It has been a whirlwind week, filled with celebrations and special events marking the end of a most extraordinary school year. It was my absolute pleasure to see our students and families in person these past few days, as they celebrated milestone moving-up ceremonies and our first-ever commencement on the high school’s new turf field.
Don’t forget to check the district’s Facebook page and website for photos of these special events, and look for the upcoming graduation edition of Soundings, which we will share on social media and the website, as well.
A few days before valedictorian Madison Kivel and salutatorian Indrani Malhotra addressed their fellow students during the 2021 commencement, I had the honor of meeting with both of them, virtually, to discuss their experiences at Hendrick Hudson and their plans for the future. The interview can be viewed here.
In other district business, the draft Safety Plan for the 2021-22 school year has posted on our website. Please click here to access links to the draft plan, as well as a dedicated email address for comments.
I am also pleased to report that the Hendrick Hudson School District is positioned to receive federal and state Covid relief funding. Click here to learn more about the different funds and to access a link for a community survey regarding fund use.
At the graduation ceremony last night, I shared some parting words with our graduating students:
Dr. Seuss once said, “When something bad happens, you have three choices. You can either let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”
We lost a great deal this year. I hope what we lost does not define you or our school community.
You overcame social distancing and quarantines; navigated family matters and friendships remotely; and learned, both while you were alone and when you were together, even at three and six feet apart.
You were scared and vulnerable at times. So was I and, likely, so was every adult in our organization. I know many in our organization learned a great deal about themselves during this time. I know I did.
We celebrated a number of milestone achievements this week, and plenty of others throughout this year. I hope that is proof that the pandemic strengthened all of us, too.
Wishing you a wonderful and restorative summer.
Joseph Hochreiter
Superintendent
