Backstage Pass

It’s not every day you get a backstage pass into someone else’s life—but that’s exactly what today felt like.

After Mary Price picked me up at the airport at "silly o'clock" last night, she somehow rallied to go teach this morning while I slept in and came to one of her classes after lunch. Getting to watch her in action with her students was such a treat—she has such a wonderful way with them, equal parts warmth, humor, rapport, and high expectations. 

Then, as if that weren’t enough, I got to see her shift gears and take charge of a middle school track meet after school. Clipboard in hand, moving a hundred things forward at once, empowering high school kids she's recruited to help run the show, cheering kids on—it was a whole second act.

She’s been at this school for 22 years and coaching track for nearly two decades, which explains a lot. The connection she has with her students isn’t something you can fake—it’s built over years of showing up, paying attention, and caring deeply. You can tell she’s beloved here.

Honestly, it made me choke up to see her so fully in her element—like getting to watch someone you love absolutely nail their role onstage, except the stage is a classroom and a track field, and the audience is a bunch of middle and high schoolers who clearly adore her. 💗