MINT HILL, NC – It’s been a pretty wild ride over these last 4 years. In some ways, it feels like yesterday that I met many of you in the Fall of 2019. I can remember so many of your personalities from those first days. Wow . . . what a difference 4 years make on those personalities. One group of Stallions went from shy and timid freshmen to senior leaders driven to leave a mark. Another group was full of energy and impulse, and now they’re just full of impulse. The four years between freshman and senior year saw growth and optimism in some and fear and hesitation in others. The four years were just one part of a larger journey to identify who you are, what you want and develop the skills necessary to get there. As a school, we aim to provide opportunity, support, and discipline. I definitely understand your apprehension and apathy to it but know it was to better prepare you for a world that changed on us from the first day until the last day on June 16th on the graduation stage.
In March of 2020, we embarked on a new world. The COVID epidemic changed our world so much. We changed how we did daily activities, we changed our priorities, and ultimately we even changed our ability to trust one another. I won’t dwell too much in the weeds of that situation but the school changed, and terms like Schoology, remote instruction, hybrid instruction, AI, recovery and support, and simple face-to-face instruction became just as significant in your education as who your teacher was going to be. This led to a great rift between passive and engaged learning. All I can say is that even if you have succeeded in this new world, it may change in the future. As such, if you have struggled in this world, remember: it may change in the future. The lesson is not to focus on the individual issues but the big picture . . . the big picture is to adapt and find opportunities where they may not have been noticeable before. While you adapt, know that starting now, you can take all of these lessons as well as the love and support from all of us at QGHS and turn it into something that empowers others, provides hope to those that need it, and leads you to a happy life. This is our mission, and even if you believe we could have done more or better, take this lesson to do it better and inspire greater!
Let me conclude by teaching this last lesson and one of the greatest things that you can do for others. Believe in others like we believed in you, even if others fail to believe in themselves; help others when they struggle to help themselves. This is one of the most important thing we can do to push our world forward.
I am thankful for you and this class. Thank you for the memories and the life you breathed into QGHS. You will always be a Stallion, and we will always be behind you to root for your success and make a difference. We appreciated having you with us on this journey, and we hope you will enrich the world with the lessons we tried to instill. Have a tremendous life, and know your roots.
Cheers, Stallions!
DR. S
