Goodbye Seniors

Today marked the final day of high school for seniors.  If you haven’t seen the Senior “Waving” video on social media, I’d encourage you to check it out.  Just over 75% of “my” seniors participated and I cannot even begin to tell you how happy it made my heart to see each of them smiling and waving!

Since I didn’t get to say goodbye to my seniors as they left the building for the final time today, I hope you will allow me to use this blog as a way to share a few of my thoughts with my seniors.

The spring always brings a mix of emotions for seniors as you prepare to close one chapter of your life and begin the next.  This spring has been more challenging than ever as your world was turned upside down by the global pandemic.  I know you are grieving the lost time of being together, enjoying your routines, and being able to say goodbye and transition out of Kilbourne in the way you had imagined.  You and your parents both are sharing in the sadness and disappointment that this is definitely NOT the way you had planned or imagined high school would end. 

I have had a lot of time to think about you as individuals and as a whole class.  And here is what stands out to me the most… you have proven that you are flexible, adaptable and resilient!  Those three skills are essential to living a successful life and you have found ways to cultivate all 3 over the last two months. 

Like most of you, I wish we could have had one more day at Kilbourne together.   Looking back, I wish I would have realized that when you were walking out on March 13^th that this needed to be my good-bye moment.  But that is how life works so much of the time… we realize things were important when it is too late and the opportunities have passed us by.  This reminds me that I should not take ANY of these moments for granted because we never know what tomorrow holds.  So even though this is not the final day of high school experience you had imagined, I hope, that as you reflect back on your years in Worthington, that you will treasure ALL of the memories (positive and not-so-positive) you created – including the less than ideal stay-at-home moments. 

Ever since you entered your first classroom as a Kindergartener, you have worked hard to get to today and you deserve to be proud of your accomplishment!  I hope you will remember that it’s not the classrooms, the hallways, the gym, the commons, or the stadium which defined your memories or your experiences.  They were just the places where you were able to learn, grow, contribute, lead, share, perform and compete.  The friendships, teachers, sports, performances, and yes, even pandemics that gave you added time with your family – those are your memories and experiences and those will be with you forever.

You have brightened my life over the last 4 years and now it’s time for you to go and share your light with the world.   As you leave Kilbourne to attend college, begin basic training, or start your career, I hope you know that I will be cheering you on every step of the way!  Congratulations Class of 2020!  I’m proud of you and wish you the very best in the future!