The Match Weekly Content

The Match | Momentum

By Chad Thomas | April 9, 2026 |

Word: Momentum Sentence: Momentum starts when the vision becomes shared and belief starts to spread. Passage: By year five, I could feel something changing at the…

The Match | Forward

By Chad Thomas | April 2, 2026 |

Word: Forward Sentence: Sometimes the thing that moves us forward is not success, but what failure shows us. Passage: In my third year as principal, Mayor…

The Match | Values

By Chad Thomas | March 26, 2026 |

Word: Values Sentence: Values are what people carry with them after being with us. Passage: Recently, I ran into three former students, and each time I…

The Match | Enough

By Chad Thomas | March 19, 2026 |

Word: Enough Sentence: Enough is learning to trust your worth, honor your effort, and recognize when no more is required. Passage: I spent years asking if…

The Match | Ownership

By Chad Thomas | March 12, 2026 |

Word: Ownership Sentence: Ownership is the courage to say, “This part is mine.” Passage: Ownership sounds simple. In practice, it rarely is. It is hard to…

The Match | Progress

By Chad Thomas | March 5, 2026 |

Word: Progress Sentence: What used to knock you down can become the very place where progress takes root. Passage: Progress is hard to see in ourselves.…

The Match | Rhythm

By Chad Thomas | February 26, 2026 |

Word: Rhythm Sentence: Rhythm is knowing when to push, when to pause, and when to let time do its work. Passage: After leaving the principal role…

The Match | Humor

By Chad Thomas | February 19, 2026 |

Word: Humor Sentence: Humor keeps connection alive when the work gets heavy. Passage: When schools, organizations or companies are under pressure, humor is usually the first…

The Match | Agency

By Chad Thomas | February 12, 2026 |

Word: Agency Sentence: Agency is when people feel the power to shape what happens next. Passage: When I became a principal for the first time, I…

The Match | Loyalty

By Chad Thomas | February 5, 2026 |

Word: Loyalty Sentence: Loyalty is staying committed to the purpose, especially when the story gets messy. Passage: Most people think loyalty is allegiance to a person.…

The Match | Creativity

By Chad Thomas | June 18, 2026 |

Word: Creativity Sentence: Creativity refuses to let what is become the limit of what could be. Passage: Creativity is often treated like something extra. Something for…

The Match | Accountability

By Chad Thomas | June 11, 2026 |

Word: Accountability Sentence: Accountability begins when we give an honest account of the story we are living from. Passage: Accountability is one of those words that…

The Match | Responsibility

By Chad Thomas | June 4, 2026 |

Word: Responsibility Sentence: Responsibility begins the moment you realize what has been placed in your hands. Passage: A note before reading: This week’s passage includes gun…

The Match | Bittersweet

By Chad Thomas | May 28, 2026 |

Word: Bittersweet Sentence: Bittersweet is knowing it is time to go, even when part of you still wants to stay. Passage: Graduation has always carried a…

The Match | Hold

By Chad Thomas | May 21, 2026 |

Word: Hold Sentence: Hold is knowing that what matters most is meant to be carried with care, not clenched with fear. Passage: In our most stressful…

The Match | Identity

By Chad Thomas | May 14, 2026 |

Word: Identity Sentence: Identity gets lost when what we do becomes the only place we know to find our worth. Passage: I know what it feels…

The Match | Fear

By Chad Thomas | May 7, 2026 |

Word: Fear Sentence: We have all been more fearless than we have been afraid. Passage: We forget. For me, it started in the classroom. Standing in…

The Match | Tension

By Chad Thomas | April 30, 2026 |

Word: Tension Sentence: Tension is what we carry when two truths exist and neither lets go. Passage: This week held both joy and heartbreak. I ran…

The Match | Resonance

By Chad Thomas | April 23, 2026 |

Word: Resonance Sentence: Resonance is what remains when the role ends, but the meaning still rings true. Passage: Leaving the principalship was harder for me than…

The Match | Connection

By Chad Thomas | April 16, 2026 |

Word: Connection Sentence: Connection begins when we look past what is different and stay long enough to discover what is shared. Passage: Connection often comes easiest…

News/Media

Washington Post: A Chicago High School Helping Refugee Students Navigate American Life

By Chad Thomas | August 5, 2021 |

Roger C. Sullivan High School in Chicago serves as a historic…

Chicago Sun-Times Refugee Thanksgiving

By admin | November 6, 2019 |

At Sullivan High School, students from refugee and immigrant families…

Sullivan High Receives $25M Renovation

By admin | September 5, 2019 |

After years of planning, Sullivan High celebrated a $25 million…

K-12 Dive: Listening to and Caring for Staff

By admin | January 4, 2019 |

Sullivan High’s principal, Chad Thomas, emphasizes that building trust and…

Chalkbeat: Caring for His Teachers

By admin | January 2, 2019 |

Chad Adams‑Thomas, principal of Sullivan High School, made a personal…

Washington Post: A Chicago High School Helping Refugee Students Navigate American Life

By Chad Thomas | August 5, 2021 |

Roger C. Sullivan High School in Chicago serves as a historic…

Chicago Sun-Times Refugee Thanksgiving

By admin | November 6, 2019 |

At Sullivan High School, students from refugee and immigrant families…

Sullivan High Receives $25M Renovation

By admin | September 5, 2019 |

After years of planning, Sullivan High celebrated a $25 million…

K-12 Dive: Listening to and Caring for Staff

By admin | January 4, 2019 |

Sullivan High’s principal, Chad Thomas, emphasizes that building trust and…

Chalkbeat: Caring for His Teachers

By admin | January 2, 2019 |

Chad Adams‑Thomas, principal of Sullivan High School, made a personal…