May the Fourth be with you!
Over all my blogs, I have never written about Star Wars. This may be shocking to those that know me as I am a very big fan. Star Wars Episode IV, now called “A New Hope," premiered when I was young, and like many kids at that time, it made an impact. I loved, loved, loved it: the Dark Side, the Force, space, explosions, creatures, robots, a fantastic and scary villain, and a story that ended with the good guys winning with the destruction of the Death Star: awesome!
Now whether or not you are a fan like I am, you have probably heard of Star Wars. It has truly become a “global sensation” from movies, television shows, theme park rides, books, games, action figures, and on and on. Would you like a waffle made in the shape of Artoo-Detoo? This sensation continues and grows every year.
I just went to the 40th Anniversary of The Return of the Jedi last Saturday afternoon. The theater was packed with old and young. It was a family event. It was an opportunity to share an experience, not only with family and friends but with all in the theater. There was a shared understanding about why they were there and what would happen. We all knew how it would end, and we clapped with the explosion of the second Death Star/when it was over.
There are few shared experiences like this anymore. One that remains is graduation. No matter the amount of time that has passed, when a number of students from a graduating class gather, they have a common bond from what has happened. They know why they were a part of of that school and what happened when they were there. It was a shared culture, based on sporting events, teachers, classes, and current events. We all have this (maybe it is happening in your brain right now while you are not even with a fellow classmate). These typically are truly the "Glory Days."
This year’s graduating class is the first to have gone through all three Spectrum campuses (they did, however, not go in order as they went to the high school for 7th grade before heading to the newly opened 7/8th grade building for their 8th grade year and then returned to the high school for their 9th-12th grade years). They have stories to tell, experiences that have been shared, and learning that has shaped them for their lifetimes. Spectrum works hard at being a leading college preparatory school of choice, and when students work hard too, they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and attributes to impact the world.
As we enter the final weeks, the final class periods of the 2022-23 school year, I hope these days are positive. I hope that when students look back in 40 year that all have memories that make them think: AWESOME!
Weeks at a Glance
- Monday, May 8: Professional Development Day - No School
- Monday, May 8 - Friday, May 12: Teacher Appreciation Week
- Thursday, May 11: Final Directed Study, Sixth Grade