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2018 CCES Football Persons of Influence Prayer Walk

CCES parent, Drew Brown (Hayden Brown ’19) spoke in a powerful moment during last week’s Person of Influence Prayer Walk, a special tradition for the CCES football program.  Below is a transcript of his remarks;
 
“I know it’s been said before but it feels like yesterday when I was in the back of the line as a seventh grade parent wondering what football at CCES was going to be like, and now here I am as a twelfth grade parent; it goes by just like that. I went to the Citadel this past weekend to drop off my older son and there was a great quote that was said by a Greek philosopher, ‘no man walks through the same river twice, for the river’s not the same and nor is the man.’
 
“So I will reflect upon Hayden’s tenure here, and our family’s tenure here with Christ Church Episcopal School’s program. When I say it’s a program, I’m talking about the seventh grade through the twelfth grade because that’s the beauty of what Christ Church is all about, we’ve got a big team here. [Our family’s] been here when we won a bunch of state titles. We’ve been here when a kid named Chandler Catazaro went off to the NFL. We’ve been here when a kid named Ryan Putnam went on to an ivy league school to play college football. We’ve been here through wins and losses, but one thing when I look ahead 12 years from now, one thing I’m going to remember about this program, and I’m sure I’ll forget all the wins and losses— although I won’t forget the overtime victory against Blacksburg and Cliff Gandis kicking the ball in the woods—
but I will remember what we’re doing here today, and that’s putting God first. And that’s the base of Christ Church football, putting God first. It starts with the coaches and the program. I had a high school wrestling coach, who taught me the Lord’s Prayer and it stuck with me for life. That’s the impact a coach can have on a young athlete and we’ve got that in spades here.
 
“I’m preaching to the choir with the parents who have had kids here that already graduated or the upperclassman parents, they know what I’m talking about, but to the seventh grade and eighth grade parents or if you’re new to the program, you can’t put your kids in a better place than Christ Church football. We spend a lot of money putting our kids in a great educational experience, but I’ve always felt like it was my job to make sure my son grows up like a man, the way a man should be. He gets that here at Christ Church. I can’t have enough of these guys teaching my son, these coaches are tremendous guys, and if you want your son to grow up like a man, that’s where you want your kid is here.
 
“To go full circle back to the river, I don’t know what river we’re going to be through this year, I don’t know what river we’re going to be in, wins or losses, but I know when Hayden and his fellow seniors walk off the field they’ll be better athletes, but more importantly, they’ll be better men.”
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Christ Church Episcopal School (“CCES”) admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at CCES. CCES does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, national or ethnic origin, creed, religion, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, scholarship or other programs, or athletic or other school-administered programs and activities.