How to Measure a School Year

A school year is measured by quarters, semesters, days rolled into months, just all the typical ways we calculate time. But a better measurement might be the ways in which you celebrate together, with bonfires and field trips and goofy spirit days and community meetings and yes, stimulating classes, institutionalizing camaraderie, learning and joy every day. Let’s consider those moments to gauge time well spent, because this past year, I would say, we nailed it! As with any endeavor with a diverse population in these ever demanding times, there are always challenges, but in reflection, the caring culture of my high school is one I’m quite proud to be part of.

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My Dad drove a Convertible

My Dad drove a convertible. Once he turned onto our crab tree lined lane, the volume of his Beethoven’s Fifth rattling everyone’s windows, a harbinger of his arrival sending us out to greet him. Top down, music soaring, he was beaming in the sunshine and wind, after a long day of doctoring. After dinner rides to the Dairy Queen, a pile of neighborhood kids squashing into his back seat, quarters held tight in our palms, eager for one of those delicious dipped cones. My hair whipping around my face yet seriously nothing felt better on a hot night than those rides in his red convertible. Every summer I find myself, windows down, radio up, driving a bit too fast for the curves ahead, thinking of his love of all things summer, chasing those carefree snippets of youth.

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That’s a Wrap!

Year 29 is over, grades wrapped up, classroom straightened out, and kiddos graduated! Time to celebrate all the teachers from coast to coast, and applaud a job well-done during this extraordinarily challenging year. You & me & all the rest of us: we did it!

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