Our time is short today but the level of awesome coming from this nation’s high schools cannot be allowed to pass unnoticed.  Therefore, we bring you news from Washington, D.C., of the pioneering African-American rugby squad and of the Offensive Line That Ate the Twin Cities.

• The NEW YORK TIMES brings news of the D.C. charter school that hosts the first known high school rugby team in the United States to consist entirely of African-Americans.  Started after coach Tal Bayer’s students wanted to know why he always had some kind of black eye or other bruise, the students latched onto the game and entered their team into various tournaments.

(President-Elect Obama, we have a suggestion for the first team to have over to the South Lawn…)

Once the rich schools stopped canceling matches to avoid bringing their upper-class cars to the scary city and parents realized it would be safe to let a young black man stay in their homes on away tournaments, the young men of Hyde Leadership Public Charter School found their lives changed by the experience they could only find through rugby.

(Also, how much do we love that the New Zealand embassy has embraced the team?  We’re pretty sure we’ll have to move the island nation up the Nations That Rock board past Portugal, between The Lord of the Rings and this uncommon generosity.)

And now how 25 pounds of ground beef can only be a starting point for a weekly meal (with enough video to gorge yourself on)…

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