It’s Friday morning, the morning of the eve of Prom 2018. I just took a stroll through the high school gym that will be by Saturday evening, turned into a glitzy, sparkly, elegant dance hall where miles of lights and glitter balls cast the perfect glow for a night most of us still remember when we were teenagers. Oh, to be young again! I don’t have a great memory but I do remember prom and postprom. It’s one of those rights of passage from teenager to young adult. You can just feel the excitement in the air, and even as an adult I can’t help but get excited. But, I do get nervous also of course. My students become like my kids. (See, I even use the word my to describe them.) And, just like with my own kids, I want them to make smart choices, good choices, the right choices. The season of prom and graduation does bring excitement and with excitement, young people often forget about consequences of taking risks. To young people, taking risks makes it all the more exciting. As the adults in these young people’s lives, we have to be sure to continue to draw the line and hold them to making responsible choices. I even have to catch myself when I say, kids will be kids. Yes, they will be, but they also need to understand there are expectations, and it’s my job as their role model to make those expectations clear and to enforce them. The last thing I want is for my lack of expectations to lead to a teenager taking a risk that harms himself/herself or others. Something such as this, would quickly turn excitement into sadness and disbelief. With that, we are going to have ourselves some real fun at prom and post prom 2018, safe fun that is, and make our way safely into the graduation season. Thank you parents for your love, your support, and for holding your wonderful children to clear expectations.
"In a world where you can be anything, be kind."
Mrs. Herdrich