Goodbyes from some of our teachers...

Some teachers at Mountain View say some parting words to the seniors by Lincoln

Pendleton

Each year when I say goodbye to seniors I feel a palpable sense of pressure and anticipation. I am excited for them, for the opportunities that are open to them and their newfound freedoms. One of my pieces of advice comes from a TED Talk I sometimes show to students. That advice is: “Date” lots of different jobs to try them out. The rationale behind this idea is that if you do not marry the first person you date, why would you remain “married” to a job you dislike? We date lots of different people before we find the right person and if you can, try lots of different jobs and experiences to determine what fits.

During the graduation of 2021, I was feeling especially nostalgic and I stayed up late the night before graduation writing life tips and pieces of wisdom on 10 beach balls. The morning of graduation I passed out the 10 beach balls to my students. The beach balls were to be thrown in the air at the end of the ceremony, and my hope was that when students inflated the balls, they would see the inspirational messages. (I wish I could remember what I wrote, but I can’t and it was so cold that day that most people rushed for the warmth of cars or the building immediately after graduation, so I do not know how many messages were “received”.) Regardless, the main message is that teachers here at MV want ` students to know we care about them and we want to see them succeed. And... not gonna lie... there are some years I just want to say a quick farewell to the students and climb into my summer hammock to read a good book because I always seem to run into former students all over Stafford!

- Heather Kirkpatrick, English

The best advice I can give to my seniors is to use a combination of common sense, intellect and humor when making future decisions. A quality of life balance is incredibly important, no one part of your life should dominate all other aspects. Mental and physical health are both so important to your future adult self. Find a career that fulfills you in multiple areas and surround yourself with people who support you, love you and give good advice sometimes and who will simply listen at other times. Congratulations to the Class of 2023!!!

- Sarah Roeske, Social Studies

A last piece of advice would be to remember to not take things too seriously, that at the end of the day as long as you’re happy and you feel like you’re doing the right thing then everything will work out. School is school, jobs are jobs but just remember to live a happy life.

- Justin Robinson, English

My hope for all of my seniors is that they begin their next chapter, the first chapter of their adult life, with open minds and an eagerness to keep learning about the world around them. I hope they find their passion, make good choices, and don’t spend too much time looking at their phones and in- stead, look up at the amazing world around them.

- Erin Crosswell, Math

Advice that I have is to do something that you love doing because then you’ll never work a day in your life if you are doing something that you are passionate about. Come back and visit, this is always your home. I wish you all the best and success in all your endeavors.

Memories:

Les Miserables - That was a show I’m always going to remember. I know it’s not just seniors who were part of that, but a lot of seniors had major roles and it was just outstanding.

IB Physics family - We’re small but mighty

- Seth Thompson, Physics

What advice would you give to the seniors who aren’t going to college?

Katie Benson- Any student going to college is to get involved. Whatever you do, don’t sit in your dorm room all day. You’ll have a lot more free time than you’re used to. Use that time to study, do homework, sure, but go to the library, or join a study group. There are a million and one clubs, reck leagues,It’s a great way to meet new people, spark new interests, delve deeper into your current interests, and it’s a resume builder!