The Match Weekly Content

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 | Integrity

By Chad Thomas | January 29, 2026 |

Word: Integrity Sentence: Integrity is the safest value we have and the one that gets misused the most. Passage: He was a new student. Sixteen. Quiet.…

The Match | Threshold

By Chad Thomas | August 20, 2026 |

Word: Threshold Sentence: Every threshold is an invitation to enter differently than we arrived. Passage: When I first started teaching, I realized pretty quickly that many…

The Match | Inheritance

By Chad Thomas | August 13, 2026 |

Word: Inheritance Sentence: We do not choose everything we inherit, but we do choose what we carry forward. Passage: When I walked into my first principalship,…

The Match | Fire

By Chad Thomas | August 6, 2026 |

Word: Fire Sentence: Fire is the purpose that pulls us toward the people and places that need our care. Passage: I have always been someone who…

The Match | Why

By Chad Thomas | July 30, 2026 |

Word: Why Sentence: Your why may not protect you from the hard days, but it can still help carry you through them. Passage: One year ago,…

The Match | Crisis

By Chad Thomas | July 23, 2026 |

Word: Crisis Sentence: Every crisis asks the same question: What will this moment grow inside of you? Passage: In January of my first year as a…

The Match | Healing

By Chad Thomas | July 16, 2026 |

Word: Healing Sentence: Healing begins when we stop rushing past the hurt and give it somewhere honest to go. Passage: Healing is hard because it asks…

The Match | Grief

By Chad Thomas | July 9, 2026 |

Word: Grief Sentence: Grief is what we carry when something we loved can no longer stay the same. Passage: I did not have the language for…

The Match | Stewardship

By Chad Thomas | July 2, 2026 |

Word: Stewardship Sentence: Stewardship is caring for what has been entrusted to you and helping it move forward. Passage: I did not understand stewardship when I…

The Match | Restore

By Chad Thomas | June 25, 2026 |

Word: Restore Sentence: To restore something is to believe harm does not always get the final word. Passage: To restore is not the same as to…

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…

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…