May Madness - 1st year nearly done!

     In May, my student council advisees threw together one last fundraiser. We wanted to do something original and fun, for both the students and faculty. Teachers competed in 3-trivia-question rounds to see who was "the smartest teacher around". We called the event "May Madness" and the students were able to fill out a brackets and bet on their teachers to win it all! The student with the most accurate bracket and the teacher who won would both win prizes. 

         

                 

       As you can see, the teachers were incredibly funny about the whole thing. They are were more than willing to have silly winner/loser pictures taken and truly got into the "May Madness" spirit. When it was all said and done, two teachers remained. They shook hands, answered the three questions, and it was all over!

And the winner is... Mr. Sisto!

    My co-advisor and I had a blast getting to know lots of teachers. We are both new, and it was especially great for teacher bonding and faculty spirit at the end of a long year. And the 4 freshmen student council members loved it, and definitely want to host it as our annual event! Obviously we were extremely proud of them!

     This past week my position as advisor came to an end at the student council banquet. (Don't worry - I'm sticking with the Class of 2017 next year as they become sophomores!) As I reflected with 3 of the 4 students on my team I discovered how much they (and I) had truly grown. With a variety of personalities, students stepping up and down from positions, and very little experience, it was a rocky year- but we pulled off some truly original fundraisers that encouraged school spirit in an innovative way, and for that we are all proud. We will learn from the mistakes of this year and flourish next year. 

     

     One day last week I found this great picture in my mailbox. We had a Gatsby-themed prom and the staff truly got into the theme (as you can see). As I reflect back on the year I KNOW I would have been much less happy and successful without this amazing staff supporting my every move. I am so thankful for these colleagues and glad that they will be with me again as I attempt the tough task of teaching yearbook! More than coworkers, many of them have become friends, during a time when friends might have been even more necessary, so again I am thankful. 

     I also look back on the relationships I created with a handful of students. Yes I feel that I connected with (nearly) all of my students, but a few responded to me in a way that I never expected. I will miss these kids over the summer break (words I did NOT expect to say!). Here are just two of them below. They ran into me at Starbucks and insisted I teach them how to do their hair in a bun without a hair-tie. Of course, a picture was necessary. Moments like these are memories I will always treasure.

 

 And how could I finish this post without a shout out to my friends and fellow teachers. We did it. We made it. I am so relieved, but even more proud to call us a group of "second-years". Cheers to us!

All my love,

Danielle