Day 4: School

Thirteen years, this place has been my second home. Tonight, I don’t think I’ll be very good at expressing my love of this place. My school has become so much more than just a place of learning. It’s become a place of fellowship. The Lord has blessed me with a special bond with these people – not just my friends and classmates, but with my teachers. Those teachers are the best examples of humble servants I’ve known.

One of my favorite teachers used to be the CEO of a very big, important company in Belgium. She was near the top of the corporate food chain, and because of that her faith impacted many employees. Her leadership set of a domino-effect of success in that company. For all she knew, she was livin’ the life.

Until she got the call. The call from God telling her to move to the Southeast, USA to teach some high schoolers. She’s been there for about six years and is passionate about her job. The other day in our French class, she started tearing-up over how much she was going to miss us when we graduated. Years ago, she was in the spotlight. She had a huge company wrapped around her finger and was making some awesome pay.

But she chose to be obedient. She decided to leave the life of glory and chose to meet a need in our tiny school, a need for a business/finance/French teacher. Over the years she has instructed hundreds of students and I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them ended up being a financial master just like her. This woman is just one of many teachers at my school who have greatly impacted my life and sacrificed so much just to prepare some high school kids for college.

Meet the Black Box -
Where I've been taking theatre classes at my school for the past five years.
And also where I've laughed the hardest :)

 

But they have done so much more than just prepare us for college – college is temporary. The teachers at my school helped prepare us for eternity.

They helped us find ourselves. They taught us what it means to be men and women of God. Whether it was Honors Pre-Calc or AP Lit, the Gospel was brought to light. Through the Word of God, they handed us the spectacles to see the world in a totally different way. They encourage us. They pray for us. They love us.

I also couldn’t ask for a better senior class. The Lord has blessed our class with a ton of talent….I mean, it’s ridiculous. Our class has a ton of braniacs, incredible athletes, amazing singers, wonderful artists, etc. With the Lord by our side, our class has the potential to change the world. Or at least, greatly impact it. I totally believe that.

So thank you, Class of 2013, for being who you are. Whether we’ve known each other since kindergarten, have just become friends this year, or don’t even really know each other: you’re awesome. Each of you have made an impact at our school, and I firmly believe I’m a better person for knowing you. I wouldn’t want to toss my cap with anyone else but you guys. You’re the best.