matters. It shapes how your world is. It shapes how you move about it. It shapes how people perceive you. You have something to say, say it. It doesn’t help anyone by you being small. There’ll be times when opportunity strikes and you need to make some hard choices. But the option will always be yours. Looking into the eye of that storm, will you plant your feet? I’d like to think that you all will stay rooted, for your foundation is built on something solid. Thirdly is this: Make mistakes and learn from them. Perfect is boring. Mistakes are going to happen. It’s inevitable. Find the silver lining in them. We’re only human. Give yourself the grace to err. Like I said earlier, it’s your job to make mistakes, and it will always be our job to call you in. To take it a step further is to try your hardest to not make the same mistake over and over again. I used to have my Lower Schoolers repeat this saying once upon a time, “It’s ok to lose.” You learn more about yourself from a loss than a win. In a society where everything is curated, quantified, and compared, focus on your journey. Take in the wins, the losses, the triumphs, the heartbreaks. It’s all a process, and be grateful for being able to take part in it. Speaking of being grateful, here’s the last piece of advice: Give your flowers. I’ve heard a number of your Chapel talks this year, and one of the recurring themes was to not take the people in
your life for granted. I just wanted to drive that point home. What I mean by give your flowers is to give your thanks. There’s no limit to gratitude. Say it proudly. Say it often. Don’t forget the people around you that got you to this point. Let them know how much they mean to you. I’ll do that right now. I just want to give a huge shout-out to the faculty, staff, administrators, and wider community that allow me to teach from the heart. To Mr. Harlow for trusting me enough to hire me and give me the opportunity to be here. To Sam Dossick, to whom I owe a lot. Your brotherhood and guidance throughout the years have helped shape me into the teacher, and the person, I am today. To the CSB Athletics team, there’s no other team I’d rather be on. To those of you I’ve had the honor of coaching with, thank you for trusting me to leave an imprint on these boys. They aren’t the only ones you coached. And a final shout-out to the Class of 2024. Our doors are always open, and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you. Humor me one more time, boys. Let’s break it down in true Hawk fashion. “Nothing is given. Everything is earned. Hard work pays off. Hawks on me. Hawks on 3. One, two, three, Hawks!” Congratulations again. I love y’all. R&G
2024–2025 red & gold | 39
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease