Sunday, June 6, 2010

Congratulations Graduates!

I love graduation day! It is a celebration of all that you have accomplished - not only in high school, but really from your very first day of Kindergarten. There is such joy and excitement seeing all of you in your caps and gowns. I love to watch as you march in and try to search for your families in the stands and then, of course, watching when you receive your diplomas and are officially high school graduates. There are just so many reasons to smile! I wanted to share a few pictures that I was able to capture today as well as some thoughts for "my" seniors...
Above (L to R): Becky Borden, Rachel Bare, Will Campbell, and Evan Alexander
Above (L to R): "My" Graduates with Highest Honors: Mary Kate Blackmon, Kristen Bond, Becky Borden, Krystin Burgess, Kelly Chen, Stephanie DiBartola, and (in front) Roy Greim
Above: Marissa Minichello and John Jacob
Above (L to R): Becca Amato, Kaytee Ambrozich, Veronica Barker, and Zoubaida Benzegala
Above (L to R): Michael Brasser, Weston Bridges, Chris Brooks, and Chris Bryan
Above (L to R): Amy Bluem, Tyler Boggs, Jack Borden, Oliver Bosserman, Carrie Boswell, Ryan Bott, Vanessa Boveine and in front Alyssa Blevins and Aurora Braig
Above (L to R): Kristin Black, Haley Bogatay, and David Busch
Above (L to R): Molly Burton, Teddy Calhoun, Catherine Carrier, Alex Carter, Jay Carter, Zac Eanes, Jordan Burt, Alexandra Cassens, (Tessa Cooper in background), and Jeffrey Chang
Above (L to R): Front Row: Ben Corcoran, Emma Ellis, Kat Elkins, Julie Ecker, and Rasha Elkhammas and Back Row: Trey Corcoran, Jason Cunningham, Zach DeAndero, Shannon Donovan, Megan Dukes, and Stephanie Dutton
Above (L to R): Ben Beall, Stephen Batchelder, Ross Belkofer, Daniel Bland, Brian Baseler, Ryan Bintz, Ryan Armstron, and in front Michael Beck


Dear Seniors ~

Congratulations! Today you have officially transitioned from high school students to high school graduates. I am happy for you and your families as today is a celebration of 13 years of education. For the last few years I have been fortunate to have the chance to get to know and work with you. It is hard to believe how quickly the time has passed and strange to think that you are now “former students.”

There is a great deal that I will remember about the students in the Class of 2010 and I appreciate what each individual contributed to making this class a group that stands out. I cannot help but smile when I think about so many of the moments I was able to share with your class and there is no way that I could capture them all, but here are a few that stand out to me. There were times when a few of you were struggling to get motivated to work on college essays or did not want to edit them even one more time and yet, in the end, you pushed through and were able to express yourself beautifully as a perfect introduction of who you are and what you were looking for in a college. I remember a junior meeting when one student declared that she would go to any college except the one where her sibling attended… and yes, you guessed it, this college won her over and it is where the student will be attending in the fall. When my grandfather passed away, it was students in your class who volunteered to help serve the food after the memorial service and you will never know how much I appreciated the kindness during my family’s time of sadness. I have enjoyed the chance to cheer for you as you competed on the field, in the ice rink, or at the pool. I loved the chance to watch you in athletics because I saw how you responded to adversity, how you would reach out to encourage a teammate, or how you reacted in celebration to a goal or a team victory. Times when students in the stands would greet me with a hello or stop and sit with me for a while are also special moments to me. The quality of musical talent within your class is amazing. I loved being able to watch as you came down the steps singing “Come to the Water” during each choir concert. During band and orchestra concerts I not only saw incredible group performances, but also unbelievable solos by people from your class. I had multiple occasions to see you at homecoming and prom and enjoyed being able to see you dressed up. And yet, quite honestly, while moments like these will be treasured, it is really the one-on-one time I had with you in my office that means the most to me. This is the time we would spend catching up on what was happening in your life, helping to test out new organization strategies or coming up with better ways to study for tests, talking about academics, planning for the future, or celebrating your successes. And, sadly, many of you have also had difficult days that we have walked through together – the death of a loved one, breaking up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, struggling on a major test, moving between homes, or fears about the future – and while these are challenging days, I was inspired by your resiliency, your strength, and your courage.

I am proud of what you have accomplished, I am grateful that I had the opportunity to get to know you, and I am hopeful regarding all that is ahead of you in the future. Thank you for sharing your lives with me! Please know that I will miss you and that I wish you nothing but the best. Remember that if you ever need anything I am only a phone call or e-mail away and I’d love to keep in touch with you in the future.

Congratulations and Best Wishes,
Miss Abbott

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