Corbett Dishman dressed for royal role as Whitewater High School Homecoming king. Photo provided by Steve Henderson.
Just when we old cynical people think that the next generation is hopeless, we get to witness the events of Friday night at the Whitewater High School homecoming game.
As the homecoming court was being announced to the crowd, I sat in awe of the achievements and ambitions of the students that were being announced. Students with the dreams of going to college with impressive resumes and accomplishments were presented to the crowd and greeted with generous applause.
However, the thunderous standing ovation that greeted one particular student brought tears to my eyes. Corbett Dishman is a PALS student who has the ambition to further develop his job skills in a world that will be a challenge for him at every level.
Among the formal pomp and circumstance that is presented at such an event, Corbett smiled and waved to the crowd as his name was called. After his name was called to announce that he had won the homecoming crown, he ran as fast as his legs would take him to receive his crown.
The sheer joy that was on his face was something that would melt the hardest of hearts. Although there was only one crown presented, I felt that the entire court and student body were royalty in my eyes.
The student body did a beautiful thing in voting for Corbett. The lasting impression that was left on all who witnessed will be something that brings a smile to our face many years from now.
Just when we think that we have things figured out about our children, they throw us a curve that would have made John Smoltz proud. We are bombarded with negative things that happen in our society, but the Whitewater student body did something that outweighed the most negative of stories.
Corbett’s night and Coach Holley’s opportunity for Derek Baughan (google that one if you are unfamiliar) make me proud to be a Wildcat parent. I hope that all of you are proud of the school, students, coaches, and teachers. I think that this “old guy” sees a glimmer of hope for our future. Go, Cats!
Steve Henderson
Fayetteville, Ga.
