To the Parents of the Class of 2020

Originally Published May 2020

Graduation is finally here for the Class of 2020! This is the culminating event that we anticipate at the end of every school year.  Each year, a new class of students steps forward to receive their diplomas and look forward to what is next in their life’s journey.  At this time we focus on the graduates, what got them to this point, and what they will accomplish in the future. Exactly as it should be. 

I also like to take a moment in this season to focus on the parents of the graduates because graduation is about them too.  Of course, the graduate’s life will change, but so will the lives of those who raised these graduates.  The people who sat on tiny chairs at Kindergarten Welcome Night and in the rain at soccer and football games.  The parents who dropped off lunches forgotten on kitchen counters, instruments left in the trunks of cars, cross country spikes left in the garage - graduation is about your world changing too.  For some, the changes are significant.  If the youngest child or only child in the family is moving on, the transition is big.  If it is the first of the children to graduate, the path to a changing family dynamic is beginning.  But no matter the specific situation in each family, a graduate marks a milestone for the parents too.

For all of you who have a graduate in the Class of 2020, thank you!  Thank you for raising young adults who are ready to fly.  Thank you for supporting our teams, choirs, bands, orchestras, theater productions, concession stands, field trips, and all the many ways that we ask you to help us provide a fully rounded educational experience.  Look upon your graduate with pride remembering their first day of kindergarten and all the firsts and lasts since that time.  Anticipate the future that they will build and maybe even shed a tear as you remember how your little one has grown.

And then, pause.  From the time our children are born, we are preparing them to leave us, to be independent.  As the parent of a graduate, you are one big step closer to that goal.  Appreciate all that you have done for your child and all the joy it has brought you, and then recognize their step as an opportunity for you too.

Graduation is a wonderful time, and we love celebrating our students.  But celebrate you too.  You deserve it!