As I sit here in my office on a quiet day in late May, another year has gone by. I recently had the privilege of watching the Class of 2019 walk across the stage at graduation. They were my second class to pass through the Academy, six hundred and fifty-two of Bartlett’s best and brightest. They had taken the freshman baton from the Class of 2018 and they ran with it. They were the first freshman class to take the Spirit Stick at Homecoming in 2015, and they were definitely spirited in all the best ways. I was always proud of them, but perhaps never more than seeing them graduate a couple of weeks ago.
As I drove home that evening, it occurred to me that I was about to say goodbye to another freshman class, the Class of 2022. And it occurred to me that three years from now, they may be the last class of freshmen that I have the privilege of seeing graduate. They have been a wonderful class this year, maybe the best freshman class I have had to this point. That’s saying something, because every class I have had come through the Academy has been wonderful. I have been blessed.
As I look back on forty years in education, I am grateful beyond words for the privilege and honor of knowing so many wonderful students, parents, teachers, and administrators. I hope they have learned half as much from me as I have learned from them. As I look forward to the next three years, I hope to savor those memories while I look to make a few more before I hang ‘em up. Thanks to all for the gift of having known you and for the privilege of having shared these hallways with you. Classes of 2023, 2024, and 2025, I look forward to meeting you soon.
