Good day everyone. I'm hoping the day finds you doing well and still feeling the positive effects of an amazing Christmas/Holiday season! As I write to you today, I am inspired by something Mrs. Miriam Owens (our Public Relations Coordinator) and Ms. Annette Klinger (one of our aides and a jack of all trades) have put together for our students here at Vantage. If you walk down the main hallway to our community room and commons area over the next few weeks, you might see a display case covered with "Advice to Your High School Self" from several of our staff members here. Much of this advice is something I can look back on and tell you I would have truly appreciated back in high school.
Some of the advice was simple, yet extremely relevant, like Mrs. Lippi (our Tech Coordinator) emploring all to "Be persistent" and "Know you have a purpose". Another that was simple, but very helpful, was our Physics teacher Mr. Matt Miller letting us know that "You will fall in love more than once" in life. Had my high school self learned that 17 years ago, I probably could have replaced a lot of heartache (and gotten a bit more sleep). I could have appreciated great times from those relationships lost, and understood that I could (and would) use the "failures" from those relationships to help me in future ones (and now "the one"). My wife and I met almost exactly 10 years ago now, and while she and I both can agree I'm far from perfect, I now know that part of the reason I'm at least a decent husband is the fact that I have figured out what didn't work (and what I wanted to avoid) from past relationships and applied it to this one. I couldn't be more thankful for that, because I love my wife, my kids, and all of the joy they bring to my life every single day. I hope our students will take this advice from Mr. Miller and use it for comfort in times they may need it moving forward. Excellent advice, Mr. Miller!
We also had two staff members talk about the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people. Mrs. VanTilburg and Mrs. DeWert could not have said it any better. You are, in some ways, a reflection of those you choose to surround yourself with. If you seek and spend time with positive people, I'd imagine you'd have a pretty tough time keeping a negative mindset. If you've ever read this blog in the past, you know how important I believe it is to keep a positive mindset. As Mrs. DeWert and Mrs. VanTilburg take note in their advice, that mindset can start by simply hanging out with the right type of people. As Mrs. DeWert also points out, it may not be as easy as we'd hope to avoid negativity and negative people in our lives, but there is always a way and you will thank youself for finding it! For example, there are dozens and dozens of positive people here at Vantage. If you're having trouble finding positivity in your life, just walk to the nearest classroom or office at Vantage...I personally guarantee you'll find it.
There is so much fantastic advice on this board, and I challenge all of our students to take a minute or two and read it over the next few weeks. You'll find some very interesting insight into the mind-set (and experiences) of your teachers and staff members. As teachers, we often joke that our students sometimes think we just live at school and have been teachers our entire lives. Reading this board will prove that we were all kids once, too, and faced many of the same (or at least very similar) struggles as our students are currently facing. As Ms. Heckler, one of our Intervention Specialists points out so well, "Find those teachers, get to know them, and take their advice. Some teachers have struggled more than you think."
To prove that we were all once in your shoes, I'll share a few more of those that stood out to me. Mrs. Smith, our Senior Cosmetology Instructor, shared this advice to her High School self: "Believe I can do whatever I set out to. The only person or thing stopping me is myself." Mrs. Thomas, another of our awesome group of Science Teachers encourages to "Remember the times you were brave...the time you stayed seated at the cafeteria table when "that girl" sat down and everyone else left because they thought she was weird." That's fantastic, and something echoed by Mr. Fisher, our School Counselor's claim that "Strangers are just good friends you haven't met yet".
Give people a chance, and they will almost always surprise you. Our Student Services Supervisor Mr. Knott believes that includes yourself, as he encouraged his high-school self to understand that the confidence to talk to others and ask questions will take you a long way in life. He's a living testament to that. In that same vain, know that your teachers will be there to answer those questions. As Mr. Villena, our Auto Collision instructor points out, "Those teachers will be there for you your whole life."
Finally, I'll share the advice from Mrs. Dirksen, our Adult Education Lead Coordinator. I couldn't agree with her more when she told herself "Your peers won't remember how smart you are or how popular you are; they will remember how you treated them." This, to me, goes hand-in-hand with the advice I would give to my High School self. I told myself to comprehend the fact that, no matter what, in 20 years you'll laugh at the way you looked and some of the things you believed in high school. My daily outfit of Tommy Hilfiger carpenter jeans, a shirt that was at least two sizes too big, and bleached blonde hair should give you enough of an idea of how right I am on this one. My point is, we will all make mistakes in high school, and many of those mistakes can (and will) help us become better people.
My challenge to our students, and anyone reading this, is to think about this advice and try your very best to apply it. Start today! Identify one of the "small things" you've likely been way too worried about, and think about how you can move past it and become a better person from it. My second challenge is simple. If anyone reading this has advice that you believe can help our current high school students gain the perspective you wish you had in H.S., please feel free to post it on social media with the #vantagewill.
Thank you to Mrs. Owens, Mrs. Klinger, and all of our staff members who took the time to share their perspective with our students. Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and have an amazing 2019!!!
