High school graduation is a time for family, friends, goodbyes – and, unfortunately, cheesy graduation speeches and, often enough, even cheesier graduation newspaper columns.
I tried to find the perfect opening line for this graduation column – a touching, heart-wrenching, tear-jerking opening line that would resonate with all – but every single one I tried was unpleasantly tacky.
I considered starting with “We are the future,” but how obvious is that?
Next, I tried, “Our high school years have been the time of our lives,” but how on Earth could I say that when my classmates and I haven’t even lived a quarter of our natural lives yet?
Last, I tried the classic “Webster’s Dictionary defines graduation as ... ,” but stating that it was “the act of graduating” really didn’t give me much to go off.
So instead of writing the clichéd “We made it!”-“While looking forward, let us also look back”-“It’s not the end, it’s the beginning” column that graduating high school seniors so often write, I’d like to take this opportunity to offer a long-overdue thank you.
Our local schools are filled with amazing and inspiring teachers who are devoting their professional lives to Durango’s children. I’ve been fortunate to have been taught and inspired by a select few.
Kay Rowe: Thank you for being the best kindergarten teacher a 6-year-old could ever ask for. You inspired in me a love for learning at the start of my school years. I still have and cherish the more than 100 letters I exchanged with you well into my middle school years.
Deb Jacobs: Thanks for being the greatest friend to me, and for being one of the happiest people I have ever met. Every day in class, and every time I’ve run into you since, you’ve shown me how positive a difference having a smile on your face can make for all those around you.
Nicki Massieon: I can’t thank you enough for spending countless hours pushing me to my fullest potential at such a young age in elementary school. And thank you for again stepping in and upping my writing skills when I needed it in middle school. There’s a good chance I wouldn’t be writing this column right now if it weren’t for you.
Mark Pastore: Thank you for providing me an exceptional introduction to middle school. And, more than just being an extraordinary teacher, thank you for being another father to me when I was growing up and the Grahams and Pastores would raft, kayak and experience the outdoors together. Lastly, sorry for the time my 5-year-old self got a little too excited during a game of hide-and-seek, and I heaved a large stick at you, gashing open your face.
Barbara McLachlan: I will never forget all you have done for me over the years. Thanks for pushing me so hard in freshman English (though maybe not for the time you required me to write 18 strictly structured paragraphs in a row, until all were perfect). And thanks for always believing in me when I joined and worked for El Diablo.
Dan Garner: Thanks for inspiring me every day in English class and for teaching me to actually enjoy poetry. Also, thanks to your constant mocking of my clip-on bowtie, I now know how to tie a real bowtie. I’m not sure how much of a “necessary life-skill” that is, but I suppose it might actually come in handy someday.
Dale Garland: I’m so thankful for the crucial role you’ve played in my life. Having you in class every day for four years has been one of the best experiences of my high school career. I can’t thank you enough for encouraging me to cast aside my timidity and helping me become the confident person I am today. I will never forget all you have taught me and the great memories we have shared.
Many more Durango teachers have helped me in tremendous and meaningful ways over the years. To name only a few: Barb Lawson, Alan Morris, Jill Somrak, Cito Nuhn, Andrew DeJong, Tiffany Mapel, Ed Cash, Kurt Zeiner, Brian Geisinger Tom Grist, Deb Medenwaldt, Aaron Eldridge and Heidi Jordan. All of you have had such a positive impact on me. I wish I had room to more fully and justly thank you here.
Beyond my personal list, there are so many Durango teachers I’ve never had the good fortune to meet who are just as great as the ones who have helped me grow and learn. So to all teachers in Durango: Thank you for touching my life and for touching the lives of so many students every day. Your students appreciate you more than you may ever know.
Logan Graham is co-editor in chief at El Diablo, the Durango High School student newspaper. His parents are Scott and Susan Graham of Durango.
