"Time, Oh, Good, Good Time..."

My work has always been in the world of education and there is an ebb and flow of the activities of a school year. Though it is always busy, there are times when the pace accelerates. The creation of report cards and the parent conferences that accompany them, right before a holiday or the end of a term, and the end of the year are times in a school community when the activity level reaches a zenith. Nothing compares, though, with the week of graduation and exams in a high school! Emotions run high with the bitterweet leaving of our students and students, teachers, and families share a roller coaster ride of events such as awards, Mass, and graduation itself not to mention the anxiety of exam grades, grade point averages, and final college plans. At Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, early June was such a time and graduation was accompanied just twenty four hours later with the five year reunion of the Class of 2005! What a whirlwind!
First of all, our graduates deserve so much credit for the poise and humor with which they dealt with the graduation "event." They paid attention as awards were given and laughed at some of the humorous traditions at school such as the senior bowling honor. They laughed at themselves as they watched a slide show that included photos taken over the last four years. Even the students were amazed at the changes that were so evident as children grew into adulthood. They listened to the advice of many and endured the tears of the adults who care about them even as their thoughts were turning toward graduation parties and the beach. Those of us who worked with them were proud of their grades, the college credits they already earned and the scholarship dollars (over 1.5 million) that have been promised to them. Most of all, it was a great feeling to know that they are ready to leave us and that they are prepared for the next stage of their lives. They are ready for the rigors of college classes and the decisions that accompany independent living. The Class of 2010 has made us proud and we smile with them as their adult journey begins.
And then, less than twenty four hours later, many faculty members joined the Class of 2005 for their fifth year reunion. It was a great evening and many class members attended. There were many recent college graduates, several graduate school students, and discussions of jobs, careers, and plans for the future. Class members seemed genuinely glad to see each other and their former teachers and marked the occasion as a right of passage. There is something about sharing a drink with a mentor or teacher that makes adulthood a reality. The conversation included the ususal "Do you remember?" and "What happpened to so and so?" but for me there was one conversation that said it all. A former student gave me a hug hello and whispered in my ear, "I wanted to thank you for supporting me and giving me the space to discover who I really am." Though I was happy to hear that she is now a professional woman with a degree, I was elated to see that she remains quirky, bright, and creative and now has added confident to the list of qualities that describe her. It was a lovely evening in so many ways.
And, this past week the underclassmen finished their exams and final grades are being computed. Tomorrow teachers will finalize this school year and simultaneously begin to work on the next one. In just a few weeks another group of youngsters will join our community and we will begin again. It is truly a blessing to journey through these formative years with students who become so much more than that word conveys.
And, as each year passes we value the time we spend with students and the time we take planning to provide the best in Catholic education for them. This year, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, there are big changes in the works. Our school will be reconfigured into an Early Childhood through grade 12 school. We will operate using an Upper School/Lower School model rather than as the three separate units we now have. The cohesion that will come from this reconfiguration will benefit our students through an improved use of resources including both personnel and space. Outward signs of this change are already happening. The library is being consolidated and the book collections decentralized for optimum use. Classrooms in our elelmentary building will be moved to allow students closer access to their assigned administrator. More challenging academic classes will be introduced at both the middle and high school levels. These changes and many others are outward signs of internal growth.
Our school community has been given the time to re-assess how we can best serve our children, of all ages, in a fast-paced, information rich, value poor world. There are exciting changes on the horizon but they will make for other stories yet to come. It is my hope that, in time, I can share all these new stories with you! I hope you decide to take the time to read along and join in the journey!