Congratulations to the LSRHS Class of 2021!  What an exciting time – a time to look forward and a time to look back.  I find myself in a similar situation.  I will be retiring at the end of this school year.  Reflection and anticipation are currently a big part of my life. 

Twenty-nine of the thirty-three years of my teaching career have been at L-S.  I have worked with incredible people and I have felt like I was serving a purpose.  I have been happy and I have worked hard, very hard.  I have sometimes ended up doing more than I thought I could.   I have sometimes fallen short and I have made mistakes.  Take time to think about your past four years.  Feel pride in your accomplishments and the times you did more than you thought you could.  Let your short-comings inform your path forward.  Most of all, delight in the people who have been part of your journey.  Be sure to express gratitude to those who have made your life better over the past four years – peers and adults who have supported you.

Onward!  Off we go to our new endeavors. I am holding onto a few guiding principles as I head forward. Maybe they will work for you too.

1.  Never stop learning.  I am thinking about relearning Spanish, finding a way to help the environment, sewing, gardening, tutoring, travel …   How about you?  I hope that you will soon be choosing exciting courses to take in college, that you will be applying for a job that challenges you or that you will be finding a way to make a difference.  Generate a long list – that way you have more from which to choose.  

1.  Be a contributing member of a community.   Express appreciation out loud.  Practice compassion – you never truly know what another person is going through.  One of the finest things you can do is to make someone else’s life a bit easier.  You don’t have to do grandiose things – just be kind.  It matters.  This can be tough because we all have so much personal stuff to handle but do it.  

1.  Find joy.  Sing, dance, do math (yup), read, play games, ride a bike, treasure your friends, find someone special.  Again, generate a long list.

1.  Take care of you.  Wear sunscreen, floss, remember your own value, eat leafy greens, get enough sleep.

1.  Take care of the environment.  We are counting on you.  Recycle, reuse, reduce, repurpose, rethink.  

I wish all of that and more for you as you go forward.  We all rejoice in the fabulous things you will accomplish.

In closing, I want to express my gratitude to the L-S community – a place where students and adults have made me a better person, a place I will look back on with pride and a place that will inform my path forward.  Thank you each for your caring, your challenge and your commitment.