As I enter my 25th year in education, I look back at the changes that I have seen. Changes that include where I work, colleagues, job titles and responsibilities, technology, daily schedules, and so much more. Each year we add new courses, hire new teachers, and see new and returning students walk through our doors for the start of a new school year.
Each year I see a brand new group of freshmen enter a brand new school, many of them overwhelmed by the new building, new schedule, new classes and new classmates. I watch as they grow into sophomores who are still underclassmen, but who are now old hats at this high school experience. The juniors, who are finally upperclassmen are now facing a hard academic year and the challenge of starting college and career planning. And finally the seniors. The seniors have been waiting for this year, the last Christmas Dance, the last choir concerts, the last drama performances, the last JROTC competitions, the last PROM, the last sports seasons (for many of them), and the last time they will be all together as a class as they move on to college, the military or the workforce.
But, with all of the changes in the world today, we don’t know exactly what the new school year will bring. Who could have imagined that when our students and faculty said goodbye at the end of the day on March 13, that would be the last time we were together for the school year?
As we begin the new school year, I look forward to seeing our students again and what the new year will bring. I know things will be different this year, but I look forward to the experiences and relationships this new school year will bring.
Stephanie Marks,
Director of Instructional Media Center