The Manchester Free Press

Saturday • June 27 • 2026

Vol.XVIII • No.XXVI

Manchester, N.H.

Syndicate content Granite Grok
News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Updated: 7 min 47 sec ago

Custom EdTech Software: Transforming Education Through LMS and SIS Integration

Fri, 2024-06-28 09:00 +0000

In the ever-evolving landscape of education technology, custom edtech software has emerged as a powerful tool for institutions seeking to enhance their digital capabilities and improve learning outcomes. This article explores the transformative potential of custom EdTech solutions, with a particular focus on the integration of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS).

The Rise of Custom EdTech Software

As educational institutions face increasingly complex challenges, off-the-shelf software often falls short in meeting their unique needs. Custom EdTech software offers a tailored approach, allowing schools and universities to create digital environments that align perfectly with their specific pedagogical approaches, administrative processes, and student requirements.

Key advantages of custom EdTech software include:

  1. Tailored functionality
    2. Scalability
    3. Improved user experience
    4. Enhanced data security
    5. Seamless integration with existing systems
LMS and SIS Integration: The Cornerstone of Modern EdTech

At the heart of many custom EdTech solutions lies the integration of Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Student Information Systems (SIS). This powerful combination creates a cohesive digital ecosystem that streamlines administrative tasks, enhances communication, and provides valuable insights into student performance.

LMS platforms serve as the central hub for course delivery, content management, and student engagement. They offer tools for creating and distributing learning materials, facilitating online discussions, and assessing student progress. Popular LMS options include Canvas, Moodle, and Blackboard.

SIS, on the other hand, focus on managing student data, including enrollment information, grades, attendance records, and demographic details. These systems are crucial for administrative tasks such as scheduling, reporting, and compliance management.

The integration of LMS and SIS brings numerous benefits:
  1. Data synchronization
    2. Streamlined workflows
    3. Comprehensive reporting
    4. Improved communication
    5. Enhanced decision-making capabilities

Real-World Applications of Custom EdTech Software

To illustrate the impact of custom EdTech software with LMS and SIS integration, let’s explore some practical applications:

Personalized Learning Pathways

Custom EdTech software can leverage data from both LMS and SIS to create personalized learning experiences for students. By analyzing performance data, learning preferences, and course history, the system can recommend tailored content, adaptive assessments, and targeted interventions. This level of personalization can significantly improve student engagement and academic outcomes.

Automated Administrative Processes

Integrating LMS and SIS through custom software can automate many time-consuming administrative tasks. For example:

– Course registration and enrollment can be streamlined, with prerequisites automatically checked and conflicts identified.
– Grade submission and transcript generation can be automated, reducing errors and saving time for faculty and staff.
– Attendance tracking can be seamlessly integrated across systems, providing real-time insights for administrators and parents.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Custom edtech software that integrates LMS and SIS can provide powerful analytics capabilities. Administrators can gain insights into:

– Student performance trends across different courses and programs
– Resource utilization and allocation
– Retention risk factors and early intervention opportunities
– Curriculum effectiveness and areas for improvement

By harnessing these insights, institutions can make data-driven decisions to improve educational outcomes and operational efficiency.

Enhanced Communication and Collaboration

Integrated custom EdTech solutions can facilitate better communication between students, faculty, and administrators. Features might include:

– Unified messaging systems that work across LMS and SIS platforms
– Collaborative workspaces for group projects and peer-to-peer learning
– Parent portals that provide real-time access to student progress and important announcements

Challenges in Implementing Custom EdTech Software

While the benefits of custom EdTech software are significant, institutions should be aware of potential challenges:

  1. Cost considerations: Developing bespoke solutions can be more expensive upfront compared to off-the-shelf alternatives.
  2. Development time: Creating custom software takes time, and institutions must be prepared for a potentially lengthy implementation process.
  3. Technical expertise: Institutions may need to invest in additional IT resources or partner with external developers to create and maintain custom solutions.
  4. User adoption: Implementing new systems can face resistance from users accustomed to existing processes. Comprehensive training and change management strategies are crucial for success.
  5. Data security and privacy: With increasing concerns about data protection in education, custom solutions must be designed with robust security measures in mind.
Best Practices for Custom EdTech Software Implementation

To maximize the benefits of custom EdTech software with LMS and SIS integration, institutions should consider the following best practices:

  1. Conduct a thorough needs assessment: Before embarking on a custom software project, clearly define your institution’s specific requirements and pain points.
  2. Involve stakeholders early: Engage faculty, administrators, and students in the design process to ensure the solution meets their needs and expectations.
  3. Prioritize user experience: Design intuitive interfaces and workflows that minimize the learning curve for users.
  4. Plan for scalability: Ensure your custom solution can grow and adapt as your institution’s needs evolve.
  5. Implement robust data governance: Establish clear policies and procedures for data management, security, and privacy.
  6. Provide comprehensive training: Offer ongoing training and support to ensure users can fully leverage the capabilities of the new system.
  7. Continuously evaluate and improve: Regularly gather feedback and analyze system performance to identify areas for enhancement.
The Future of Custom EdTech Software

As technology continues to advance, the possibilities for custom EdTech software are expanding. Some emerging trends to watch include:

  1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning: These technologies can be integrated into custom solutions to provide personalized learning experiences, predictive analytics, and automated administrative tasks.
  2. Virtual and Augmented Reality: Custom software can incorporate immersive technologies to enhance learning experiences, particularly in fields such as science, medicine, and engineering.
  3. Blockchain: This technology has the potential to revolutionize credential verification and transcript management within integrated LMS and SIS systems.
  4. Internet of Things (IoT): Custom solutions can leverage IoT devices to create smart campuses, improve resource management, and enhance student safety.
  5. Advanced Analytics: As data collection and processing capabilities improve, custom EdTech software will be able to provide even more sophisticated insights into student performance and institutional effectiveness.
Conclusion

Custom EdTech software, particularly when integrating LMS and SIS functionality, represents a powerful tool for educational institutions seeking to optimize their digital ecosystems. By providing tailored solutions that address specific needs and challenges, these systems can significantly enhance the learning experience, improve administrative efficiency, and drive better outcomes for students and institutions alike.

As the education sector continues to evolve, the role of custom EdTech software will only grow in importance. Institutions that embrace these technologies and invest in bespoke solutions will be better positioned to meet the changing needs of students, faculty, and administrators in an increasingly digital world.

While challenges exist in implementing custom solutions, the potential benefits far outweigh the obstacles. By carefully considering their unique requirements, partnering with experienced developers, and focusing on user adoption, educational institutions can harness the full potential of custom EdTech software to create more effective, efficient, and engaging learning environments.

The future of education lies in the ability to adapt and innovate. Custom EdTech software, with its capacity for seamless LMS and SIS integration, offers a path forward for institutions looking to stay at the forefront of educational technology. As we continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible in education, custom solutions will play a crucial role in shaping the next generation of learning experiences, empowering institutions to provide truly personalized and effective education for all students.

The post Custom EdTech Software: Transforming Education Through LMS and SIS Integration appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Night Cap: Will America Survive the Threat of Islam

Fri, 2024-06-28 02:00 +0000

Nearly 1400 years ago, a large number of Muslim jihadists from across the scorching Arabian desert, motivated by the ideology of Islam, indoctrinated by Muhammad, unafraid of death, conquered Iran (Persia), one of the greatest, strongest and most tolerant empires known throughout the history of man. The invasion of Persia was completed five years after the death of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, though Persian resistance continued for centuries up to and including the present time. (Most Iranians consider the current regime as the continuation of 1400 years of Islamic tyranny and oppression).

The Bedouin Arabs who toppled the Sassanid Empire were propelled not only by a desire for conquest and to steal Persian jewels and treasures but also to enslave Iranian women and children while imposing their barbaric ideology upon the entire population. With that, they almost wiped out one of the most benevolent and ancient religions, Zoroastrianism, which is often called the mother of all revealed religions.

The political nature of Islam demanded that a conquered people not only convert to Islam but also regard its past history as a time of darkness before the light of Islam came. Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran is busy purging pre-Islamic Persian history from children’s textbooks. Islam required conquered people to scorn their own past and love their Islamic Arab conquerors by striving to imitate them. According to Islam, all history before Islam was an era of “darkness” and should be discarded. Islam is a brutal, hyper-masculine, barbarian, tribal warrior cult that glories in murder, mutilation, rape, genocide, terrorism, destruction and anarchy.

When Arabs, a collection of backward, nomadic warrior tribes who did not even have a fully developed scripted language, conquered sophisticated cultures such as Egypt, Syria, Persia, and the Byzantine Empire, they took control over some of the world’s largest centers of accumulated knowledge. To claim that there was an “Islamic Golden Age” is like saying a group of savages storming into the world’s largest libraries, murdering all the librarians, and then claiming to have written all the books there gives credit to this myth. Islam’s much-vaunted “Golden Age” was, in fact, just the twilight of conquered pre-Islamic cultures, an echo of times past. In all honesty, Islam’s trophy to human civilization is and always has been Islamic terrorism.

The prophet of Islam motivated his rapidly growing body of followers to rally around him by proclaiming: if they are victorious, they will have the treasures of the infidels as well as their women and children as slaves to hold or sell; if the faithful kill the infidels in doing the work of Allah, further reward awaits them in paradise; and, in the unlikely event that they are killed, they find themselves in Allah’s glorious paradise for an eternal life of joy and bliss.

The Persians underestimated the power and dedication of this newly formed Islamic ideology of hate and violence by the desert dwellers. An unexpected, unorthodox attack on the Persian army caused it to fall into the hands of the butchers of Islam. Eventually, the culture of death prevailed, and the era of Islamic terrorism began. Americans need to learn from the Persian experience and become more vigilant.

My fellow Americans, 1400 years later, a few Islamic terrorist States, flushed with petrodollars, are seeking and working hard for Islamic world domination through worldwide Islamic terrorism. They are determined to destroy everything America and the free world stand for and intend to replace it with the most barbaric ideology known as Sharia. Islam sees Christian America as a formidable enemy standing in its path of world domination. Hence, it has waged stealth jihad on Christian America. It is time to wake up and wake up fast.

In many surprising ways, America resembles the great ancient Persia. Like the ancient Persians, who were the first-world managers and the most tolerant empire-builders, America, by its constitution, is also the most tolerant and benevolent nation in the world. Let us hope that America’s destiny will not end up like Persia’s.

Regretfully, reading about the Islamic religiously mandated horrific acts and even seeing them on television or the Internet may momentarily repulse, but does not terribly concern many Americans. After all, those things still are happening on the other side of the world and away from their homes; we are safe in Fortress America, and so goes the thinking.

“Fortress America” is a delusion that even the events of 9/11 and the Maj. The Nidal Malik Hasan massacre seems to have failed to dispel. Many prefer to believe that the assault of 9/11 was an aberration since nothing like it has happened since, and it is unlikely that anything of the sort will ever happen again; so goes the wishful thinking. Reality portrays a vastly different picture. America is far from a fortress, given its vast, wide-open borders. It is a nation of laws where all forms of freedom are enshrined in its constitution, and Americans live by a humane ethos diametrically different from those of Islamist savageries. Sadly, these differences confer great advantages to the Islamists and place America in imminent danger.

The breach of “Fortress America” from the air on 9/11 is only the first installment of many more forthcoming heinous assaults, about which we have been repeatedly warned by Muslim thugs living in caves. Unless we abandon our way of thinking, we will suffer the consequences of a dangerous complacency. We need to stop relying on the invincibility of the law-enforcement people and willingly make the sacrifices that would protect our way of life.

I have never claimed that the reported 1.6 billion Muslims are all jihadists aiming to destroy civilization and establish Muhammad’s Ummah over all of us. I certainly know that the active jihadists are a small minority. Yet, it takes a blind eye to ignore militant minorities. Did Hitler become the Chancellor of Germany because he and his gang got the majority vote in Germany? More than 65% of Germans were not supporters of Hitler and his party and viewed the Nazis as louts and worthless. Yet, we all know what this little minority did while being ignored.

What about forest fires? You cannot ignore a little smoldering fire here, a little smoldering fire there because the rest of the forest is not on fire. Only a fool will ignore these fires because they will eventually devour the forest.

The recent migration of Muslims to non-Islamic lands began as a seemingly harmless, even useful, trickle of desirable, cheap, and needed labor. Before long, greater and greater numbers of Muslims deluged the new territories, and as they gained in numbers—by high birth rate as well as new arrivals—Muslims began reverting to their intolerant ways by, for instance, demanding legal status for Sharia (Islamic laws), the type of draconian laws that for the most part resemble those of man’s barbaric past.

Just a sobering note: mild Islamism is already here. As an example, there was the Muslim cab driver of the Minneapolis Airport and his refusal to ferry passengers with alcohol or even those with seeing-eye dogs; Muslim inmates demanding to be served only halal food, Kentucky Fried Chicken opens first halal restaurant in New York City, honor killing, Muslim students badgering universities for special facilities for their meetings, and, for the first time ever two Muslim Congressmen assuming the office by swearing on the Quran and not the Bible.

Islam need not even literally destroy the civilized world. All it needs is to gain enough power to impose its worse-than-death Sharia on everyone. If you are not up to speed with the horrors that Muslim governments and their jihadist foot soldiers commit daily, you need to open your eyes and deal with this deadly threat of Islam with much more realism.

Ignoring the smoldering fire and relying on a few local “firefighters” to keep the fires from spreading is either naive or outright criminal, but it is certainly the easiest thing to do. That’s why I have chosen to fight the fire, and I am calling for help to put out Islam, the source that raises arsonists — the minority that they may be. It takes one arsonist to set a fire that a thousand firefighters will have difficulty putting out. The few Muslims who are brave enough to advocate reform of their religion are tossed out of mosques or, very likely, labeled as apostates with a death warrant.

When our leaders, for instance, call Islam a great religion, they are appeasing, if not lying outright. We, the people, elect our leaders, holding them accountable to be honorable. When they use their voice to call Islam a great religion, the most deadly threat to everything we cherish, not only do they legitimize Islamofascism, but they also infuse the rest of us with a false belief.

While former President Obama glorified Islam, the barbarians have made it inside our fortress. They have infiltrated our system of government. This time around, the people of the sword have their collaborator, Useful Idiots, inside, busily doing all they can to dismantle our republic and replace it with worse death Islamic ideology by appeasing the enemy.

The post Night Cap: Will America Survive the Threat of Islam appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

I’m on Board With The Surgical Castration for Child Sex Offenders

Fri, 2024-06-28 00:00 +0000

Louisiana Governor Signs Bill Authorizing Surgical Castration for Child Sex Offenders. A court-appointed medical expert will need to determine whether the offender is ‘an appropriate candidate’ for surgical castration.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has signed into law a bill that would allow state judges to sentence those convicted of sex crimes against victims under the age of 13 to undergo surgical castration. Senate Bill 371, sponsored by state Sen. Regina Ashford Barrow, is expected to take effect on Aug. 1 following the Republican governor’s signature on June 18.

The law allows Louisiana judges to punish offenders aged 17 and older with surgical castration if they are convicted of aggravated sex crimes against a victim under the age of 13.

A court-appointed medical expert will need to determine whether the offender is ‘an appropriate candidate’ for surgical castration? You need to DETERMINE appropriateness??  Only two measures are needed: 1) Found guilty and 2) Something is dangling between his legs (euphemistically called “Peter and his baggage”). I am all on board with this. Given the crime, I can think of worse punishments, but this is appropriate.

ON point 1, “appropriate”…See, Simple. Uncomplicated. This is not rocket science or quantum mechanics. It should happen as soon as possible. Put the evidence/offending member into a jar of formaldehyde and give it to the molester as a souvenir. Or, with a straight face, tell him he just had half of his transgender “bottom surgery.” After all, isn’t that the new secular religion of the Left? Pushing transgenderism on everyone?

Seriously, decisions have consequences; they must have severe consequences for such an evil crime of molesting innocent children. I can’t believe this consequence can be ruled cruel or unusual. And for those that say otherwise, go and sacrifice your children to one of these monsters and then tell me, “Oh, perfectly fine with this.” Let us all see if you agree that pedophilia is just another form of natural sexuality, that “minor-attracted person” is a more “inclusive” term as if it was a normal part of Society. If you think so, let’s consider the same treatment for you as well.

The Left no longer believes that true evil exists (unless one is simply a political opponent that doesn’t hold to your beliefs”) and thus, must eradicate its usage – and the norms that used to protect the rest of us from this behavior. And they will insist that we all go along with their depravity.

However, I’m thinking not; I’m surprised that the set of normal people who went after that Ecuadorian illegal alien in NYC that raped a 13-year-old girl and RECORDED IT didn’t slice him up when they caught him (reformatted, emphasis mine):

An Ecuadorian illegal alien who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl in  at Kissena Park in Queens made his first appearance in a New York court Wednesday. Christian Geovanny Inga-Landi, 25, did not say anything during the court hearing. He was remanded and will be held in custody, according to local reports.

Inga-Landi was arrested on Tuesday after New York City locals helped track him down following the New York Police Department releasing images and a video of him.  A group tracked him down at a deli in Corona, where they proceeded to attack and detain him until police arrived, according to local media.

Police officials claimed Inga-Landi came into the country illegally and was apprehended by Customs and Border Patrol agents in Eagle Pass, Texas, in 2021. Inga-Landi is facing charges including rape, sex abuse, robbery, menacing, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child and possession of a weapon, and could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted. 

The Left’s “Defund the Police” has had its intended result – ordinary people now know that their Elites don’t care about them and have removed their governmental crime safety net from them – police. While the Elites seem to have expected plebes to just put up with crime and just “take it”, they also seem to be alarmed that Normal people are refusing to go along with their “social justice” – they ARE taking things into their own hands in their own version of “justice”.

The Left has no one to blame (but they won’t take ownership of it) but themselves for this. I’m just surprised that the ad-hoc vigilantes didn’t met out a more severe level of a beat-down. Or a “carve-out”, if you wish. After all, Inga-Landi held that poor girl at knife-point – the Louisiana solution would be a perfect “justice served.”

 

The post I’m on Board With The Surgical Castration for Child Sex Offenders appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Unhinged AOC Goes On A Screaming Tirade

Thu, 2024-06-27 22:00 +0000

What was it that Tucker Carlson said? The “Democrat” Party consists of weak men and angry women. Well … AOC is demonstrating the accuracy of Tucker’s assessment below.

The context is she is campaigning for the “Democrat” Congressman who pulled a fire alarm to try to prevent a vote … obstructing an official proceeding … and got the lightest of slaps on the wrist because the “justice system” in America is a JOKE.

And HERE is the Woke-Commie showing the voters her dance moves.

 

The post Unhinged AOC Goes On A Screaming Tirade appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Abortion, Abortion, Abortion

Thu, 2024-06-27 20:00 +0000

I see in the New Hampshire Journal that the NHGOP is going to waste donor money in six figures again. It is the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, which correctly abandoned Roe v. Wade and sent the abortion question back to the states. Massachusetts and Mississippi are always going to decide differently, and under federalism, that is okay.

So New Hampshire Democrats are going to hold rallies, and the NHGOP is going to spend money — before the rallies — and pat itself on the back for being proactive rather than reactive. Here is the result:

1. Democrats will lie that Republicans want to take away your rights.
2. Republicans will whine that, no, that’s not what we intend.
3. Whom you believe will depend on whom you tend to believe.
4. So, does nothing change? No: New Hampshire Republicans are talking abortion — an issue where we ALWAYS LOSE.

And dissing our own evangelical faction in the process.

We are once again letting the enemy choose the battlefield.

The decision to devolve abortion to the states is correct and wise. The United States has regional social differences and there is no need, nor Constitutional mandate, to use federal force to put the regions in lockstep. Donald Trump really did get this done by appointing principled federalists to the Supreme Court. Early in this year’s campaign, he turned aside social conservatives and said that Republicans would run on abortion being an issue for the states.

He is wiser than the rest of you. Persuasive Karoline Leavitt (and I am so glad she’s making a difference with Trump rather than sucking up to the Sununu GOP to try to get them to lift a finger for her next time) repeatedly asserted she was not going to try to enact her religious beliefs into law. Unfortunately, “I have strong beliefs but am so libertarian I will do nothing to advance them” did not work for Mitt Romney, who does not have strong beliefs; it was a tougher sell for Karoline, a Catholic to the marrow, and it is the single issue that torpedoed her 2022 campaign.

So, obviously, New Hampshire Democrats want to go to that well again—and New Hampshire Republicans are spending six figures to help them—while Pretty Kelly Ayotte is adamant that she is running for state office to do nothing about it, while challenger Chuck Morse will slap back and make deals as he always has.

I voted for Karen Testerman twice because she’s in politics because she believes in stuff. But Republicans lose when the question is whether we want to use GUNPOINT to make people live more Christian lives. It’s the same as Democrats using GUNPOINT to make people conserve water, stop using hydrocarbons, wear feedbags if there’s a cold going around, treat minorities better, and promote cross-dressing. Republicans win when the question is whether we want to STOP USING GUNPOINT to force people who think abortion is murder to pay for abortions for strangers. When Jeanne Shaheen keeps saying this endangers “access to health care,” we should take apart that dishonest spin with specifics.

In the meantime, the correct response to the claim that a Republican candidate wants to limit abortion is: “No! But tax cuts and deregulation will get you a better job and put more money in your pocket.” Do we have any candidates with that level of intellectual dexterity?

The post Abortion, Abortion, Abortion appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Is Tyler Cherry A Diversity Promotion Or A Joke

Thu, 2024-06-27 18:00 +0000

I do not want to write this article about the first impression I got when I saw a picture of Tyler Cherry, but it is hard not to. The White House is irate over the criticism of the current Interior Department assistant press secretary. Cherry is now associate communications director at the White House.

Cherry took action today to sterilize his online social fingerprint by deleting 2,496 tweets between Sunday night and Monday morning. Cherry’s actions were a good try, but his controversial tweets were out there for years. If any of them were damaging, they are already archived into people’s accounts who will use these radical tweets against the newly promoted staffer.

Biden is obviously rewarding this lifelong homosexual with a promotion during Pride Month to prove how WOKE he is. Still, you would think he would realize his most diverse administration has been an abject failure. In three-plus years, his staff may resemble the American quilt, but they have accomplished little and might as well be more like a comfort blanket. We have a perfect example of identity, or DEI hires, instead of choices made on meritocracy. Biden has satisfied a minute segment of his radical left, but as usual, he has done a disservice to the people of America. I am sure that Biden would have found thousands of qualified and competent applicants if he had searched for someone to fill this role without his preconceived requirements.

With Cherry, we have much more than a gay white man. We have someone who has views that are very dangerous for America and should have disqualified him from the job. Among the thousands of tweets he erased were some that showed his pure angst for the police, “Apt time to recall that the modern day police system is a direct evolution of slave patrols and lynch mobs.” “Abolish ICE,” and “Cheersing in bars to ending the occupation of Palestine no-hame and f-your glares.” He may have deleted these from X, but they will live on forever, as some of his followers shared them. Maybe he should have tried Hillary’s special bleach.

Cherry is much more than pro-Gaza. He is totally anti-Israel and has promoted “Russiagate”. He downplays these thousands of tweets as reflections of his beliefs when he was younger and does not mirror his current views. That line may work in Biden’s Human Resource Department, but not on the streets of America..These tweets are who Tyler Cherry is, and for the White House to be proud to have him on the staff is another indication the administration is not operating in our best interest but in satisfying those of every fringe group imaginable. Biden is getting redundant, though. We already have an incompetent gay, white male with Pete Buttigieg and a feckless gay black female with Karine Jean-Pierre. We didn’t need to check these boxes again. He could have done something different and unique and hired someone who could actually do the job.

The post Is Tyler Cherry A Diversity Promotion Or A Joke appeared first on Granite Grok.

Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

Boston Celtic Spirituality

Thu, 2024-06-27 16:00 +0000

A favorite travel terminal at Boston’s Logan Airport features numerous championship banners honoring Boston’s pro teams: Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox. Will a ceremony occur there when the Celtics’ 18th banner joins all the rest?

The afterglow from the Celtics’ recent NBA title triumph still lights our sports world. And it will for a while. One loves how a title team unites a community—regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or political persuasion.

So, what can one add to all that’s been written about 6/17’s record 18th Celtic championship?

How about a Sport-Thought re: the extraordinary spiritual/religious reflections expressed by so many of the C’s following their wonderful win?

Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla shared that his family’s post-championship travels will take them to the Holy Land—as opposed to Disney Land.

Mazzulla is a devout Catholic who claims his identity flows from his “purpose” and “faith.” He has a green and gold wooden rosary made from the Boston Garden’s original parquet floor.

Other Celtics like Jayson Tatum were prayerful following the victory.

“First of all, God is the greatest,” said Tatum, according to NBC sports. “Not because we won, but to put me into a position to maximize my God-given ability to surround me with these guys, my family. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Thirty-eight-year-old C’s forward Al Horford is a devout member of the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International. He wasn’t shy about showing his grateful side on national television minutes after the Celtics’ penultimate 106-88 win over the Dallas Mavericks, proclaiming “La Gloria a Dios” (The Glory of God) to countless millions. Faith and perseverance eventually rewarded the Dominican star with a title, ending the league’s longest active streak of career playoff games without a championship (186). Horford had certainly been otherwise blessed in many ways. (His wife, Amelia Vega, was Miss Universe 2003.)

Celtic star Jrue Holiday has a Bible passage tattooed on his left forearm from Philippians 4:6-7 about finding peace through faith in God.

Other Celtics like backup center Luke Kornet also draw strength, hope and inspiration from their beliefs. A devout Catholic, Kornet is a “Knight of Columbus” who attends Mass whenever he can. He’s proud of the perspective and balance his faith has provided him during his life journey.

And so it goes with all of the above as well as other Celtics like playoff MVP Jaylen Brown, who like Tatum and Horford, also referenced the Almighty while speaking to those untold millions around the world during the post-game interviews. The players’ auras and actions speak to teamwork, mutual support, and cooperation. The team transmitted the positive energy typically exuded by true people of faith—as opposed to the angry energy we so often see surrounding non-believing progressives.
There’s no shortage of unhappy folks who denounce and demean people of faith. Progressives cite the 1st Amendment while seeking to allow pornographic materials in school libraries while often quashing religious expression—even though the 1st Amendment expressly guarantees freedom of religious expression! Our society has evolved into a lesser, coarser place since I was a youngster when most folks went to church, and we actually prayed in public schools.
To be sure, religious communities do have their share of hypocrites and charlatans—which angry progressives love to point out. And Celtic spiritual energy didn’t keep the C’s from losing a Game 7 at home to Miami last year.
Still, the Celtic post-game religious “afterglow” was compelling and inspiring, at least to those willing to enjoy—if not embrace—it all. Will this new “Celtic Way” positively influence others in the future?

One wag suggested that the Detroit Pistons—who just finished 50 games behind the Celtics—hire a chaplain as an assistant coach.

Maybe Al Horford?

“La Gloria a Dios.”

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Categories: Blogs, New Hampshire

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