capstone Virtues such as respect, self-control, responsibility, perseverance, and fortitude.  Exhibiting respect toward teammates, opponents, and officials is the bedrock of sportsmanship.  Self-control—often a challenge in the heat of competition—goes hand-in-hand with that of respect.  Responsibility is forged as students balance rigorous practice schedules with their academic commitments.  Finally, perseverance and fortitude are displayed every time our athletes refuse to give up, giving their all despite any adversity.

 

To our Liberty athletes, I applaud you.  You should be proud of how you represent your school, your teams, and yourselves.  To those considering joining a team, I encourage you to give it a try.  Liberty's programs offer unique opportunities to challenge yourselves and build community with peers you might not otherwise meet.

 

I invite the entire Liberty community to attend our athletic events.  By sharing in our team spirit and motivating these students, we are helping build the "Olympians of a Virtuous Life" for the future.

 

We also look forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  The signers shared a vision of freedom.  In a similar fashion, a group of visionary parents seeking the freedom to direct their children’s education created Liberty Common School.  We must never take these freedoms for granted.  It is an undeniable privilege to live in a nation that grants us the right to educate our children as we see fit.

 

The Liberty family must ensure the right to parent-led education persists.  In a world of diminished educational expectations for students, we must stand firm in our commitment to excellence.  As the prevailing educational culture attempts to overturn the responsibility of parental influence on students, we must remain steadfast in the belief that parents know what is best for their children.  By standing together, we ensure families continue to have a choice in their children’s educational future.

 

From our athletes to our national heritage, we are a community and a nation of industrious people.  Let’s continue to support our students, our school, and our country—celebrating our hard-won freedoms and looking forward to a future of promise.