We have come down to mere grains of sand in the hour glass. After months, years, of talking about facility needs the final vote for the Ferndale School District Bond Proposal will take place on February 12th.
I am asking you to dig your ballots out of forgotten mail piles and I am asking you to support the Bond Proposal – to be counted, ballots need to be in by February 12th. Our kids deserve buildings that do not distract them from the task at hand – learning. Their current reality includes poorly functioning boilers (heat!), leaks at every turn, poorly equipped classrooms – the list goes on. Every day we are scrambling to fix a new facility crisis.
As Principal of Ferndale High School, I have the privilege of sitting front-row to many powerful moments with Ferndale students. I want to share with you one of those moments. When I addressed our 2018 graduating class last June, I spoke my heart. I want to share a bit of what I said that day as the words seem appropriate to share with our community as YOU are Ferndale, too.
2018 Graduation Address:
Before I read our proclamation I’d like to share a few words for our graduates.
First of all, congratulations. This is an accomplishment that you will hold dearly throughout your life. You are now part of the collective legacy of Ferndale High School – you are a graduate – always a Golden Eagle. Many people supported you, but ultimately YOU did it.
YOU, class of 2018, YOU ARE Ferndale.
YOU are countless hours studying for AP exams;
YOU are Friday nights spent at Golden Eagle football games;
YOU are the after school job;
YOU are the childcare provider for your siblings;
YOU are leaders of your culture;
YOU are late night calculus study sessions;
YOU are the view of Mount Baker from the baseball fields;
YOU are the lifelong friends you made in class and at lunch tables;
YOU are passing periods and after school clubs;
YOU are summers spent marching as a band;
YOU are FFA projects;
YOU are theater and musicals at the Auditorium;
YOU are spirit days and fundraisers;
YOU are trustees of sacred languages and traditions;
YOU are English Language Learners;
YOU are artists;
YOU are activists;
YOU are student journalists;
YOU are the Nooksack River running through the heart of town;
YOU are the trains rumbling by;
YOU are the spirit of Homecoming each fall;
YOU, Ferndale Class of 2018, are the best of Ferndale. You make us proud. As you go out into the world to start your future, remember this: your experience at Ferndale High School is the foundation for whatever comes next. You have tested your wings here. You have tasted success here. You have begun to see what is possible. As you are out living what comes next, you might find yourself wondering about your Ferndale Golden Eagles. When you do, I want each of you to know that we will be right here rooting for you. We are your biggest fans. You are part of a bigger community now and together: WE ARE FERNDALE.
Jeremy Vincent
Principal, Ferndale High School
Letters to the Editor submitted to My Ferndale News are the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the publisher of My Ferndale News.