The children of the Kelly tribe include (in front, from left) Joseph, Patrick, Daniel, Joshua, (behind them) Andrew, Matthew and Grace. Editor's note: The View requested this photo to accompany this column.

Probably too often this column speaks of our Boerne schools in terms of numbers, percentages and averages. Today I want to express personal gratitude for what the Boerne schools mean to my family. 

I have seven children, six of whom now attend the Boerne ISD and one who graduated last May. Putting aside the ups and downs of the superintendency, the greatest privilege of life here is the education that each of my children is receiving. Let me share just a few of our family’s blessings. 

My oldest son, Patrick, is now a freshman at the University of Mary Hardin Baylor. It has a wonderful Christian atmosphere and is a small-college academic gem. Even so, Patrick is probably going to make straight A’s this semester and reports that his college work is no more difficult than that at Boerne High School. He entered the university with 12 hours of Advanced Placement and UTSA credit from Boerne, allowing him at least a chance at the four-year graduation plan, which is an increasing rarity in college these days. I am grateful to all of the teachers that Patrick had in Boerne, beginning in fourth grade when we moved here. And I’m thankful for the community service hours inherent in some of his high school activities (such as the National Honor Society), which helped prepare him for positive and meaningful interactions with others. 

My son Daniel is a junior at BHS and a top student taking the toughest courses. He has also played football since eighth grade which now involves both the excitement of the regular JV season and the hard work of running and weightlifting the rest of the year. He gives the highest level of effort possible in both his school work and in athletics. I am thankful to the teachers and coaches who helped instill and praise that work ethic in him. And it was just last week he was building a catapult with two friends for his physics class in our yard – and turned the night air into a spectacle with gas injected tennis balls firing 75 feet in the air. He captured it on video for his dad to cherish. 

My daughter Grace, a ningth grader, is a very capable student, very social and loves to be involved in just about everything. And so she is – because our schools offer so much. In fact, we often have to tell Grace that she can’t participate in everything at the same time. Many of her best friends over the past 10 years are teachers she has had. Last night I attended her Boerne Middle School orchestra concert and was absolutely amazed at the progress of that program since Grace began during its inaugural year (after school) while in fourth grade. I can’t even begin to list all of the teachers who have been Grace’s buddies over these past 10 years of her schooling. She truly loves her teachers and I wouldn’t be surprised if she follows their example and becomes one herself. 

My middle son, Andrew, is our most outgoing and socially fearless child.  Now in eighth grade, he has always loved anything to do with the army, guns, planes, tanks, cars and especially explosions. (He was a big fan of his older brother’s flame-throwing catapult exhibition.)  Andrew will likely enroll in the AFJROTC program next year. He sort of idolizes Keith Faulkner, the police officer stationed at Boerne Middle School South, and has had many a humorous moment with him. All of his teachers laugh when they tell me of Andrew’s latest escapade and thus, I am always provided with an entertaining or cautionary story to tell others.   

My son Joshua is our quietest and most angelic child. As a fifth grader, he doesn’t quite grasp all of the world around him but is singlemindedly conscientious and diligent. He needs extra school help to stay on grade level and has been amply supplied by all of his teachers since he entered Boerne ISD seven years ago.  He and his brother Joe sing in the Kendall Elementary choir. Janet and I don’t believe that any other school district could have helped him as much as Boerne ISD has done. 

My son Joseph is a live-wire fourth grader and is all boy with ants in his pants. He can’t sit still, and his favorite class at school is probably recess, but he is a very capable child and if the teachers tie him down with ropes or get him to pay attention, he can excel. I am confident that under the loving guidance of our Boerne ISD teachers, he will rise to his full potential. In the meantime, I’m very grateful to all of the exhausted teachers who have labored on his behalf.

And then there is my youngest son, Matthew, who some refer to as our miracle child. He was born very prematurely, with mother and son almost dying during delivery. Our family was showered with blessings by the entire community as we went through that ordeal seven years ago. He entered our schools with various handicaps at age 3. One day, his teachers Carol Billingsley Kees and Gloria Mitchell (“Bill” and “Mitch”) called and asked me to come look. Due to their hard work with Matthew, I saw my son walk to me for the first time in his life when I entered that classroom. The symbolism of that moment will remain with me. Our school system helped my son rise and walk. Matthew is now in first grade, having had extraordinarily good teachers each year. 

A final note:  This year, Matthew is taught by Donna Oates, a very gifted first grade teacher. During parent conferences, she explains how she helps each child. She must sometimes explain to her students why some get help that others don’t. For example, my son Matthew is sometimes allowed to sit in a chair while others are on the floor during reading time because of his physical needs. Donna explains to her class that everyone does not receive the same things but that “each child gets what they need.”   That pretty much sums up our family’s experience with Boerne ISD.  We believe that our children could not have received a better or more loving education than what they get here. 

I recently read of a famous prayer in which the man listed many individual blessings he had received. He ended by saying “God, I ask for one more thing.  Give me a grateful heart for all you’ve given me.”  Amen from the Kelly family.