Tragic events foster culture of perseverance
Ending a school year for students and staff is a significant rite of passage. The sense of completion, the recognition of accomplishment and growth.
Looking back, most adults can vividly remember the warm, sun-filled final days of a school year. There were teachers that you would miss, and maybe some you looked forward to moving on from. Knowing it was the last day of school brought reflection and anticipation of the fun summer ahead. It is and has always been one of the highlighted dates on home calendars.
Recent school calendars in Brookville will not show any distinction for Friday, May 24, 2019, or Monday, March 16, 2020. Within our calendar they were both just typical days. One date ending a school week, the other a beginning to the week. However, what we all know in our community is that these two dates brought a blunt, unexpected ending to students attending classes the last two years.
Memorial Day, May 27, 2019, our community and school facilities in Brookville were decimated by an EF4 tornado. In the wee hours of the next morning, a decision was made to close our schools the remainder of that year. Weeks later, students came to the buildings during designated hours to pick up their personal belongings. Everything was tied up in a black trash bag with your name affixed. It was an unexpected, difficult ending. Little did we know the previous Friday would end the school year. No good-byes, no field days, no move up day to meet next year’s teacher, no closure. We were left void of that sense of accomplishment.
Fast forward to Monday, March 16, 2020, when our schools were closed down by a global pandemic. This time we found out a few days in advance. We brought students back to school Monday to pass out technology devices and give short-term directions. It is safe to say we all believed the closure would not be long. Within a few weeks, maybe a month, we would be back together and still participate in all the traditions, activities, pomp and circumstance that we had missed in 2019. Except, it never happened.
And so, we find ourselves in the spring of 2021 wanting for something we haven’t had for two years. Completion. Finality. A sense of accomplishment by way of a successful ending. Students, staff and families look forward to completing this school year on a positive note.
Nothing unexpected now, please, we need this. Just to be able to look at one another and say, “The year is over. We made it, we closed it out the right way.” In roughly six weeks we will conclude this school year with a true feeling of triumph. The fact that our staff, students and families have dedicated themselves to in-person classes five days a week since August makes it that much sweeter.
Wearing a mask through the final days of school or having to be seated spread out at a graduation ceremony sounds just fine to us. After our ending the last two years we just cherish the opportunity to have an ending. And through it all, as superintendent, I couldn’t be more proud. Our students and staff have displayed resiliency, grit, concern and care for one another and a remarkable character. This year we will enjoy move up day, third grade clap out, senior locker slam, graduation and everything in between.
We won’t take them for granted. We’ve been through the pain of not having these experiences. But we have grown stronger together. The addition we have gained by these events being subtracted the last two years is a culture of perseverance. Moving forward it will serve us well. And now my wish for all Blue Devil families is to finish strong. You deserve it!