Chicago and John Henry

While in Chicago to train our wonderful new sales rep, Prem Glidden, I visited the “Bean” an iconic mirror-like sculpture in Centennial Park. Then I had the pleasure of attending “John Henry” a musical put on by the spirited youngsters at Kipp Ascend Elementary, ably lead by Ellen Davis. The musical is based on the book “John Henry: An American Legend” by Ezra Jack Keats, with script and songs by Aaron Brenner, of Kipp Houston. As the “playbill” states: “To our KIPPsters, John is a character who represents all of our values. He creates his own path; he continuously shows love to others; he inquires when he has questions; he makes it happen for his teammates by finding solutions to problems; and he demonstrates to all of us how to be the change by always having a good attitude and reminding us to never give up.

The children enthusiastically played their parts and it was hard to hold back the tears and they sang, danced and acted their way into our hearts.

Richard A. Lasser
President