By LAURA HAMMACK, guest columnist
I recently ran across a lovely quotation by the author E.A. Bucchianeri, who writes, “The most beautiful moments always seemed to accelerate and slip beyond one’s grasp just when you want to hold onto them for as long as possible.”
This idea is so relevant for our seniors who are about to graduate from Brown County High School. For so many of them, they spend years anticipating their graduation from Brown County High School and yet, as we have neared closer and closer to the event, the moments begin to slip, as this author states, “beyond one’s grasp.”
It’s bittersweet. While we have had the pleasure to witness our students enjoying the senior awards assembly, extracurricular senior nights, the Top 10 dinner and prom, we are now making our last preparations for the 2017 commencement exercises that will take place in the Larry C. Banks Memorial Gymnasium on Friday, June 9.
These moments seem to be slipping beyond our grasp at an accelerated pace. While our students are observed to be relishing in “the last” of everything, from examinations to school lunch, these moments are becoming fewer and fewer.
And with that, we find ourselves struggling with sharing in the celebration of their great achievement while simultaneously recognizing that we will genuinely miss these incredible students with whom we have been gifted the opportunity to serve.
Soon, our Brown County High School seniors will be walking across the stage to receive their diplomas and will be walking off the stage to begin the next phase of their life. We expect great things from these extraordinary young people.
To support this notion, I was touched by the motto that the senior class chose as their own. The quotation is by Minor Myers Jr. and reads, “Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.”
Upon graduation, we have students who will be attending a variety of two- and four-year institutions of higher learning, students who have already secured placement in careers, and students who have made the ultimate decision to defend our country’s freedom through a career in the military. We are proud of each one. We believe the education that our students received from Brown County Schools is one for which each of our graduates can be proud.
When our students go off into the world, we want them to stand on their education from Brown County Schools as a foundation for their next step.
As well, our graduates should be comforted to know that they can always come back and see us and know that Brown County will always be home.
The Board of School Trustees and I find great joy in hiring graduates from Brown County High School as employees in our school district. Please consider us in the future.
To the parents and caregivers of our graduates, thank you and congratulations. We know how much work it takes and how much love is issued to get your child to this point in their life. You have done very well and should be very proud.
Very soon the tassels will be turned by the class of 2017 and we will be welcoming the class of 2018 as our next group of school leaders. We are excited to witness how these groups will — as the class of 2017 motto indicates — “Do good.”
Laura Hammack is superintendent of Brown County schools. She can be reached at 812-988-6601 or [email protected].
