A Wonderful Time of Year

Historically, these next weeks have always been ones of celebration and jubilation as high schools and colleges hold their graduation exercises. Students hug each other, their parents, and the educators who they have spent so much time with. It is a time of great anticipation and change in students’ lives.

The graduates of 2022, like those in 2021, hold a unique distinction, as both have weathered the shutdowns and challenges that came from the COVID-19 Pandemic. As such, they may have a unique outlook on the future and how events out of their control may impact their lives moving forward.

This next month, college graduates will be entering a world in flux, not only because of the impact which COVID has had over the years, but because of the challenges facing world leaders as the war in Ukraine continues to rage, as well as the instability on the Asian continent, and the storm clouds gathering, once again, in the Middle East.

Here in the United States, as well as in other nations across the globe, we see the fires of inflation burning red hot and affecting households and families across the world. 

The job market for college graduates may in fact be the bright spot on the horizon, as employers are looking to hire 32% more college graduates this year than during the same time period last year, according to a number of reports. However, those jobs may not be at the level or in the field that those graduates had hoped for, therefore, they may be more mobile in the job market and not as long term as previous generations have been.

As this latest generation moves on into college or into the real world after college, they will be doing so after dealing with some harsh realities of life. That gives me hope for them, as well as us. They will hopefully be more of a “can-do” group that has learned from those challenge and they can pass some of those lessons onto future classes.

I enjoy seeing the pictures of children moving on from pre-school into kindergarten and their wonderful smiles filled with pride and anticipation. Others will graduate from kindergarten and move into grade school, while grade schoolers prepare to enter middle school and all the challenges ahead of them. Photographs that capture their innocence and wonderment are so special and give me great hope, as I am an optimist by nature.

We didn’t have a middle school experience in the ‘60s in my small hometown. We moved from the 8th grade right into high school and the next four years of our life, which some of us still wonder laughingly how we ever survived.

I am amazed, as I thumb through page after page of photographs of local children, some whose parents I’ve known for more than 32 years ago since I moved to Marco fulltime. Some of these parents were young themselves when I first met them as their parents’ friend. Now, here I am watching their children graduate and move on. 

I think back on some of the youngsters I watched graduate a few years ago, who went off to further their education and have now returned to Marco Island to teach our next generation of students and help them to find themselves during their challenging adolescence. 

I also think about those who have chosen to raise their right hand and swear allegiance to our nation and the Constitution, as they put on our nation’s uniform to protect our freedoms and liberties. To those people, I say thank you so much.

I think of the wonderful things that are happening right here on our island, regarding the education of our children. The award-winning efforts of the Tommie Barfield Elementary School, which has provided the foundation of learning for so many our youth, before they move onto one of the finest middle schools to be found in the State of Florida -- the Marco Island Charter Middle School, under the watchful guidance of Principal Michelle Wheeler. 

Today, that facility can accommodate up to 400 students and will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2023.

As they enter their last years in secondary school, our young men and women have many choices, all of which will provide them with excellent opportunities. Here on the island, they may choose to take advantage of one of the top-rated high schools in Florida, as they can choose to enter the Marco Island Academy which will have graduated another senior class, but this time from their newly constructed facility on San Marco Road. That opportunity came about through the dreams of many who wanted to have their children continue their education locally rather than travel off the island and be provided a unique curriculum which stimulates their learning experience. 

This successful effort was due in part through the hard work of its founder, Jane Watt, along with her team of dedicated parents and educators, and the dedication of Principal Melissa Scott, a dedicated board of directors and her great team of faculty members.

Lely High School has continued to provide many within the Marco community and Collier County with a wonderful opportunity to excel in their studies and participate in a wide range of activities as they look forward to their future endeavors. Many have graduated and been appointed to the prestigious military academies and to top ranked Ivy League and major colleges, along with graduates from MIA.

Seacrest Country Day School, St. John Neumann and the Community School in Naples also provide wonderful prospects to all within Collier County, seeking to deliver a wide range of educational opportunities to our youth.

Whether our children choose to move onto higher educational pursuits, seek a trade or avail themselves of other opportunities that await them, the future is theirs for the taking.

To see pictures of this next generation going off to their proms or carefully dressing in graduation robes to attend high school or college commencement ceremonies should bring a big smile to our faces. It should also instill a sense of confidence that not all is bad in the world, for our outlook is brighter today due to their accomplishments and those that will come in the future.

I guess it is fitting that graduations are held in the spring of the year. This is a time that represents rebirth and reinvigoration of everything that makes the world grow and prosper. We therefore should take the time to thank those farmers who grow the crops that help to sustain life, as well as the cultivators of the minds that will lead generations yet to come.

Congratulations to graduates, families, educators and staff everywhere.