Written by: Josh Griffin, Principal To the D’Evelyn Class of 2020: As we quickly approach the last day of school in your senior year, I congratulate you on your completion of high school and upcoming graduation. The Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences in our community, and my heart goes out to all those impacted by this public health crisis. As your principal, I am particularly saddened by the losses you all have experienced as a result of our school closure during the last semester of your senior year. I hope that, in spite of the great challenges we all face in our community, you will take this time in May and throughout the summer to reflect upon and celebrate your many great accomplishments to this point in your lives. I am excited for each of you, and know that you all are on the precipice of many more great things as you embark on the next chapter in your lives. In spite of the challenges we currently face, I am confident that we will emerge from our national crisis stronger in the future. While we will be shaped going forward by the challenges associated with this pandemic, I know you are well-equipped to emerge as a stronger, better community and nation in the hopefully very near future. A great deal of my confidence in this American future is derived from my confidence in you all - the quality people that constitute the D’Evelyn Class of 2020. Slightly less than six years ago, you started your D’Evelyn tenure as 7th grade students, ready to embark on a 6-year journey that would fundamentally change you as people, from adolescents to young adults. In that transition, you have grown immensely, as people, scholars, and citizens, as a result of your experiences both inside and outside the classroom. I have enjoyed observing your classes, attending your sporting events and concerts, watching your plays and musicals, attending your awards nights/recognition ceremonies, observing you shine in community service, and just seeing you each day around the halls and classrooms of D’Evelyn. You have grown into amazing young adults, and I have great confidence in the bright futures that lay before each of you. I will always remember the highlights and pinnacle moments of your time at D’Evelyn, and I hope that you will cherish those accomplishments and memories for many years. But I hope you will always remember and hold dear the simple, individual moments along the way that truly forged you into the person you are today. You have used hard work and determination to complete the rigorous D’Evelyn liberal arts program. You have used teamwork and collaboration to achieve many goals, both inside and outside the classroom. You have exhibited kindness and care for your peers, your teachers, your families, and our broader community. You have developed your minds and character each day, through the study of great literature, your inquiry into each academic subject, and your additional efforts in athletics and extracurricular activities. Ultimately, your graduation from high school is a momentous occasion, as it allows you to celebrate the many great accomplishments in your lives to this point, but it also is an important transition point. Like any great book, you are closing one chapter of your life to move onto a new chapter. It is my steadfast belief that the individual effort and dedication you have shown daily in your high school lives will be the foundation for the happiness, joy, and success that you find in your future. It is my best hope for you that going forth, you will be able to build upon and lean into your D’Evelyn experiences, as the many lessons you’ve learned, both the easy way and the hard way, will shape the lens through which you encounter the world in the future. I am confident that you will not proceed into your next chapter as wide-eyed strangers in a world of unknowns. Rather, you proceed as well-educated young men and women of character, both your minds and character molded and developed throughout your educational and personal experiences of the past 13 years. I am thrilled for you, and look forward to the many great experiences and opportunities that lay before you. I am also grateful to each of you. You have enriched our school and the lives of your teachers and our staff throughout your D’Evelyn journey. I ask that you join me in sharing your gratitude with your D’Evelyn teachers and support staff as you prepare to exit our halls. And, please know, you are always welcome at D’Evelyn - please stay in touch and come back to visit us. Finally, please take an opportunity in the coming days to thank and honor your parents and family members for the love, support, and guidance they have offered you in your lives. My experience in parenthood is less vast and varied than your parents, as I am just three years in. But I do know that parenting is the most profound, engaging, and ultimately rewarding opportunity of my life to date. Your presence here today, as soon-to-be graduates of the best high school in the state of Colorado is in many ways a result of the choices, decisions, and guidance offered by your parents and family members. Please honor them. It is with great sadness that I cannot relay my well wishes and congratulations to you in person on May 16th. I am, however, happy that we will have a D’Evelyn Class of 2020 senior tribute video to share next week, we will have a parade in your honor on campus on May 16th, and we will hold your graduation (albeit slightly later than desired) on August 6th. Congratulations, Class of 2020. I am proud of you. You have reached an honorable achievement, one that I am certain will prove worthy as you embark on your future adventures. I wish you all of the best going forward! Go Jags! Comments are closed.
|
Archives
May 2022
Categories |