There is a Season

I always find this time of year to be very interesting around the school. It seems to be a time of excitement and a time of sadness, a time of laughter and a time of crying, a time to dance and a time to mourn. For some of you that are older, you may recognize these words from an old song by the Byrds, "Turn, Turn, Turn", or if you read the Bible, you may recognize Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. No matter how you recognize those words, they certainly ring true around here as summer approaches.

I think there are a lot of reasons for those feelings and I would like to share them with you and maybe all of us can learn a little more about our classmates and friends. For so many of the seniors, all the excitement of graduation, no more high school classes and freedom from teachers also brings the thoughts of getting a job or applying to college, new responsibilities and loss of some good friends. If you think about it, the seniors have been getting up and going to school for thirteen years now. It is a routine that they have done since they were five or six years old. They know no other way and are comfortable with that. Oh sure, they like to complain about school and getting up in the morning but the truth is, they are "in their zone" and feel at ease here. Now, within a few short weeks, we will send them out into the real world and their life will no longer be the same. This is a very scary thought for so many seniors.

I realize many of you are thinking, "I can't wait to get out of here and start working". I understand that, but I also want you to realize many of your classmates don't feel that way. For many of them, school has been a safe place. They can come to school and be around friends and people who care. They are guaranteed a warm lunch and a friendly smile. This might be something they never get at home. Think about this next time one of your classmates states that they are nervous or scared about graduating. Also try to understand when one of your friends seems a little more agitated or frustrated than normal. They could be going through these same thoughts. Several of the students don't have a job or aren't sure what they want to do, so this causes panic.  Talk with them and have them come see me in student services so we can work together to come up with some solutions. I also know that a few of our students will be missing a parent, grandparent or loved one at graduation. Someone they loved very dearly but they passed away in the last few years and won't be there to see them graduate. These are just a few examples of the range of emotions for our seniors.

Like I said earlier, the senior year is a strange year and emotions ebb and flow. As we near the end of school, be a little more understanding if someone is grumpy, agitated, emotional or quiet. Try to understand that not everyone may have it as good as you do, or maybe you are in the same position as that person and you might be able to help each other out. Whatever the circumstances, just realize people and classmates are more than what you see on the outside. Sometimes there are a lot of layers covering things up. Remember, life and people are like onions, you peel them off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep.