A letter to my seniors on graduation day

Dear Seniors,

I often hear people say that “high school is the best time of your life.”  And I adamantly disagree.  I hope for all of you that you will leave Kilbourne with wonderful memories of time spent with friends, of learning and growing, and of experiences that helped to shape you into the wonderful young men and women that you are today.  But now as you prepare to leave Kilbourne behind, I want to remind you that the best is ahead of you!  You have so much potential and so many opportunities open in your future.  That path will be different and unique for each of you and I cannot wait to see all that you will accomplish in the years to come.  

I want to remind you that I am proud of you, that I believe in you and I am always here if there is ever anything I can do to help you.  In just a few short hours you will walk across the stage and become graduates of Worthington Kilbourne High School and step boldly into your future.  I hope that it is a moment you will cherish forever.  

Congratulations!  I am so proud of you!

Love, Miss Abbott

I also offer one last piece of advice before you graduate... pick a place where you will meet your family after the ceremony has finished.  (And do not select the bottom of the first set of escalators leaving the Battelle Grand...)  I realize that this is tough since you have probably never been down there, but when you and your family are arriving to line up, make a plan about where you will meet before heading in your separate directions.  It is CHAOTIC after the ceremony ends and everyone is anxious to leave to get food, to get water, to take picture with friends, to see their extended family and this is just one more added stress that can be managed by deciding ahead of time where you are going to go to try to find one another.  Each year too many people are trying to get on their phones to call to find people and the noise and the craziness just seems to make that a much more difficult task than it seems like it would be so trust me on this one and just decide up front where you will meet.  :-)