At Lincoln Middle School we strive for excellence in all areas.  Excellence means that something is very good or exceptional.  Successful basketball player and Coach Pat Riley said, “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” It does not happen quickly or easily, but takes hard work and perseverance. Excellent effort happens when you work very hard and try to do your best. It does not guarantee that you’ll make the highest grade or win every game, but it can help you develop habits that will enable you to excel in school, with friends, and at home. You can’t always be the best, but you can always give your best.  

       I encourage all students to think of an area where you would like to improve and keep working toward excellence each and everyday in all aspects of your life. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”  I would ask all adults involved in a child’s life to encourage those children to strive for excellence in everything they do so that it becomes a habit that will stay with them their entire life.