Brothers with Opinions -B.W.O.
Four friends discussing Winchester, VA news and topics. Debating political issues, news, social injustice and anything that is up for debate in our world.
Brothers with Opinions -B.W.O.
From College Professor to Community Leader: BPG's Journey
Ever wonder what makes a community truly special? In this captivating conversation with Brian Pierce Gonzales (BPG), we discover the heart and soul of Winchester through the eyes of someone who chose to make it home 21 years ago.
BPG takes us on a journey from his role as a Shenandoah University professor to his position on the Winchester Public School Board and his recent mayoral campaign. With refreshing honesty, he shares why traditional education often fails students and how Winchester is breaking the mold with its Innovation Center. "Not everybody's meant to go to college," BPG explains as he describes how students are earning credentials in trades, nursing, and firefighting alongside traditional academics.
The conversation deepens when BPG addresses the challenge of teaching truth in classrooms, particularly regarding race and diversity. As Winchester ranks as the fourth most diverse school district in Virginia, he advocates for curriculum that reflects all students' experiences. "We have got to get to a place where we can teach these stories," he insists, recounting a powerful story about a student who questioned why their reading list featured only "dead white men."
Perhaps most compelling is BPG's perspective on how education refuses to evolve while everything else in society changes. "We don't order our food from McDonald's in 2025 the same way we did in the year 2000," he points out, challenging the resistance to educational innovation. His passion for community, particularly Winchester's North Side neighborhood, shines through as he describes the pride and tight-knit culture that makes the city unique.
Whether you're passionate about education, community development, or simply love hearing authentic stories about what makes a place special, this episode offers insight into how genuine connection and willingness to embrace change can transform both classrooms and communities. Follow BPG's journey and discover why Winchester has captured his heart and commitment for over two decades.
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Intro and Outro music credit to Wooka Da Don
I was ready, bro. It's a hindrance. Silence is cassette, so let your voices be heard. Man, we brothers with opinions, now we spreading the word, bringing light to the dark Revolution is our art man, a lot of people talk, but they ain't never walked apart.
Speaker 2:Gotta shine a light on poverty and fight against injustice and always speak the truth when the enemy's amongst us. What's?
Speaker 2:up ladies and gentlemen, I know y'all hear our man Wooka in the background, my man Wooka, from Brooklyn. He came to Winchester twice for the Hoops for Hope. You know he wasn't really ready to do it. Live in front of that many people, man, but shout out to my man for making our song for us back when we first started the podcast five years ago and we got a goodie for y'all tonight. Man, Every night is a goodie for y'all. Tonight, man, Every night is a goodie we got. But tonight should be very exciting. We got Mr BPG. You know he ran for mayor of Winchester last year and you know that community is still not ready for certain changes yet. It is what it is, it's the truth. It's a shame but it's the truth. But we got him on. He's on the Winchester Public School System Board board and he is a professor over there at shenandoah university. So y'all put your hands together and make a round of applause for the one and only bb. Y'all down with bpg.
Speaker 2:Yeah, y'all know me yeah, you know me, here we go there he is, ladies and gentlemen, the one and only bbg hey everybody, nice to meet you.
Speaker 4:What's? Up what's up? Happy to be here with y'all. Hey everybody nice to meet you.
Speaker 2:What's up, what's up? Happy to be here with y'all.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm glad to have you on, man. I appreciate you joining our platform and to give you one as well. So we get a whole bunch of views and subscribers after this show Because we got the man on tonight. We'll see, we'll see. So, brian, do you want to speak a little bit about yourself? Tell us a little bit about yourself and we'll get started.
Speaker 4:Yeah, sure, stop me if I'm talking too much, but my name is Brian Brian Pierce Gonzalez. When I came to Winchester, apg. When I came to Winchester 21 years ago at Shenandoah University, when they hired me there was a lot of Bryans and so everybody started going by their last name, except a friend of mine started using my initials and started calling me BPG and it just stuck. So that's how.
Speaker 4:That's how I got that nickname but, no, I didn't really have a hometown growing up, so I can't tell you where I'm from necessarily. I lived in a lot of places. My dad was in the Navy, so when I landed in Winchester, virginia, in 2005, I had no idea I would be here for 21 years. But now I'm still here. I love this town, I love this community, I love the people, I love the neighborhoods, I love the passion, I love the identity that comes with the city of Winchester and I wanted to get involved and serve my community and help make it a thriving place for everybody.
Speaker 4:So that's how I got involved in public service. I'm still teaching at Shenandoah University. We just started our fall semester so shout out to any of my students who might be watching and the school year just started. As you guys mentioned, I serve on the Winchester Public School Board. I'm honored to do that work looking out for students, looking out for teachers and just trying to make our schools as best as can be. You know I'm representing my Hanley t-shirt with you guys.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:I hope that's enough. We speak about. Hanley a lot on the show and we have a lot of guests. Of course that went to Hanley, because we both did, of course. No, that's dope man. I love your energy, I love what you're about. Man, it doesn't matter where you're from, it's where you're at, you know. That's right, I mean. I'll never forget my home, which is why I love Winchester so much. But it's. I'm at right now. At the end of the day, you guys can't save me if I need something in two minutes.
Speaker 4:True, true true, I've got to mention.
Speaker 2:You can't show up for me.
Speaker 3:Chris gets hyped Brian, as you can see.
Speaker 2:North Lowndes or Kent real quick. That's right, I love that you've adapted and the community has taken well to you too. Well, thank you. I appreciate that 've adapted and the community is taking well to you too.
Speaker 4:Well, thank you I appreciate that and, honestly, you know, when I first learned about you, chris, because you were gone by the time I got here I actually left just before you moved here.
Speaker 2:I left in October 2003.
Speaker 4:Okay, so, yeah, so like two years before I got here. You left, but you come back, and when I learned who you were and what you were about, to me you're one of the best ambassadors for Winchester City. It's a place that doesn't leave you. I hope to die here and be buried here one day, but if my life takes a different path and I do have to leave Winchester City, it's going to be that place. For me too, it's going to be the place I take with me. It's a special place and and I hope everybody out there listening that that calls this place home. I hope you really understand how special Winchester is.
Speaker 3:Right, right. Yeah, I totally agree with you.
Speaker 2:No matter where I've gone, there's been times when I couldn't get back to Winchester too often and I felt weird about it. But you adapt where you go to. But there's always a saying and it's true for me like there is no place like home.
Speaker 3:Home is where the heart is For me.
Speaker 2:I grew up there as an elementary kid, before even elementary, pre-kindergarten, all the way through high school, and then I came back for two and a half years during my college years. So I'm kind of becoming a little kid all the way to a man, a young, a young adult. That's all I know. So that's so many memories, so much love, and they showed me how to become somebody. So, absolutely, I always got to show a love, man, but not. I'm proud of you, man. Great to have you on, tony, and I've been talking about having you on for a while, man, and Like a year, hey, man.
Speaker 4:I'm born. I'm sitting at home most nights. If y'all need a guest, just call me up, send me the link, I'll hop back on.
Speaker 2:Funny thing is, we'll talk to you as soon as this episode's over. We'll dive in.
Speaker 3:We'll start with you being a college professor. I got a few questions for that. You know you do different things.
Speaker 2:To be honest, Tony, you didn't know he was a professor, right.
Speaker 3:Hey, I can't even remember. I just knew he was on the school board.
Speaker 4:Tony knows me from basketball.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I just coached his son it brings me to something.
Speaker 2:Tony, you don't ask questions, you don't get into people's personal businesses in there, but as adults, when Drake said, no new friends, that's the reason, because people just don't talk and ask things anymore yeah, yeah, right, but you guys got to do more of that than just people in general. It's not being nosy, it's like yo, I genuinely care.
Speaker 3:I don't know that's how I feel I feel, not being nosy. It's like yo, I genuinely care, like what the hell do you think I don't know that's how I feel. I feel like being nosy in a way, like certain things. I don't know, that's just me.
Speaker 4:I'm an open book, like I told y'all before you can ask me.
Speaker 4:Whatever, I'll let you know, right, but we'll start. Like you say, you came to Winchester. Most important qualities for being a college professor. To you, that's a great question and and I can only speak to my experience about I have found success being a professor, a college professor, at Shenandoah university, and and what has worked for me may not work for for somebody else, but I'll tell you what has worked for me is, um I I try and I think I'm I'm very good at connecting with my students and and like chris was just saying, like talking to them, learning about where they're coming from, where they're trying to go, um, opening my world up a little bit to them so that they see, um, you know I have a story myself. Um, I invite them over to my house sometimes not all the time, uh, and not every class, but some of my classes.
Speaker 4:I bring them over to my house and I invite my mom over, because my mom is a hell of a cook and she'll come over and she'll make lunch. She'll make Mexican food for, for, uh, for my classes. Um, that's what I try to do as a professor. Listen, you know, especially in 2025, these, these, these young people, they can, they can hop on the internet and take a class, right.
Speaker 4:You know, what I'm saying they don't need, uh, they don't. I don't want to sell myself short. What I'm trying to say is like they could get knowledge and they could get an education in many different ways, but they can only get me at Shenandoah University, and so I try to give them me right, I try to teach them.
Speaker 2:That's how it should be. That's dope.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I try to give them the knowledge, I try to teach them, I try to engage with them and I try to show them who I am and what's important to me, and that has, that has given me great success. I love Listen. I could never do anything else, probably like you guys too, like I'm not built for being in an office or a cubicle and sitting at a desk, for you know, all day, every day, and sitting at a desk, for you know, all day every day it would drive me crazy.
Speaker 4:I tried to do that one summer when I was in college and I told my mom I was like mom, this, this, because it was at her bank, and I was like I love you, mom, but we cannot. This is not going to happen again.
Speaker 3:Right yeah. I did that for about five years. Yeah, like I'm, like I to be moving around, exactly, I just can't sit there all day.
Speaker 4:Moving around talking to people cracking jokes. That's me.
Speaker 2:You seem like you're probably really good at also placing yourself in the shoes of those young adults. Yes, yes, no, you got to understand we all come from different walks of life, life, but you can kind of understand that you you reflect back to those times when, like all right, let me think of how I was when I was 18, 19, 20 years young.
Speaker 2:That's right you know and honestly I have like that's hard for me to work on is understand, like, look, how was I when I was that age and when the people that work with me? Sometimes that's something I have to stand back a little further away and look at like all all right, look, don't get upset or don't feel a certain way this way, they're 20 years younger, that's right.
Speaker 4:No, I start every semester. Every time I get a brand new class. We spend the first day having that talk and I tell them listen, guys, I got a life outside of the four walls of this classroom. I've got a wife, I got three kids, I've got my in-laws, I've got a dog. I've got my own hobbies and my own passions. I want y'all to understand that. I understand that y'all have that too. You have a life outside of this classroom that I don't know anything about. I am not here to complicate that life. I'm here because you chose to come and receive an education. I'm here to provide that education and receive an education. I'm here to provide that education. And I always tell them don't get mad at me If you're having a bad day. I get it. We all have bad days. I said, but don't bring that hate to me, because I'm just here doing my job.
Speaker 4:Don't bring me that negative energy just because I'm here doing my job, and they respond really well to that If you acknowledge that they've got other stuff going on. Uh, they appreciate that.
Speaker 3:so right, right yeah, man, I agree. So what, what is the most rewarding thing about being a college professor? And you probably already asked pretty much uh there's two things I'll tell.
Speaker 4:I'll be honest with you. One is I don't have. I have a boss, right Like, like you know, the dean of my college is somebody who I quote unquote answer to. And then, of course, you know, tracy Fitzsimmons is the president of Shenandoah University and if she's got a problem with what I'm doing, I have to answer to her. Right, right, right. But really there's nobody looking over my shoulder to see what I'm doing and to micromanage me and to make sure I'm doing what I'm doing. I just put my head down and I do the work and I engage with the students and and usually I'm pretty successful at it, and so that, honestly, is one of my favorite things about being a professor, one of the biggest pluses to being a professor. But another is just meeting these young people who have so much energy and it keeps you young, man. If you start feeling old, you start hanging out with a bunch of young people, and I'm privileged that I get to do that almost every day of my life.
Speaker 4:Today, two former students who now are probably 26, 27 years old. They were best friends while they were studying at Shenandoah University. They were students of mine, and last week they emailed me. They said hey, we're coming back into town, can we go grab a cup of coffee? And I sat there and we sat there talking for probably about an hour and a half.
Speaker 4:And I sat there and we sat there talking for probably about an hour and a half and the time flew by like this we were just talking about, you know, their time when they were students and then what they're doing now. One of them has children, one of them is married. So we were just talking about all that and the time flew by and at the end of it I was like man, I wish I could sit here and talk to you all longer, but I had another meeting I had to run to. And so that's what I love about being a professor you get to have these relationships with very intelligent young people who you really, you make these genuine connections with them, and then you know they've been graduating now five, six years. They did not have to come back and meet with me, but they chose to.
Speaker 2:And so they have a lot of different professors, but there's a reason they chose you well yeah, well, that shows you made an impact on their life, right?
Speaker 2:I wanted to say real quick is the rewarding part, I would think probably in anybody. But for you it speaks for itself, as I guess, seeing the success of those young students. But you help shape and mold them and whichever field you're dealing with them, and on top of that you have more of a connection because you care. So it's more than just in the classroom that they take away those values and the things that they learn from you.
Speaker 4:Absolutely, I believe that. But you know what I mean. We know.
Speaker 2:Like you said, you have a life outside of these four walls too so why? But you were able to connect with that 100.
Speaker 4:I believe they see me as a professor, obviously, but I but I believe they see me now like as a friend. You know, somebody they can sit down and just have a chat with.
Speaker 2:So yeah, like a regular peer that's right, that's all.
Speaker 2:You might have more respect for you and understand you.
Speaker 2:You know, because you're their elder, they looking at you like, look, that could be my brother or you know whatever else, because you keep it real, like that, and I think that's important. And wherever I work, some other people on my level, as far as managerial levels some of them feel a certain way and I think it's because and I don't need everybody to love me or like me I understand You're doing something wrong if that's the case, but in general, most people fuck with me and they gravitate towards me and they want to know how I'm doing down the road and come back and hang out, like you said, have a drink, because you're able to connect with people and I think that's so important. So I think that's dope that you do that at Shenandoah and just for people in general, so I can see you being very successful, like you don't need somebody to micromanage you and that's annoying in itself, but you also you want to be seen. But I think your work is speaking for itself, what you're doing and impacting for those young people.
Speaker 1:I can appreciate that.
Speaker 4:I see it in you, man, like really, and I'm living the dream Like they pay me to do this. You know what I'm saying. It's not lost on me that I'm able to put food on a table and a roof over the head of my kids because of the relationships that I'm having with the students at Shenandoah. So, yeah, I'm, I'm super, super.
Speaker 2:Is it still true to this day that if Jack wanted to, he could go play at Shenandoah for free, because you're you're a teacher there, right, so he could go for free If they accept him.
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah, yeah, he's got to have the grades. I know.
Speaker 2:He's probably like I'm going bigger than that Dad. But in general. That's cool. They still do that for people that work there, Because I know you can be a janitor there, but your kids can still go for free, that's right, absolutely the person in the cafeteria you said 2005 was james james davis, still the president there when you came.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I lived. I lived with him for nine months, did you really? When I was in fourth grade. He lived right beside john kerr elementary school, behind hanley, on the top of jefferson. I lived there for nine months. I was. I was in fourth grade, I was little, I was wild. The mother couldn't. I was really bad. So I went from the evans home there and then I moved back into the Evans home, but I stayed with Dr Davis for nine months and he's the reason I learned how to water ski, jet ski. I've had Christmases that I've never dreamed of before. Yeah, from him and his family. That's amazing man, I had no idea.
Speaker 4:That's Winchester, that's Winchester to me.
Speaker 2:You see that connection he has a building over there now named after him and stuff on the campus.
Speaker 1:Yes, he does.
Speaker 2:But I was there when it was still like a conservatory. It was just like music and drama. The basketball gym was really little, all kinds of stuff, but no, that's awesome. So he helped hire you or was running things when you were there, right?
Speaker 4:He was running things when I was there. I things when I was there, I think the first two years I was there.
Speaker 2:That means probably around 2007 is when he retired, and then Tracy took over.
Speaker 4:They hired Tracy.
Speaker 2:That's still another connection though.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, that's amazing. That's what this community is. That's great. I love that story. I had no idea he's down in Rona Smith Mountain.
Speaker 2:Lake. They moved to Florida for a while but now he and his wife are in Smith Mountain Lake. They moved to Florida for a while, but now he and his wife are at Smith Mountain Lake because you know he's health-wise and not doing so well, and be close to the family when you're on your end times.
Speaker 4:Yeah, of course, Of course.
Speaker 2:But yeah, he was super impactful in my life, man, so that's what I'm saying. That's awesome to know that you're over there impacting young people's lives too. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yep, hey, if you want to talk to the coaches to get Christian and Jack over there.
Speaker 4:Hey, Coach Doyle would be. He'd be doing backflips with Christian and Jack.
Speaker 2:Yeah, see, Tony, it's still Coach Doyle.
Speaker 3:Christian's already working with the coach, has he? Yeah, the assistant coach. I can't remember his name right now, but hey, my dad was an alum at SU. He graduated from SU. Oh dang, I can't remember his name right now.
Speaker 4:But hey, my dad was an alum at SU. He graduated from SU. Oh dang, I didn't know that. Yeah.
Speaker 3:Oh, that was early 90s. Yeah, they weren't at SU yet. Yeah, yeah, yeah, they were just. Yeah, they were real small, just the main floor. Oh yeah, nothing like it is now.
Speaker 4:Dude, I've been there for 21 years and it's like double the size when I got there, oh my God, it's double, triple, the size they bought everything except for the Civics.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 4:No, they don't own that. That's technically the city parks.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's Russ Potts, it's the.
Speaker 4:Russ Potts Civics yeah. Yeah, yeah, did you see, chris, they just replaced the back doors.
Speaker 2:I saw some of it when we were little. We played there every day, all day, and until you were really good you couldn't play on the middle court Like it used to be, like our rucker. Right, and that's why it was awesome to do an event I did a few years ago and had everybody come back man. But yeah, shenandoah, like they went across the highway and everything.
Speaker 3:Back in the day I'm telling you, it was four and five buildings, a couple dorms and that was it. Wow, yeah, that was it. That was it. So shifting gears kind of we'll speak on the school board, okay, being on, you know the winchester school board so I might be talking too much fellas oh, you're good, chris. Hey, that's just what you do, man. You're excited. Yeah, man, we always love her and we always love your energy it gets you sophisticated.
Speaker 2:You got to give what you want.
Speaker 3:BPG. We'll call you that. What do you believe our schools should be accomplishing, or what are your three overall educational priorities?
Speaker 4:Wow, those are great questions. What should our schools be accomplishing? That's not a hard question to answer. We need to be teaching the students. The students need to be learning. We just Did a review, so Monday was the last school board meeting. So three nights ago, four nights ago, whatever, that was who's? The superintendent now Jason Van Heukelem.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you know Jason. No, I don't. I was just curious what their name were. Yeah, okay.
Speaker 4:So we just reviewed all the standardized test score data and we can talk about standardized tests and how awful they are. But man, we are looking good. We have what we call a scorecard.
Speaker 2:So it shows how we stack up against the state of Virginia.
Speaker 4:And then it shows how we stack up against similar school districts like Harrisonburg City, roanoke City, charlottesville, lynchburg, manassas, manassas Park and there's one or two more in there. They can't compete with Winchester. No man. We're blowing most of these school districts out of the water with with what our students are able to do they need so. To answer your question, tony, they need to be learning and I'm super proud. I guess one of the most proud things that gives me the most pride about Winchester Public Schools is what we're doing over there at the Innovation Center.
Speaker 3:I was going to say that.
Speaker 4:It's amazing, man. Every time I go into that building and I see these students like me right, I don't have somebody peeking over my shoulder and micromanaging me. You have students in the hallways, in groups, in the cafe, out on the balcony, and they are in these small groups. They're working and they're learning on their own time, at their own pace. You know they're given these projects and they are supposed to figure out how to complete these projects with each other and it's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And they're making documentaries about the Innovation Center.
Speaker 3:Yeah, because something's coming out. Yeah, a documentary. Yeah, I wish I had.
Speaker 4:It's maybe September 30th Don't quote me on that date but they're going to screen it over at Hanley in the Patsy Cline Theater and it's free, open to the community, to come check out the documentary. I mean, the word is out every, you know, probably every week they are hosting groups over there who have heard about what we're trying to do in the Innovation Center and they come from all over the country to visit little old Winchester, Virginia, and to see what Hanley High School is doing up on the hill in that Innovation Center. So yeah, I'm super proud about that.
Speaker 3:And I'm glad you broke, because that was the first thing I was waiting for you to say because it is amazing, because we got kids who go there. And when Quincy started as a freshman, because when did Innovation Center come? It was around like five, six years ago, something like that, probably five, yeah. So he's coming home like I'm doing welding and this and that, like it's amazing because they're learning trades. I mean nursing firefighter, they're learning these things. It's amazing.
Speaker 4:They're learning these things, firefighter. It's amazing they're learning these things and we have partnerships with um. You know, sometimes it's businesses, sometimes it's, you know, with the fire department or or what have you. And uh, so when they complete courses at the innovation center, many times they're getting a credential, they're getting a certificate or something, so that when they graduate in 12th grade, not everybody's meant to go to college, you know some of these students.
Speaker 4:They graduate in 12th grade and then they've got the certificate, they've got this credential and they can start working immediately and providing for themselves. We had a young man I can't remember if it was last year or the year before and his story was you know, academics. He just didn't, that wasn't his thing to sit in a room to read a book and learn and take tests and all that kind of stuff. And a lot of people kind of wrote him off like, well, this kid just doesn't have it, he just doesn't want to be here, he hates school, he's a troublemaker.
Speaker 4:Right Well once he started taking the firefighting class, the EMT class, he did a complete 180 and he started caring and it mattered to him and he started excelling. I think he was the best student we had in that firefighter class that year. And the school board went for a visit and they brought him out you know what I mean to talk to us and to tell us what it meant to be taking this class. And if you think about that, when officials usually go into schools, they usually bring out the A plus students to come talk to. Right, this was a kid who was struggling, who didn't have a passion about anything that was going on inside the building until he took this firefighter class. And, man, I tell you, that's what I'm most proud of.
Speaker 4:We are not just, um, uh, meeting the needs of our students who are going to go to college. Cause we meet those needs. We, y'all know this. We're sending students to Harvard, we are sending students to Yale, we are sending students to Penn, we are sending students to UVA, to Duke, um, to, to. We are sending students to Shenandoah. If, if, if you want to go to college, hanley is going to take real good care of you and they're going to get you there, but if you don't want to go to college, we're also going to going to take care of those students and that that, to me is, is super important, and whenever my time on the board is up, I hope whoever comes behind me and continues this work, I hope they really keep that. You know, focus, because that's something that I'm scared If you don't water it every day, if you don't nurture it and take care of that piece of it, you could lose it really easily, Because a lot of people just think oh, you're in high school, what college are you going to?
Speaker 4:No, it's not about that. Maybe they want to enlist in the military. We're taking care of those kids too. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like I said, I can't say enough about it either Because, like you say, college is not for everybody. I mean, I've known plenty of intelligent, intellectual people, which is they can't sit in the class, they hate it. It's great because everybody forgets about trades and we're always going to need that, and they can make money oh, absolutely Big money. One of my best friends in the whole world.
Speaker 4:he actually dropped out of school when we were in high school. He eventually got his GED many years later, but he became a plumber. His dad was a plumber, so he started apprenticing under his father and became like this awesome plumber. Even to this day, if something goes wrong in my house with the plumbing, I'm on the phone with my brother from back in high school. I'm like hey man, this is what's going on and he walks me through it. And this dude makes a lot of money, right.
Speaker 1:Now he owns the company.
Speaker 4:So he's making bank and I'm super proud of him. And there's more than one pathway in life right Look at the three of us.
Speaker 2:We do very different things in different places. There's more than one way to live this life. Yeah, and I'm one of the most successful people in life did not finish high school.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, very, very true, and I wanted to ask you two things, because you know me and tony always talk about questions we have for you and things. But I'm glad that you're on as far as this aspect too, because on the public school system board, I want to know how you feel about the general curriculum and do you guys ever discuss the truth that we were all lied to and should? Should there be any kind of way that you guys are trying to change certain aspects of how kids are taught when we're not told the whole truths of everything, especially like, I guess, history?
Speaker 2:okay, yeah, I was gonna say yeah, like what we're not told a lot about a lot, especially if you're not white.
Speaker 2:Yeah, like real well, not out, you know, not hating, I'm half white, I don't care about any of that. The truth is the truth. We're not told so much of the truths in school and now that we were allowed, our teachers were allowed to like. I can't blame our parents or teachers if they were allowed to too, but now that we're, we know everything. We have so much information. Like you're saying, social media technology has changed. How do you guys, do you guys ever discuss any of that?
Speaker 4:oh, absolutely, we just um. So. So hanley, like in the last five years, has sponsored a black student union Right and has developed a curriculum for an African-American history class. So the history department now teaches a course on African-American history. They also teach a course on Latin American history which was not being taught before. But yeah, we do talk about that and we do talk about how diverse Winchester City is. There was a stat that was given to us years ago, but I think it's still true. In the Commonwealth of Virginia we're the fourth most diverse school district. I think number one is Virginia Beach. It's like Virginia Beach or Richmond, they're one and two, and then it's Fairfax and then it's little old. Winchester City is number four in terms of diversity of their students, and so, yes, we need to be teaching, you know, black kids, black history and Latin kids to learn the other truths of those others too.
Speaker 1:When it comes to this country.
Speaker 2:I don't want to get into everything, but I'm definitely pro-Palestine, I'm pro-humanity. It irks me and hurts my soul what's happening, but I think nobody's told the truth, so people don't know. We're molded in ways we've been taught and trained, but most of it was lies. They don't teach us half the truths and the truth is this whole country was formed off of genocide.
Speaker 4:Chris, you sound a lot like me because I happen to be mixed as well.
Speaker 2:We're not told man. It hurts my feelings and my soul that nobody wants to really speak about it.
Speaker 4:Right. Speaking for myself personally, being of mixed culture, mixed race, mixed language, I speak about this stuff very bluntly because I'm both things. So I'm not critiquing anybody, I'm not hating on anybody, I'm all of that. So I agree with you 100%, I guess. To answer your question, let me tell you a story. This was probably three years ago, so about a year, two years before I ran for mayor.
Speaker 2:I love the way I do. Ladies and gentlemen, this young man ran for mayor.
Speaker 4:So a couple of years ago the superintendent calls me and he says, hey, are you busy right now? And I said, no, I'm free. I think it was over the summer. No, it wasn't over the summer, it was during the school year. And I said, no, I'm free, what's up? He says, if you can make it down to um, to the Douglas school, which is where we have our central office, he said I got some, some leaders, uh, from the NAACP here, um, and, and they want, they'd like to bring up an issue. So I went down there as quickly as I could and I met with Dr Coates and Miss Gwen, sheriff Sales' mother, and at that point they were serving in the NAACP in some leadership capacity.
Speaker 4:And so I sat down in the office and we started talking and they told me a story about how, in one of the English classes that was about literature, a black student, an African-American student, noticed that in the list of the authors that they were reading it was all dead white men. And this student brought brought the question to the teacher in the classroom and said why is this? All white people Like? I don't see any black people. Why aren't we reading? You know, toni Morrison, why aren't we reading? You know, rudolfo, Anaya, there's all these other stories and authors that we could be reading. And the teacher felt I guess I don't want to put words into this teacher's mouth or anything. But the teacher kind of backed down a little bit and said I'm just too like, that's not my cultural experience, so I'm scared to teach. It essentially was the answer. And these two elders in the Black community, they were not happy with this and I was not happy with this and I was not happy with this. When they told me this story, I was like my God, it's 2023 or whatever it was.
Speaker 4:Back then I said we have got to get to a place where we can teach these stories. We have got to get to a place where we can have these conversations and we can teach these stories To your point, chris, teach black stories to non-black kids and teach Latin stories to non-Latin kids and all the way around. And I said I told them. I said it seems to me that this teacher missed a huge learning opportunity, a huge opportunity to teach right here, because you don't even have to change what you're doing If you're that teacher and a black student comes to you and says change what you're doing.
Speaker 4:If you're that teacher and a black student comes to you and says I don't see any black authors on this list, you could have a classroom discussion about why that might be right and and people, you have to be delicate with it. You have to be delicate with it. But that's what we need to be doing as teachers, right, opening our hearts up, opening opening our ourselves up to our students and saying listen, I made a mistake and this is the reading list that I created. Now, who can tell me what's missing from this reading list? And you would get buy-in from students.
Speaker 4:I think like that, if you were that real with them inside of the classroom, if you taught them the stuff to your point, chris, that people are not teaching them. If you take a moment and just acknowledge that and be like yep, I messed up. Listen, I didn't include any non-white people on this list. What does that say about the state of you know literature? What does that say about publishing houses, for example? Because you can, you can say it's, it's a, it's a corporate thing. If, if the publishing houses aren't publishing and marketing these stories, I didn't know about them, for example, this teacher might say I didn't know about them.
Speaker 4:And have a real good conversation about that. I think the students would have left that classroom with mad respect for that teacher for going there and for being vulnerable for going there and admitting. Yeah, there's some gaps on this reading list that we need to address, but sometimes teachers are so scared, they're scared of the parents. Oh my God, I better say the right thing.
Speaker 3:That's what I was going to get at them being and plus, they're just you guys, not saying you, but most of them are just following what they're given right, a certain curriculum, and they just stick to it.
Speaker 4:Well, and that's the problem with the standardized testing right, we know what's going to show up on the test. And then you get teachers who teach to the test, and we know that that is not good. It's not good for the teachers, it's not good for the students, it's not good for learning. I don't know why we do it. One day you know hopefully I said this at the school board meeting the other, the other day show me they created show.
Speaker 4:Right, I said show me the school board meeting the other day. It's the system they created. Right, I said show me the political candidate running for governor. Show me the candidate running for governor that stands up and says we need to do away with standardized testing in our high schools in the state of Virginia. Boom, you got my vote, because we all know it's not working, but nobody's doing anything about it. Most, testing.
Speaker 2:Besides, math is like memory Exactly yeah, just memorizing. So how are you going to say some kids are great, like I have an actual great memory, but I just didn't like the SAT because I was better in English than math but I did better on math than English in the SAT because it was like what is a computer and I'm like what I was like that is nothing about. I can read it, I can understand what the words are, but I'm like they confuse me. Those tests are weird, yeah yeah.
Speaker 4:And it's so funny because, just like you said, memory is one thing, learning is something entirely different. So I teach college. Sometimes I get students coming in my college classroom and they're with me for a couple of weeks. They're with me for a couple of months and then they come up to me and they complain, right, because I tell you if you've got to complain, if you've got to complain, let me know, so they'll come up to me.
Speaker 4:Dr PG, I don't, I don't, I don't like this class, the way that you're teaching. We're not taking tests, you're not making us remember anything. All we're doing is talking in class. And so I go, somebody has really brainwashed you to believe that learning is passing a test. No, learning, especially the material that I teach, because I'm not a math professor, I'm not a science professor. We do stories, I teach them about culture and stuff.
Speaker 4:And I said what we're doing in class is exactly what I want you to be doing and learning how to do, which is look at this issue and look at it from this perspective, but also's what we do in class. And then the student stops and thinks it's like oh okay, I see what you're doing. I said that's going to stay with you for the rest of your life the ability to look at an issue from multiple perspectives. That's going to do real well for you in life. If I just gave you a test on the names of books and the names of authors, and when an author died and when a book came out, what are you going to do with that 20 years from now? Right, but if I can get you to, think I thought the same thing in school.
Speaker 2:Exactly. That's why you can cheat off other people when you're like on your way to class what you got, all right, Let me remember, at least in our day, you just need to remember to pass the test, but you didn't learn one thing.
Speaker 4:That's right when.
Speaker 2:I read books in school that I didn't care about. I read all the words, but my mind was somewhere else. Yep. And that's why, when they allowed us to go to the library and find a book we wanted to do or this, and that it intrigued me, because now it was something I was interested in, that's right.
Speaker 3:That's what I was going to say. It's like people you got to find what. And BPG, you said this earlier it's like you got to find what people. You're interested in these kids, because a lot of kids, and that's what's so great about the intervention center. You know having that, so that's the.
Speaker 4:Thing.
Speaker 3:It's like if you're interested, then you're going to lock into it.
Speaker 2:Tony, it's an even bigger picture, which is why I ain't going to lie. We could go for days. Most kids should not be locked up in a classroom.
Speaker 3:Their mind isn't doing anything but seeing what's on those walls.
Speaker 2:We're going to get deep now but. I'm curious. They should be trying to figure out what they really want and what they like and what they're interested in.
Speaker 4:So one of our elementary schools, Chris.
Speaker 2:Because he had nothing about that. But once he got the opportunity he grasped onto it and really took it. That's right. When you're stuck in a classroom and everybody's learning the exact same thing or being taught the same thing, that means we're all supposed to be the same. That's the brainwashing of it.
Speaker 4:And unfortunately you're mandated by the federal Department of Education many times, or the state level department of education into okay, it's fourth grade, so you got to teach this.
Speaker 2:It's eighth grade, you got to teach this. It's 10th grade, you got to teach this. And so at the K-12-. If you don't know that by now, you're considered dumb. That's right.
Speaker 4:That's right and that's the system that needs to change. Because once you get to college, you get professors like me and I go no, we're not going to do tests, we're going to talk and I might give you a reflection writing assignment. I'm not grading you on your writing, I don't care if it's a run-on sentence, I'm grading you on your ideas.
Speaker 4:And some students they've been brought up in that system where it's like test, test, test, test. I got to get an A, I got to get 100% on the test, and then they come to my class and like dr pg, I don't, I don't know if I like this, because I don't. I need to be taking a test. I need you to tell me that I'm learning and I'm like. I'm like, no, you need to switch it right. I shouldn't tell you that you're you're learning. You should show me that you're learning. And some students it takes them a little bit to understand that because they've been in that system for so long and it's brainwashed them to believe that that's what learning is and that's not what learning is.
Speaker 2:In my opinion, and I also think in high- school going back to winchester tony for you, because your son's a senior and you have a kid. That's in what third grade now? If they were taught that no matter what their color, race, religion and stuff is right, they were taught the truth at a young age instead of being brainwashed or just told what the victors want to tell, I think that there would be way less racism. They'd be better understanding for each other. 100%.
Speaker 3:I totally agree. We'll bring up Clarence Smith.
Speaker 2:We need people like PPG that might be able to make those differences one day. I would talk to Carl about it too. Anybody up Clarence Smith.
Speaker 3:We need people like BPG that might be able to make those differences one day. I'm not talking Carl Bala or anybody. Remember Clarence Smith was teaching a black history class.
Speaker 2:I was going to tell BB to try to steal him away from Sharando, because he's a Hanley kid anyway, carl who?
Speaker 3:Clarence Smith.
Speaker 4:No, we got Clarence.
Speaker 3:He's at WPS yeah he's at Daniel Morgan now, correct I?
Speaker 4:think so. Yeah, I just saw him last week.
Speaker 2:He is, he's going to be a great professor, teacher for those students, nice oh 100%.
Speaker 4:No, I'm a big. Clarence fan. He'll keep it real. Yep, I'm a big Clarence fan.
Speaker 3:And that just leads to like our. So you know we were talking about curriculum. Or like teachers pressured, I guess, to teach certain curriculum. Or did like clary, you know he did his own thing, basically like a black history class to follow us, and yeah, that's what I'm getting at like did he have the freedom, or do teachers have the freedom?
Speaker 4:you know, like you say yeah, to a degree. They have to meet certain benchmarks and they have to make sure you know you got to prepare these students for those stupid SOL tests. Don't get me wrong.
Speaker 3:I love it.
Speaker 4:I will put up the teachers that we have in Winchester public schools against any division in the country. We just celebrated the Virginia teacher of the year is at Hanley high school. The Teacher of the Year in the entire state of Virginia got to go to the White House meet the president and the first lady. This was under the previous administration.
Speaker 2:That was an awful experience.
Speaker 3:I was like I would have passed on that.
Speaker 4:Well, that was under the previous administration. But I mean again, our teachers are doing a hell of a job. Yes, in some ways their hands are tied by. We've got to make sure we're on schedule, we've got to make sure we're. You know, we're hitting these benchmarks because that's what the state mandates, or that's what the federal government mandates, but they are creative and they're teaching. The approach that they bring to teaching is super Like. They bring their passion, they bring their creativity, they bring their expertise, and so they have to do certain things. But within those restrictions, within those limitations, they're killing it. Man, I love our teachers. You know, there's always a knucklehead in every group, right, don't get me wrong, but our teachers are amazing. Oh, a knucklehead in every group.
Speaker 3:Right, don't get me wrong, but our teachers are amazing. Oh, I agree, there's a lot of great teachers at the school. I mean, even when me and chris went to head, there was the great teachers there back in you know the 1960s when we went.
Speaker 1:But I'm with you and speaking of those times. Well, but I think you have diversity.
Speaker 2:You got a lot to deal with now. Bpg yeah.
Speaker 3:The teachers are even diverse.
Speaker 2:Tony, we didn't have teachers that look like some of the teachers and helpers at schools. Now, I'm just being honest, it's different and I'm sure they have to talk about that kind of stuff. Oh yeah, because we had women that were just. Most of them were very old women and never thought nothing about it. We thought did you make some grandma cookies for us today? We was hoping like it's not like that all the time. Now life's changed a lot, man.
Speaker 2:So Jack and Christian, look at certain teachers, and they're like I don't remember anyone there.
Speaker 4:They don't tell me if they do they probably don't tell you.
Speaker 2:Well, they ain't going to tell Dad, they're Christmas. But, maybe there were back then, but you guys might have had some weird fetishes or something, but I was like there were no good looking women when I was a kid.
Speaker 4:It was all old.
Speaker 2:But, nowadays, I guess because life has just changed, some of the people that graduate are already teachers.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm getting at. We're so old, Chris. Even Clarence is a young looking person.
Speaker 2:You know what I mean. Bpg you don't look old. Certain students are probably like oh, I'm not trying to switch subjects. I'm keeping it real In all aspects. If he's on the school boards and stuff, they have to talk about everything. Oh yeah, oh, of course, student behavior, everything, teacher behavior, all of it.
Speaker 2:The curriculum was the biggest thing for me, because I just wish people would teach the truth and now that we're old enough and know enough knowledge that we're not told half the truth. So that's why I wanted to get on that and I appreciate you elaborating on how you feel about it.
Speaker 4:Well, 100 percent. But, to your point, though, you have a group of parents, and and I don't want to pick on parents at all have a group of parents, and and I don't want to pick on parents at all but but you have the adults in the lives of these children who, um, sometimes, when teachers try to teach the truth, to your point, chris, the adult comes in the room and sees a student reading a certain book or having a certain conversation with another student, and then they're like whoa, whoa, whoa, why are you talking about that? And then it becomes this big political issue, like we got to get book certain books out of the library because I don't want my kid learning that stuff at public school. And then it blows up, and then there's a lot of pressure from the community, and then or the or divides the community, and you got other people over here saying, no, they don't, that's not my kid, because that's not how I raised people at home that were already allowed to their whole life.
Speaker 2:So they don't know any better either. Yeah, I'm not blaming them and saying that, even if they are, I'm saying they don't know better. That's what they were told and taught. So they don't want their kids learning about no damn huey, lewis, and and and, no mal X. They don't want them learning. They'll be like who is that? And the same thing, certain black people or Hispanics don't want people learning about some of the Thomas Jefferson. They're like nope, slave owner, you know. But if you're not taught the truth, how can you really know? And that's what I hope you guys can hopefully change, at least in the Winchester school system.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think we're trying. We're definitely having those conversations. You asked if we were talking about that stuff. We do talk about it. We're not in the classrooms, obviously. We're at central office and so we're way up here. The teachers are down here because they're actually in the classrooms with the students. They're the boots on the ground, if you will, but no, I'm happy with what we're doing.
Speaker 4:Listen, I tell people all the time with what we're doing. Listen, I tell people all the time education is a weird thing. Right, because everybody went through school, at least some school and so as they become adults, in their mind they're like this is how school works. Right, Because I went to school. I know how school works. And then I have to talk to them and be like you don't understand. We don't order our food from mcdonald's in 2025 the same way we did in the year 2000, right?
Speaker 2:there was a 99 cent menu back then, right 99 cent menu.
Speaker 4:But you know, we don't. We don't get our, we don't pump our gasoline the same way that we do in 2025 as we did 20, 30 years ago. We don't I don't know pick anything right. We don't watch tv everything is changed except for the education and the politics right, we don't watch tv now the same way we watched tv 20 years ago, but people have it stuck in their minds like well, education was this way when I was in school, so it needs to stay this way, and I have to have that conversation.
Speaker 2:That's a dope ass way to look at it yes, everything I didn't even think about it like that, to break it down like that. That's Tony, you don't agree? Like for real.
Speaker 3:No, I totally agree.
Speaker 2:We did grow up because we didn't have the cell phones, we didn't have the internet, like so much things. We just lived a different way. But now you're still teaching education the same way, when it was already wrong back then.
Speaker 4:Yep.
Speaker 2:Why can't we change it?
Speaker 4:Yeah, so that's the conversation you have to have with people out in the community the adults is what I'm referring to, because they want you to do it the way that they, you know, dealt with it back in the day.
Speaker 3:Right. So the thing is basically adapting. Yeah, right, it is. We have to adapt with the times and nobody wants to you got these all?
Speaker 2:I guess you can say old heads, whatever. That's how we were taught Everything except for education and politics. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Listen.
Speaker 2:I don't want us to know the truth.
Speaker 4:That's right. Listen, I ran for mayor last year and one of the biggest conversations I had with people people who had lived in Winchester for a while say 10, 15, 20, 25 plus years they all wanted to talk about the growth and how awful it was and how I'm running for mayor, right. So they would ask how are you going to stop the growth? And I would say two things.
Speaker 2:You can't build a wall around Winchester with a gate and just let it. They're all trump supporters talking like that yeah, they're like.
Speaker 4:They're like you want to you. You know you can't let these people in and I said you know people come here because this is a great place. We should be proud that this is a great place. It's bringing people here, right? But I lost my train of thought. The growth was the damn dog.
Speaker 2:Tony had A dog, threw me for a loop.
Speaker 4:Somebody must be home, but the city is that's my point when you came here. So I would ask them well, when did you move here? Or when did your family move here? Oh, we moved here when I was 15. My parents moved here when I was 15. So I've lived here all my life and I say, well, guess what, when your family moved here when you were 15, go 20, 30, 40 years before that Winchester had grown from that point to when your family got there, right? So now it's 2025 and we're still growing. We should be proud of this. We should be happy like I get it. We don't want more traffic, we don't want more congestion. I get all of that. But just to be mad like people are so scared to change without realizing they've already lived through it, right?
Speaker 3:yeah, I mean, I'm not gonna say my age, but I'm old enough to remember when down, because I lived on the north side. Okay, well, I grew up by the bowling now and I remember coming. I'm not going to say my age, but I'm old enough to remember when down, because I lived on the north side. Okay, I grew up by the bowl and out. I remember coming into town. It said town of Winchester and the population was like under 8,000 people.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, so it wasn't 8,000. Dude, I'm sitting. Like it wasn't that much like back then. It was like 28,000 or something. I'm sick. Like it wasn't that much like back then. It was like 28,000 or something, but yeah, it's still very little.
Speaker 1:But Tony hey, shout out to the north side.
Speaker 4:If I get to retire in Winchester. I told Melissa already I was like there's something special about the north side. Every time I go into that community, every time I talk to those neighbors that live over there, there's a real pride and a real sense of like that's. Those are the neighborhoods that I kind of grew up in. So, I'm telling her, if we retire in Winchester and I hope that we do I want to get a spot over on the North side Cause those are my people.
Speaker 2:Yeah, real neighborhood that still has some culture. Yes, it's changed a lot from when I lived down there, but I'm still glad certain people are still there. It's the only community that's really got the real culture.
Speaker 3:I love it. They're tight-knit, everybody knows everybody.
Speaker 2:They look out for each other man.
Speaker 3:I can totally agree with that. My heart's still on the north side, even though I'm on the south side now.
Speaker 4:I guess technically yeah.
Speaker 3:I live more in the middle.
Speaker 4:I didn't even know. When we moved here, I was just like I just need a house. My father-in-law lives with us and he has some trouble getting around, so I just need a house with wide hallways. So we found this house and we bought it. And then, you know, you live here for a couple years. I'm like, oh damn, the north side is pretty dope. I wish we had lived over there. I wish there was a house over there that fit our needs. But, like I said, maybe I'll get to retire over there.
Speaker 3:Oh, there you go. Well, speaking of you running for mayor, you went right into it. What were your goals and things when you were running for mayor? If you could speak on that, or still is, because you might run again, who knows?
Speaker 4:We'll see, see, yeah listen, I'm out, I'm out in the streets every day. I'm waving to people, people. People see me, they know me, they know that I love this town. I'm at the basketball games, I'm at the football games, I'm at daniel morgan events, I go to the plays, I go to the concerts, I'm at shenandoah, you know. So what I wanted to be for Winchester was that, ambassador. I wanted to be that person that you could see walking around town. I didn't want to be some mayor that, like you, got to schedule an appointment to come talk to me. I wanted to be walking through Old Town or walking through the North End or, you know, out at the civics or something like that, just watching, watching people play ball and I watching people play ball. And I wanted to be accessible and I wanted to be approachable. I wanted to be young. Right, I'm 47 right now. Had I won, uh, last?
Speaker 2:year younger than us?
Speaker 4:I don't know, my hair just hasn't gone great yet tony's old.
Speaker 2:he was born in v days, but See here he goes. No, I wanted to be that mayor you know I'm not going to lie, because if Christian and Jack and all them on there, they'd be like oh, he's glazing them. Yes, whatever that means, donut faces. That's how it should be. Man, most people aren't like that. Dude, you need to want to be with the people in the community. Like why would you need to schedule an appointment with me? Like Winchester ain't that big?
Speaker 4:Oh, we can't fit a million until next year, exactly Right down the street.
Speaker 2:I don't care if I'm on Kent Street or I'm on 2nd Avenue over there behind Walmart. It takes 10, 15 minutes to walk Like oh, Walmart it takes 10, 15 minutes to walk.
Speaker 2:So that's great that you're for the people. Man and Winchester, y'all need to understand. Look, I've known some of the mayors, known of some of them. Times change, man, the same way we need the education board to change. You guys need to understand it doesn't always have to be a new person that's not white, but it needs to be somebody that's for all people and not just white people. Man, and that that's real and it and my young white people know that. Yeah, because you don't agree with it. Wow, we got to make a change and y'all got to help step up and make a change. Man and bpg could be the fucking best fucking mayor. Winchester scene, probably since anybody's been alive, that is alive. Man and y'all just need to think more and think outside the box. Man, I'll, bpg, I hope you run for mayor again. I appreciate that man.
Speaker 2:I know I get excited, I get hyped. Tony's used to it, he's the mediator and kind of quiet. But that's me, man. You have guests for a reason and I think it's good to have you on. You're a person for the people. You're my kind of guy, you're a people person, but you genuinely care, and I can tell that man so. I wish you the best and I hope Winchester wakes up and understands look, it's time for change well, I'm, listen, I haven't.
Speaker 4:I haven't made this public yet, so so I'll. And I'm not here to make a huge announcement or anything, but I do get asked every once in a while by people when they see me on the street hey man, you're gonna run again, you're gonna run again. Here's what I'm up against. My kids, my two youngest kids are, uh, sophomore and freshman right now, and you know, I only get one shot with them. I only get one shot at having them living in my home. I only get one shot at being a dad and going all their stuff. So that's what I'm wrestling with right now. Do I want to run a whole campaign? Because that campaign took a whole year of my life?
Speaker 4:right and if I run again in 2028, you know, jack will be graduating, sophie will be going into her senior year, and so I'm like I don't know if I want to, if I want to put a whole year of my life, you know. So that's what I'm up against. It's not for fear of running. In fact, I tell everybody that asked me I loved running. Man, like I can talk to people and I'm an honest to a fault Sometimes it gets me in trouble how honest I am.
Speaker 4:Likewise I can't lie to you. I can't lie to you. So if you ask me a question, even though I know what answer you want me to say, I'm not going to give you that answer?
Speaker 4:So I love running for mayor, I love meeting people, I love speaking to different communities. Meeting people. I love speaking to different communities. I love my time on the north side and people would invite me to their houses and they would have their friends come over and I would talk to the community and I would visit with I don't know kids at the Discovery Museum. There was all kinds of events that I got to do last year and I loved every single minute of it and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just have to figure out if I want to do that during the last years that I got my kids with me right, that's commendable man.
Speaker 3:No lie like and I can relate to that because I got a senior. This should be there for them man tony and I.
Speaker 2:We all grew up different ways, neither here nor there, but I understand that all the way I appreciate that things work out how they're supposed to, but right now. I'm sure Jack and them appreciate that 100%.
Speaker 3:I mean, the good thing about it is, even though we're busy dads, I look at it as well as they look up to it, because we're doing stuff. I want to lead by example, be a great person, help the community at the same time. You know what I mean? Yeah, but I get it Like you say. I got a senior too, and it's like well, do I want to continue coaching or do I miss his games? And blah, blah, blah, yeah, so I'm right with you.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Still, man. You got two or three more years to work and then Christian's taking care of you and Nicky.
Speaker 4:If you don't speak it into existence.
Speaker 2:It won't happen, man.
Speaker 4:Speak it into existence.
Speaker 2:Look at that kid that went to Shenandoah who's now playing ball at JMU. Man, you can do things. You just got to believe in yourself and work hard.
Speaker 3:I agree. I've been saying it. Speak it into existence.
Speaker 4:He's got the tools.
Speaker 2:He just got to go get it and he's got to believe in himself more than any of us can believe in him.
Speaker 3:Right to believe in himself more than any of us can believe in him. He's a great kid, though. Thank you, I appreciate it. So is your boy. Oh, I appreciate that. Jack's a good kid, Even though he gives me a hard time sometimes. You know a little bit. He's a great kid. So, like you just mentioned, we're running short on time. Anything in closing, and I did want to mention that event. I did look it up for the oh, the screening of that film yeah, it is I believe is it September 30th?
Speaker 3:it is September. The world premiere is September 18th at 7pm.
Speaker 4:Okay, well, I have on my calendar September 30th, that's when they're playing it at Hanley at the Patsy Cline Theater.
Speaker 3:Gotcha okay.
Speaker 4:At 6pm.
Speaker 3:So the documentary will just be available.
Speaker 4:So maybe it drops on the 18th, but we're not showing it over there until the 30th.
Speaker 3:Right. So you're saying they're going to show it at haley. Yeah, people will be able to watch, so wanted to mention that. But hey, bbg, if you got anything else you want to, you know, any advice for your students out, young kids, the community, get involved, man get involved like a community, doesn't just happen.
Speaker 4:Uh, and that's that's what I love about. Listen, I, I grew up some of my time in Northern Virginia and there's no identity to that. It's all this suburb, that suburb, this suburb. There's no identity to that.
Speaker 2:And they don't mess with each other.
Speaker 4:Right, right, right. And then I moved to Winchester and immediately there's a sense of community here and there's an identity. When you stick out your chest a little bit, you're like I'm from Winchester, you know there's. There's a pride in that. We talk about Hanley pride all the time, right, there's a pride in that that doesn't just happen like that, that's not like something that just you know pops out of thin air. And we have that pride and we have that sense of community. That it's because there's people working.
Speaker 4:And I want to say, chris and Tony, it's people like you doing podcasts like this, having conversations like this centered on this community. Again, I came from South Riding, I came from Woodbridge, I came from Dale City, my wife came from Montclair. Nobody's doing podcasts out there about their communities because it's just all the same, it's all suburbia. Winchester is different, it's unique, it's special and it's because of people like you and other people. There's lots of people here working to make this community as awesome as it is. So thank you to both of you, but thank you to all the people out there doing the work also.
Speaker 3:Thank you, BPG. Yeah, we really appreciate having you on. We'll have you on any time, man.
Speaker 4:All right, man. Yeah, let me know, I'll be back.
Speaker 3:I know Chrissy's ready to watch his Washington Commanders here in about 20 minutes.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's right, all right, all right, it's actually the only game besides Christmas Day game that I'll get to watch as of now, because I work all Sundays and Mondays, which is fine, but yeah, now that'll be cool, but at the end of the day, this is more important and more special for me, man.
Speaker 2:It was a pleasure to have you on and get to know you a little bit, and I'm being honest man. That's why I really think I fuck with your hard body, because I speak from the heart too. I'm genuine and I'm not good at telling lies. So I think my girlfriend loves that, because I'm just not going to tell lies, man Like yeah, I don't know how to like it.
Speaker 2:I'll tell her myself. And not doing anything bad, I just did you eat? Did you eat what I left in the fridge? And if I didn't, she knows right away. I'm not going to say yeah, no, she knows right away. That's right. I can tell that. You're that upfront dude. Dude too, you just keep it real how it is Right or wrong. It does get us in trouble sometimes, but you know what be genuine. Be yourself, and I think that's a great message For everybody too. Man, be yourself.
Speaker 4:I wouldn't have it any other way.
Speaker 2:At the end of the day, even people like myself and Brian, I know we still do care and take into consideration what other people think, but we don't care enough to Not be ourselves.
Speaker 3:That's right. Well, bbg, appreciate you. We'll talk soon, tony, you too, man Keep being yourself.
Speaker 2:T Because when Christian leaves, you're back in the square one again. That's great.
Speaker 3:But like you said earlier hey, kids, keep you young man. They do man, they hang around you, they keep you young and all of yours are in Hanley now right?
Speaker 4:Yeah, they're both in Hanley.
Speaker 2:They're all in Hanley for a couple years.
Speaker 4:Yeah, well, my oldest has already graduated. She went to college, she graduated. She's at grad school now up at University of Michigan. But she went through Hanley yeah, but my two youngest are at Hanley now I got family in Michigan, in the Grand Rapids area.
Speaker 3:You got what Family? Yeah, that's where my mom's from. Yeah, in Michigan yeah, that's where my mom's from.
Speaker 4:Hey, man, that's a cool spot. I had never been to Michigan in my life. We moved her up there over the summer. It's a cool spot To Ann Arbor. It's Ann Arbor, yeah.
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm, yeah, that's a cool town.
Speaker 3:Michigan's got nice. You know it's ugly during the wintertime, of course, but springs and summers, believe it or not, I heard it's actually a big retirement state. Really, People get because summer homes, because you know it gets like 80s. You know it's nice, comfortable weather, but the winters are brutal. I've been are brutal, I believe it. Yeah, so, but anyway, we'll keep. We can keep going and going, man, but hey, appreciate you on and, like I say, we'll talk to you soon, man. But yeah, yes, yes, sir, yeah, have a great night.
Speaker 2:All right, See you later. All right, fellas be safe.
Speaker 3:Chris, we'll end. We had the great BPG on, but you want to end and talk about local football matchups, because then I got to get out of here.
Speaker 2:I know, I got to get out to the TV quicker than Micah can get to the. What's his name?
Speaker 3:oh exactly, he can't find him we ain't talking about Micah, but hey, we'll whiz through these scores of last Friday's game.
Speaker 2:We can talk about JoJo and Zayden and all the young boys Calm down bro, Let me get these scores out.
Speaker 3:So last Friday, kettle Run beat Meridian 34-8. James Wood destroyed Dominion 57-6. To go to it, wood's nice Hanley destroyed Liberty 46 to 16. And then a Briarwoods and Brentsville tie 2020. Like everybody says, that's like kissing your sister.
Speaker 2:That could be a huge fucking tag come the end of the season for playoff positioning.
Speaker 3:Right, and then we got loud and County defeated. It's rate of 15 to 14, central one over East Rocky and 28 to 14. Clark County fell to Rockingham 28-14. Clark County fell to Fort Defiance 33-14. And Strasburg fell to Broadway 28-20. Okay, now moving to West.
Speaker 2:Virginia Strasburg lost.
Speaker 3:Yes, sir, they lost 28-20. Wow, yep. And then now, like we always say, always say our neighbors can't forget about them.
Speaker 2:in uh, west virginia, martinsburg fell to huntington 22 to 20 so they're owing to in that jersey school from camden wasn't just a fluke beat down? Yeah, you've now lost two in a row and I don't know if my whole lifetime I've ever heard of that right they're owing to.
Speaker 3:You're right. Morgantown defeated Jefferson 38-7. Washington beat Hedgesville 36-20. Spring Mills lost to Wheeling Park 33-28.
Speaker 2:Are they also 0-2?
Speaker 3:I'll have to look. I think they're 0-2 as well.
Speaker 2:The two best teams from last year in the state are 0-2. Wow.
Speaker 3:And then Loudon Valley beat Musclemen 35-28.
Speaker 2:So not a good day night. Last week. That was a close game, 35-28.
Speaker 3:Wow, because Loudon Valley plays Millbrook today I'm getting to that, I believe.
Speaker 2:So Wow, but if they only beat Muscleman by seven. Wow, that was actually a good game by Muscleman then, or at least the score-wise. You don't know what happened. Maybe they put a second unit in and Musselman starts scoring.
Speaker 3:And then we'll mention East Hardy. I'm kind of partial to them. I'm a coach there. So they lost 56-36. They're 0-2, which is unusual. East Hardy, they must be having a tough time. They're usually pretty good Huh.
Speaker 2:They got whooped this season by 20.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I know right, but now on to the tomorrow night's games. Chris, you keep saying tonight it's Thursday.
Speaker 2:It feels like Friday.
Speaker 3:I'm so hyped, ladies and gentlemen, he's still hyped from BPG. So, chris, we got Liberty plays Falkir. I got Falkir winning, you got Falkir, yeah, they'll win that one. Meridian plays Ann and Dale. They're both one and one.
Speaker 2:I will pick Ann and Dale.
Speaker 3:I'll go Meridian on that. So then you got Skyline plays Kettle Run.
Speaker 2:I'm going to pick Skyline in the close one.
Speaker 3:I'm not with you on that Kettle Run. I love the kids at Skyline, but hey, I think.
Speaker 2:Zayden's going to have a career game tomorrow.
Speaker 3:He might. Hey, let's see, I hope he does. And then you got Warren.
Speaker 2:County. We didn't have a podcast a year or two years ago for nothing. Trust me about it.
Speaker 3:Then you got Warren County Versus Strasburg. I got Strasburg Manassas Park plays Parkview, james Wood plays Culpeper County Wood.
Speaker 2:So somebody's going to take an L that's a good matchup with Wood and Culpeper Right, but James Wood's nice this year.
Speaker 3:They are. I said that was my biggest sleeper this year. High school era football team was James Woods and then Sharando plays Jefferson.
Speaker 2:I got Jefferson winning in a close one Right.
Speaker 3:And then Central plays, broadway, broadway will win, which are both 2-0.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I got.
Speaker 3:Broadway winning though that's a big game. Clark County plays Catoctin and I didn't know I forgot Clark County's 0, though that's a big game. Clark County plays Catoctin and I didn't know I forgot Clark County's over too. That's unusual. Usually they're winning.
Speaker 2:Well, the name of the school they're playing. I have no idea what you just said, but hopefully Clark County gets a W.
Speaker 3:I hope they do too.
Speaker 2:What the hell was the name of that school? You said Catoctin. Oh, so that's probably like.
Speaker 3:C-A-T-O-C-T-I-N. There used to be like a travel team dude like Catoctin.
Speaker 2:It's probably like an Indian tribe name or something.
Speaker 3:Probably something like that, you know. But now moving on to West Virginia games. Oh no, hold on. I mentioned Hanley's playing Brentsville tomorrow or Saturday. See, now you got me confused.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you're doing Friday's games, hanley's on Saturday because they play on the big boys' play.
Speaker 3:Yeah, hanley plays, but also East Hardy plays Saturday, which is fun, because sometimes East Hardy plays Saturday.
Speaker 2:Well, East Hardy's on too.
Speaker 3:So anyway, moving on real quick, Eastern Pay and Handle. Jefferson and Sharando already mentioned that they're playing each other. Martinsburg plays Woodson I'm not sure where that's from.
Speaker 2:Woodson is at Northern Virginia. I got Woodson winning. Woodson actually might be in DC.
Speaker 3:So you're saying I think you're right, they're in DC. So Martinsburg oh excuse me, martinsburg is starting out 0-3.
Speaker 2:I think maybe they lost some star power, but they've also as great as they usually are every year. They might have put too much of a tough schedule before they get to their area, because they're fucking.
Speaker 3:I mean, I like it. I've always said about, I've always said about Morgensburg though they don't duck reg, so it's not a district game. That's what.
Speaker 2:I said, they're playing all these tough-ass schools though all of a sudden. So you're playing Camden, new Jersey, which is more up near this area, then you're playing Morgantown, which is the WVU town in West Virginia in the mountains, and now you're playing Woodson from DC. Dude, no lie, they go 0-3. They might stop their district and still can win state.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's what I'm saying, but yeah, they'd be 0-3, man.
Speaker 2:That would still show, though, that at the end of the day, as great as they are, they're great in the area and in their state, but when you step out inside, it's still a different level.
Speaker 3:It is. And then, moving on real quick to finish up the Eastern Panhandle, you got. Washington plays Liberty, which I don't know what Liberty. There's so many Liberty high schools, but I'm sure Nah, yeah, because there's a Liberty way. There's so there's so many. And then Spring Mills plays Connellsville, and Musselman plays Wheeling Park, morgantown plays Hedgesville and then, like I said, he's already plays, actually on Saturday too, and they're playing Tucker County.
Speaker 2:Oh well, that's my name, tucker.
Speaker 1:So, I got Tucker County winning that shit.
Speaker 2:I definitely got the team that's playing their first home game underneath the fucking steps on the big-ass field. What school is that man? It looks like a university. It kind of looks like the Capitol Hanley. Yeah them dudes. All I thought only guy could judge us, but they all call themselves judges. I'm like dude. What's going on? But I got Hanley winning man and I got Tuckerville, tucker County, whatever.
Speaker 3:That's your school, right there. But, Chris, hey, it was a great show. That's the local games. Everybody go watch your local football and support these kids out there.
Speaker 2:I set up a show for this Thursday, but it was amazing that it worked out for BPG man Next Thursday. Tony, we got the Knockout King himself coming on with us.
Speaker 3:Tell him who it is.
Speaker 2:It's Michael Benitez, aka Michael Dolman Jr. Big Mike that runs the gym. You know he trains a lot of people. He helps out in the community, man. We're excited to have big Mike that runs the gym. You know he trains a lot of people. He helps out in the community, man. We're excited to have big Mike on next week, next Thursday, at 7 pm. Ladies and gentlemen, in the meantime, you guys go enjoy this Commander's win over Mikey and who, green Bay, you know what it is, man, but no, we love y'all, man. We appreciate y'all. Just hit that subscribe button for us real quick. Listen to us on Spotify, youtube, facebook, wherever you can find us, but Tony does his thing, putting a good podcast together. We're going to keep it rolling, no matter who's around, man, we love everybody. We wish y'all the best and until then, man, watch me enough down wherever, all right, chris.
Speaker 3:Well, I think you said it all. And we'll see everybody next week with this turn.
Speaker 2:Let's go, andy, baby, let's go judges, go get that third victory.
Speaker 3:All right, bro.
Speaker 2:Hey, I'll holler at you later, but enjoy your game and to all the basketball players that's playing this year during senior year, except for my little nephew, christian man. You know he's too worried about being a Duke or UNC player, but he's got that potential, so we'll see what happens. Man, love Winchester, like BPG said. Man, shout out to everybody in the area. Man, just hit that subscribe button. Y'all go over there and show Tony some love man, because you know we're not getting. No younger man Can't leave the house that often.
Speaker 3:Right, all right, chris. Until next week, man All right man, Y'all be safe.
Speaker 1:All right, bro, love you, man Love y'all too.
Speaker 2:Man Peace, Alright, man Peace.
Speaker 1:How do we learn to live when we Preach B-W-O? Let your voices be heard, we enlightened by the truth, and now we spreading the word? How do we learn to live when we conditioned to die? Most people fail before they start Because they don't ever try. Man, they told us we was worthless. We believed in the lie. We took it way too literal when Big said ready to die. You know, the KKK Turned the cops in disguise man. A lot done, changed, but race still applies 5-0, hands up. Don't even ask why. Trayvon, mike Brown man, another mother's cry. Hey, bwo, let the con roll begin, you know. Communication.
