May 24, 2007 10:43 AM

The Four Years Go By

It seems like yesterday I was doing duty in Tippetts and Madi McConnell, Kristina Trudeau, Noelle Saracino, Christiane Volk, Alex Gekas, Claire Atkins, Tiffany Tseng, Emily Joseph, and all of those girls back then on the first floor were only in ninth grade. Today, they are literally days away from graduating. It is amazing to me that time moves so quickly.

The class of 2007 has given Mercersburg, it is important to recognize, some wonderful years. I think, for example, of someone like Tyler Small who has contributed to the school as an academic, as a musician, as a soccer player, as a cross country runner, and as a track star, or Alex Gekas, who started off playing soccer, but soon found herself a star on stage with Stony Batter.

Claire Atkins is our own journalist at NBC 25, a path breaking internship that may lead others to follow. Ryan Colby showed us how to speak in public, why thinking critically is important, and how much one person can know about baseball. I think, then too, of the brilliant remarks Evan Harris or Sam Goldsmith made in my English classes; their writing equally eloquent. I also recall Emily Joseph's stunning insights into literature and the finesse with which she would articulate them in class or in writing. I will not forget, either, Chuck Roberts meticulous, effective ways of accomplishing things.

I imagine every teacher has memories of students in this class (a very likable bunch) that stand out, memories of scholars, artists, athletes and more. What a class can accomplish over four years is an incredible testimony to its vigor and talent. Each class leaves its own legacy, and none can be overvalued. What is daunting is how quickly the time passes and how little time we really have with these wonderful people.

If we could track only a single student's travels through the school and all the influence that that single student had on the environment of the school, I think we would be astounded at the measure of that impact. If we could pack more into each year, I think we would--I know we try to do as much as we can in any given day, any given week of any given year. At this juncture, it seems as if we've had them for too brief a time, and yet, long enough for them to have accomplished some substantive growth and for them to have grown into accomplishment.

It is clearly a time to be celebrating the class of 2007 and all of their worth. We do so, though, with a sense of loss of what talent and personality we are letting go as they prepare to graduate. It is hard to believe that four years has passed so quickly, that so much has been gained to be ceded to the world with graduation. I hope that the four years have been rich ones for these particular students.