I thank God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy. – Philippians 1:3-4
As we get older, life seems to get busier and busier every day, week and year. The same can be said for us here at the Academy. It seems like each day there are more tasks to accomplish, but Tuesday I had the reality check that reminds me of why I love being an educator. You may be asking, “What happened on Tuesday?” Report cards, I say to you.
As I sat in the hallway all day handing out report cards, I was reminded of the many gifts our students bring into school each day. Our kids are gifted academically and strive to achieve their best. This is a blessing on its own of course, but these students have so many other gifts that they have been willing to share with us this year. To start with, there is the new venue of the Arts Cafés where our students have shared their musical and artistic talents. The Arts Cafés have been out of this world! Our JagBots robotics team just won a bid to regionals, and more importantly to me, they were awarded the teamwork award. I was raised in a home where how I played the game was just as important as the outcome of the game. To know our kids are being recognized for this makes me so proud!
I was also struck with all the other ways our students are sharing their gifts. We have students who are pianists, horseback riders, singers, geography buffs, technology gurus, hockey players, dancers and thespians. We have students who do community service on a regular basis, not because they have to, but because they want to.
Hearing from each of the middle school students made for such a nice day, and it gave me a gentle reminder that we should celebrate the gifts that God has given to us. Taking this one step further, it reminded me of how lucky I am to be an adult who works with children because I get to share their gifts every day.
At the middle school Mass this week, Father Paul challenged the students and the adults in the room to realize that their parents were always there to support and protect them, just as the Father was there for His Son, Jesus. He also went on to encourage all of us in the room to tell our parents thank you for their constant love and support. And while I did call my parents in Cleveland, I also feel compelled to say thank you to all the parents in the AHN community for sharing their most precious gift—their children—with us each day.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Bridgid Fishman
Elementary School Principal
Thank you for saying, “Thank you!” I’m fairly certain that Toby didn’t come home that day telling me how appreciative he is, but Iam thankful he attends a school that reminds him he should be thankful for his many blessings.
This was a nice message…so, THANK YOU, too!