First, I would like to say welcome to all the families and
graduates of the Class of 2018.
One of the final and most touching traditions here, is when all
the students line the hallway and cheer you, the 8th graders, out of the
building on your last day of school. I
want to apologize for missing this special event, as I had to attend a family
funeral in northern Indiana. I ask your
forgiveness and know I was there in spirit.
That being said, while driving up north, I had to use GPS for
directions to the funeral home and it got me thinking… I love my GPS because it tells me exactly how
to get to where I need to go, and assuming traffic patterns are okay, the GPS
can tell me, within minutes, the time I will arrive at my desination. If I know I am going to be late, I can call,
and if I am going to be early, maybe I can stop for lunch or a soda. It is so nice to have the route laid out for
me with a predicable arrival.
Now, no matter how old you were when you first came to SPX, I
imagine you were experiencing feelings of being lost or unsure of your path, just as I
was three years ago when I arrived at SPX and much like I would have been last
night had I not had my GPS. But the St.
Pius community - teachers and classmates, family members and friends, were all
here to assist you and give you guidance and directions, and before you knew
it, you had the SPX-thing under control.
You knew where to go, how to get there, the shortcuts and road blocks,
basically how to navigate to get yourself to this moment - 8th grade
graduation.
You went from being a
scared and nervous
Kindergartener to a confident
and comfortable 8th grader.
You went from being lost and overwhelmed in this big school, to being
experienced leaders and showing others around this school that doesn’t seem so
big anymore. You learned how to maneuver
the path through school following the lead of the older kids and now you have
acted as the GPS to new families taking tours and to your kindergarten buddies.
Today you leave a legacy of Leadership. You might not know this but you’re the first
middle school class to go from 6th through 8th grade while I’ve been principal and I have had extremely
high expectations for you. I have also
had much more patience than I could have dreamed of waiting for all of you to
become the 8th grade leaders.
And I must say, it was worth the wait.
Your leadership will ring through these hallways for a long time
to come. From being the Kindergarten’s
buddies and student ambassadors, to leading Kaizens and taking care of the
daily flag responsibilities, you were never afraid to show your true leadership
abilities. You proved not only to be
good examples for the entire SPX student body but especially to the kindergarteners. You have all stepped up and led this school, exceeding
the expectations I had for you. Please
continue being the leaders at whichever high school you attend. Be confident knowing that you have what it
takes to stand strong and supporting you will be the roots and core values you
have learned from your teachers and the Leader in Me.
As I left my family function yesterday evening to head home, I
again turned on my GPS. However, this
time, all I had to do was hit “home” on the screen and it automatically gave me
the directions to my house, I did not have to add the city or type in my
address. Today I want to reiterate to
each and every one of you that St. Pius X community is your home button. When things get difficult, and they will,
when things get out of control, and they will, when things seem to be going in
the wrong direction, and they will, just hit “home” and know that you are
always welcome here. No matter where
you are attending high school or where your journey takes you in life, you know
you are always welcome at the home in which you sleep, now know that you can
press the home key and will be welcomed back to SPX and our special community.
So, to the class of 2018, our newest SPX alumni - I say good luck
and God speed. Know that we will keep
you in our prayers, remember that you are loved and will be missed, and finally
- CONGRATULATIONS!!
