The Mighty Sequoia!

 

Are your Monday mornings anything like mine?  The mad rush to get everyone up and out of bed, the barrage of reminders to your kids: "Don't forget to turn in your sports form to the athletic office!" "Ms. Ignaitis needs your College Visit permission slip today!" "Please eat some cereal before you go!" "Did you pack your lunch?" "Do you have your homework?"

In the crazy whirlwind that goes with having kids, it's sometimes easy to forget how great they really are, and how fortunate we are to have them in our lives.  As far as child-rearing is concerned, the high school years are truly remarkable.  We try to balance between holding tightly to our "kids" and letting go of these burgeoning adults. It is really amazing to see what they are capable of when we step back a bit and watch.

 

Recently, I have had the pleasure of interacting with some Sequoia students and, honestly, it fills me with pride to see them in action. This year the International Festival was organized and executed by a group of super-motivated and hard-working students who for months acted as event planners coordinating stage rental logistics, obtaining insurance forms, booking talent and food truck vendors, and mobilizing more than a dozen clubs to participate on the day.  This past week at the 8th Grade Info Night, the halls of school were packed with students of all grades charged with helping prospective Sequoia families navigate the campus.  They looked and sounded like professional tour guides! Even more recently, as I was arranging the speaker for this week's PTSA meeting -- Anthony Ross from the Adolescent Counseling Center -- the idea came up to have a student club present as well.  My e-mail request to the GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) Club got me a quick, concise, and professional response from the club president who was ready and willing to speak at our meeting.  I have received an awful lot of e-mails from colleagues at work that didn't have the clarity and politeness of the one I received from the GSA student.

 

I am so glad to see our kids in action at Sequoia. I am confident that they are being provided with opportunities allowing them to spread their wings and test their abilities in and out of the classroom.  This will serve them well as they head into the wide world. 

As the expression goes, "it can be hard to see the forest for the trees."  It's so easy to get caught up in our daily grind that we can't imagine that our own kids are transforming into adults, but it's happening. So come along to a PTSA meeting or volunteer at a school event, and see for yourself what our forest of Sequoia students can do, and you may even see someone there that you recognize!

 

Have a safe and Happy Halloween, and full steam ahead to November!

Lisa Hane, Sequoia PTSA President