July 20, 2009
One of the great joys in life is to be a contributing member of society by having a career which you enjoy, however humble. It is not the title of the position that is truly important, but how faithfully and conscientiously you attend to and complete the necessary tasks associated with it.
I am committed to working with the faculty, staff, students, parents and community members of G. Ray Bodley High School to ensure that the educational experience at our school is one of high caliber.
Although you may not be in control of the type of work that will be assigned in school (or in life), you, the student, are in control of something much more valuable that will determine whether your experiences are positive or negative: your ATTITUDE. Every day you get to choose how you will approach your work. When you encounter a roadblock to your success you get to choose how you will view it. Will you see it as an opportunity to challenge yourself? Will you see it as an excuse for why you aren't successful? The choice will always be yours to make.
I challenge each of you to take advantage of the expertise, knowledge and experience of G. Ray Bodley's outstanding and dedicated faculty and staff. They work diligently to provide high quality learning experiences both inside and outside of the classroom. I strongly encourage you to become involved in activities that are of interest to you. Learning to be a productive member of a group is an essential skill regardless of what direction you may take in the future.
I am looking forward to serving as your principal and ask that you work hard, participate in your education, and make choices for yourself that are congruent with where you want to be in the future.
Be present in this moment now. You cannot change history, but you can impact your future by the choices you make now, today and every day hereafter. Are you spending time on the important things that will matter to you twenty five years from now? If not, make a change.
I sincerely wish each of you an enjoyable remainder of the summer and look forward to greeting you in the Fall!
I close with a simple quote from Elliot Eisner.
“The purpose of school is not to make students become successful at school, it is to help students become successful in life.” E. Eisner
All the best,
Mr. Buchanan
