It's obvious spring has sprung at Hard Work U. Trees, daffodils, tulips and pansies are showing off for visitors. Many folks make their way to the campus during the fall, in order to see the many hues of orange and red, but perhaps one of the prettiest times to see the College of the Ozarks campus is in the latter part of March and early part of April. If you've never seen the Dogwoods and Redbuds in full bloom on an Ozarks hill, you are missing some of God's best handiwork. I like to imagine what it would have been like when settlers saw these Ozarks hills for the first time--a spring bubbling out the side of moss covered hill while a crooked redbud reveals its inner beauty. Although the landscape has seen man's handiwork, instead of God's, there remains a few places that remind us all His art is better than ours.

A True Cinderella Team

Almost everyone has heard the term "Cinderella" used to describe the underdog team that scraps its way to the finals. Well, this term could not be more aptly used to describe the College of the Ozarks Men's Basketball Team at this year's NAIA D-II Men's Basketball Tournament. Entering as the host school, unseeded, no one expected it to advance to the Champioship game--but that they did. So, Cinderella made it to the ball afterall. But this analogy does not end shallowly. What makes the C of O basketball team a true "Cinderella" is that each athlete works for his or her college education--through the C of O Work Education Program. It's 15 hours of work after or before games or practice, between classes and homework, that athletes, along with every student, at Hard Work U (which the school is commonly known as) must complete. Even All-American Corey Stone, works. His workstation is Custodial. The day after the tournament, one could find him cleaning the very gym where he played in the Championship game the night before. That's what you call a true "Cinderella."