The 201-2017 school year is rapidly drawing to a close with the last day of school currently scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 (a reminder that the last two days are half-days). The event that our seniors are most looking forward to, graduation, will be held on Friday, June 2 at 6 p.m. As in past years, we are all hopeful that we’ll have great weather so that the commencement ceremonies can be held on Booster Field. In case of inclement weather, the ceremonies will be held in the Gateway Performing Arts Center with a live feed to the high school gymnasium so that no one has to miss any part of the activity.
As in years past, our seniors have invested much time in planning for their futures including work, technical schools, colleges and universities. I’m sure that the Class of 2017 will make our communities proud as they move forward with their lives and continue contributing to society. While this class may be quieter than others in the past, individually and collectively they’ve made some wonderful contributions to the school and have handled change in a positive manner. If you attend the awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 31, you will hear of the many individual accomplishments of members of the Class of 2017, including participation in many events, academic achievements, future plans, and the many scholarships that they receive.
What you may not hear is how well this class adapted to a number of significant changes that impacted them, ranging from the implementation of Blizzard Bags to the changes in the Commencement gown colors. The Class of 2017 adapted to these changes in a manner that allowed them to finesse some changes in the process while allowing the greater changes to occur. One example of this was accepting the change in graduation gown color while convincing the district to allow for decorating graduation caps. These related changes to commencement dress were developed in a positive manner, utilized information from a number of sources, and agreement was reached in a collaborative process. Kudos to both the Class of 2017 and our high school staff for resolving potential conflicts in such a positive manner. Even the senior ‘class prank’ was orderly, understated, and not destructive or negative showing a continuance of our students’ contributions to a positive school climate and the effective use of 21st Century Skills around collaboration, communication, problem solving, and creativity.
Each graduating class is unique and has contributed so much to our schools and their communities during their time with us. Graduation is always a bittersweet moment: everyone is looking towards the future with the anticipation of bigger and better things to come, yet are also sad to be leaving their classmates of many years and the place where they’ve become so well known, respected, and comfortable. As with so many activities in life, change brings both opportunities and challenges, but I’m confident that as a greater community, we’ve prepared the members of the Class of 2017 to forge ahead in a manner that is both positive and successful.
