Graduation 2009

Graduation seems like a distant memory even though it just happened on June 4th. The nervousness and excitment of seeing my students walk across the stage is unexplainable. I shook over 700 hands and I made a silent wish as I shook each hand that they would find success in what ever form they choose.

As a principal, graduation is a culmination and a new beginning because you know you have a bunch of freshmen waiting to take the place of those you just said goodbye to and you beam with pride for those who made it. It is a time to reflect on what you did and how will you make it better. Our profession is the only one that gives us the opportunity to start over every year.

I always end graduation with a short story that I hope will stay with them at least for a few hours. This year's story was "A farmer had an odd looking chicken in his backyard. It behaved like a chicken and it pecked like the other chickens. The chicken didn’t know there was a blue sky overhead and glorious sunshine. Until a man came along and said to the farmer, “HEY, that’s no chicken. That’s an eagle.” The farmer replied, “Um, that’s a chicken; it behaves like chicken, it pecks like a chicken” The man took the strange looking chicken. He climbed a hill and waited for sunrise. He then turned the strange looking chicken toward the sky and said, “Fly, eagle, fly.” The strange chicken, shook itself, spread out its pinions, and lifted off and soared and soared and flew away into the distance. Now I say to you, you are no chicken, you are an eagle. Fly! Rise toward the confident, the good, and the caring. Rise to become what you were intended to be!"