Commentary; Posted: 6/1/05
High school graduates will be future leaders
By Don Heinzman
This is the month to celebrate graduation in our communities. It is the time to focus on the valedictorians, salutatorians, the honor students and the many scholarship winners.
These are the students who made the most of their school opportunities and are prepared to continue their studies to reach their potential in the service of others.
They will be the leaders of tomorrow in all professions that make up this complex and changing society.
While we commend the scholars, we congratulate every student for meriting a high school diploma, which will enable them to live a better life.
A communityís greatest obligation is to develop and educate its young people in what is becoming a more difficult world swirling with hardening beliefs and philosophies.
High School graduation is a time to rejoice as a community which pours more time, talent and money into schools than any other civic enterprise.
This is also a time to salute the parents of these graduates for guiding them through a sometimes perilous adolescent journey.
Teachers all the way from early childhood to high school education deserve gratitude for instructing and caring for these young people.
It is a time to thank school board members for serving these students and making the tough decisions which produced qualified teachers, using up-dated curriculum and resources in well-equipped classrooms.
All the people working in schools deserve thanks, particularly the superintendents, the principals, the teachers, the teacher aides, the cooks, the custodians, the bus drivers and volunteers.
While the spotlight is on high school commencement, we congratulate the graduates of public and private colleges and universities.
The research is clear. High school and college graduates have more opportunities to succeed in life, at least in potential income, than those who drop out.
The challenge to the graduates is to continue to learn something new every day, to serve others and to give back to the school systems and support them with time, talent and money.
While many will leave their communities, the hope is some will stay and become the new class of leaders on school boards, city councils, county boards and business board rooms. A community is only as strong as its leadership.
During the years ahead, interest and involvement in politics will be essential to avoid one party with one set of values dominating. Graduates should resolve to vote in every election.
Meanwhile, communities will continue to provide opportunities for all children to learn according to their abilities and reach their potential. No goal for a community is greater than that.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
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