This is something I have been doing since before arriving at West Genesee because sometimes students need to see and hear something for it to sink in. For me, the power of the event never wanes. I have been told by a couple of people over the years that the exercise is a "waste of time" and "not impactful". At left is a candid shot of some students from Friday morning. I don't see "waste of time" or "not impactful" on their faces, do you?
This is by no means a negative event. We believe in the Wildcat family, and this event brings the students closer as they prepare to spend the evening dancing and laughing together at the Senior Ball and then the All-Night Party (thanks to those who burned the midnight oil to help keep our students safe).
Moving on to the Senior Breakfast: From the simulation, students headed to the Annual Senior Breakfast. While I was speaking to senior Kevin Donahue about the simulation, the breakfast, and the Senior Ball, a student entered the cafeteria alone and sat down at an empty table. Before he and I could exchange another round of sentences, a student from three tables away, walked up to the student and asked the student to come and sit with them. The student even grabbed a chair and carried it to the table as the rest of the table made way for their classmate. I turned to Kevin and I said "did you see that?". He said "yes, that is what we do." Very cool.
Moving on to the Senior Breakfast: From the simulation, students headed to the Annual Senior Breakfast. While I was speaking to senior Kevin Donahue about the simulation, the breakfast, and the Senior Ball, a student entered the cafeteria alone and sat down at an empty table. Before he and I could exchange another round of sentences, a student from three tables away, walked up to the student and asked the student to come and sit with them. The student even grabbed a chair and carried it to the table as the rest of the table made way for their classmate. I turned to Kevin and I said "did you see that?". He said "yes, that is what we do." Very cool.
A Classy Event: The Senior Ball was elegant and classy, and the dance floor got full in a hurry. Again, there were a few students who were sitting at their tables and other students went to them to ask them to dance. Those are the kinds of things that make me very proud to be a superintendent and should make you very proud as parents and community members. After the Ball: At the end of the ball, the students made their way back to the high school for the All-Night Party. Everyone had a great time. I got the "all clear" from my administrative team and the Camillus Police around 7:00 a.m. at which time I gave a large exhale and immediately relaxed. Thanks to all for a spectacular weekend.
We have large senior classes but because they are such great role models, we would like this class to begin what will hopefully become a tradition of walking through the elementary school they attended while wearing their caps and gowns. This will help to set the stage for our younger students so they get an idea of what they have to look forward to!
Special Olympics: In my past few blogs I have written about the offshoot of the Special Olympics called Unified Sports, where our students with disabilities compete in basketball games against students from other schools. The program has been amazingly successful. The actual Special Olympics are this Thursday at Cicero-North Syracuse High School. We have dozens of our students participating, and we will have busloads of students there to cheer them on. It is one of my favorite events of the year and the weather is looking good!
Thanks for your continued support and enjoy the week!
Chris
