We've rounded the bend of the 2007-'08 school year and have started the sprint toward home. After all, it's called March Madness for a reason! We're more than half way into the journey, but we're still a good distance from seeing the finish line. It's an important stage of the journey, but an often overlooked one. On numerous occasions, I have written columns about new beginnings and the importance of finishing strong. Today, I want to focus on the events that happen in-between.

In many ways, what happens in-between is the lost, overlooked portion of our journey. I would argue that what happens in-between is crucial to establishing the building blocks upon which the final outcome rests. It is truly the danger zone for students, as the sense of focus and energy palpable at the outset of the new school year has waned. The adrenaline rush of the home stretch has yet to kick in. It is a time when conscious determination must pick up the slack for the absence of the infusion of energy associated with the start and finish of any endeavor. It's the portion of the journey that needs the most precise plan of attack. It is the period of time that creates the separation between contenders from the pretenders.

So, what is happening this time of year that requires such careful attention? For many seniors, March means decision time. Time to decide where they will go to school next year. Time to experience the jubilation when gaining acceptance into a school considered a long shot or possibly the crushing disappointment of being rejected by your first choice institution.

Maintaining focus in this in-between phase is crucial in order to navigate around the inevitable highs and lows associated with the uncertainty of the season. How you handle these highs and lows will end up positioning you for how successfully you are able to tackle the next round of highs and lows. It's all about momentum, and March is a make or break time for many students.

For the juniors, it's a time to position yourself as you move toward your final year. For sophomores, it's a chance to solidify a pattern of consistency at the high school level. For freshman, it's an opportunity to put an exclamation point on a successful commencement of your high school career or maybe a chance to salvage it.

The great part about March is that it represents opportunity. Opportunity because the first few chapters are written, but the finale has yet to be determined.

Opportunity because there is a history that can be learned from, and still time to initiate change based on lessons learned.

Yes, March means a lot of things - late winter snow storms, Syracuse University making a push for the NCAA tournament, the Spring Musical “Cinderella” and Cotillion at Dana L. West High School. Amidst all of the activity and excitement associated with March, let's not forget one of the most significant realities of the season - the perfect merging of past experience and impending opportunity.

That is, of course, if we have the vision, discipline and foresight to acknowledge it for what it is. If we do, it can be an awfully good month to look forward to.

How we will eventually perceive the success or failure of the 2007-'08 year will be largely dependent on how we attack this next segment of the year.

The great part about March is that the final chapter is still yours to write. I hope you choose your words carefully.

Shawn Bissetta is principal of Dana L. West High School in Port Byron.