Greetings,
GreenMount Community,
This morning, I would like to share a personal experience
that I believe actually does have some significance for your children. This weekend, I traveled with my wife and more
than 600 other couples to my alma mater, Frostburg State University (FSU). The occasion was the 50th reunion
of the fraternity for which I was an original Founding Father, way back in
1964.
It
turns out that this event was the largest reunion the university has ever
hosted, which gives you some idea of the impact our organization had on
it. The weekend was full of individual
reunions and meeting brothers who range from those who are still students at
Frostburg to those who have been “lost” for as many as 45 years. The newest members of the fraternity were
somewhat in awe of us old guys because we had started the fraternity. They also had to know just about everything
about us as part of the pledging ritual.
So a young, recent graduate would say, “You’re Mr. Warner! Wow, it’s really you!” Naturally, I enjoyed the limelight and
absolutely let it go to my head.
Otherwise,
the entire weekend was filled with great events, including a semi-formal dinner
dance and a golf outing at Rocky Gap.
Most of the older guys and their spouses took over the Hampton Inn in
Frostburg and crowded the lobby for several impromptu reunions that included
exaggerated stories that our unfortunate wives have had to listen to far too
many times.
So, why am I sharing this with you? First, I would definitely include FSU on my
list of universities to visit when the time comes. For some of you that search is only four
years away! The university has grown
considerably from the time when most of us had to live in town because there
was only one men’s dorm. (Students today
ask what a men’s dorm was!)
Secondly,
I have always been impressed with the bonds that many of our students here at
GMS share. They are already on the way
to having life-long friends that 50 years from now will be the same people that
they knew so long ago. And that’s the
point. We cannot change the ravages of
time; the graying, the wrinkles and the extra spare tire. But when it all comes down to it, we are the
same people. We reunite with someone we
knew 50 years ago and suddenly their mannerisms, speech, and laugh thrust you
both back in time, remembering fondly those good times you shared.
The lesson
for future reunions is this: Treasure the friends you have and nurture as many
new ones as you can. And while I know
that Greek organizations are not so much in favor these days, they do provide a
unique bond that keeps people together for many, many years. Encourage your children to always reach out
to others and gather as many diverse people around them as they can. They will enrich their lives and provide
comfort in times of need.
On May 14, folks from The National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) will be here to film our school. They will be conducting interviews with Mr.
Fletcher and me and filming students as they are working in their
classrooms. The reason that they are
here is because our eighth graders participated in the testing, and the NAEP
folks were so impressed with us that they want to use our school for a
promotional video that they hope will encourage other independent schools to be
part of the testing program. This is
important because the data gathered from private schools is disaggregated to
show how independent schools achieve compared to how public schools achieve.
Attached with this parent newsletter is a release form that is
self-explanatory. Please return it this
week.
Finally, I want you to know that I received the only
prize as a result of the golf tournament.
It is a prize that I have received before. This time, I got a new golf bag and a golf
umbrella. Can you guess why I keep
getting this prize?
Cheers,
Steve
