The Class of 2016

This week we celebrate the graduation of our Class of 2016.  Here is what I know about these students:

They are

• Kind and compassionate:  whenever a classmate or the family of a classmate had a tragedy of  any kind, these students were there with needed funds, emotional support, and the  gift of time
• Intelligent: Our students are attending post-secondary schools that include Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Great Bay Community College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, New Hampshire Technical Institute, Plymouth, Northern Essex, University of Maine, Franklin Pierce, University of Southern Florida, Gordon College, Manchester Community College, Bard College, and have received thousands of dollars in scholarships
• Persistent:  semi-finalists at both the NH Financial Literacy Challenge and  Life Smarts Challenge two years in a row
• Social:  these students came of age with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and many more social sites than I can name.  Along the way learning some valuable lessons about social media and the internet
• Courageous:  More students than not have proudly said "no" to peer pressure; students who have overcome obstacles of all kinds:  language barriers, medical issues and personal challenges
• Athletic:  a javelin champion, members of winning soccer teams, softball and baseball teams; initiated new sports at our school:  bass fishing, bowling and Unified Basketball; basketball and volleyball players, and club sports are all popular activities
• Hard Working:  in addition to school, many of our  seniors have part-time jobs earning money but also  learning more about  responsibility, punctuality, social skills, getting along with others, dependability and accountability
• Volunteers:  Penguin Plunge, Thanksgiving food baskets, Raymond Clean-Up, Empty Bowl Project, Rotary Breakfast, canned goods drives and so much more! There is even a NH Volunteer of the Year in this graduating class
• Musical:  members of an invitational music festival; band and chorus champions; winners of national awards
• Leaders:  members of the Student Council and Site Council
• Artistic:  gold and silver key winners in the Scholastic Art Competition, pottery award winners, blue ribbons in multiple kinds of media 

• Well rounded:  members of the National Honor Society, SST medal and scholarship winners, JAG speaking scholarships, attend summer enrichment programs, work, take part in sports, music and the arts, a published writer, a School Board representative, and participate in the many clubs and activities offered at Raymond High School

This is a wonderful list of attributes and will serve our students well.  I am so proud to know these students and to have had a small part in their education.  In my opinion, their best quality is their acceptance of each other and the way in which they celebrate each others' successes. I believe this quote (from a book published the year most of our seniors were toddlers) personifies our class of 2016 (and I feel the same way about them).  Congratulations to the students and parents of our graduates!

“There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone