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“Hope springs eternal within each human breast.” Sounds like it is a loose quote from Shakespeare somewhere, doesn’t it? Anyway, in all the drama and tragedy that he was able to capture so well, maybe this one quick phrase best captures the essence of middle school for our students. Each of our kids is hopeful in so many ways. The young people all dream of wonderful things – of acting and performing on the world’s stages, of accomplished athletic careers, of law offices on Fifth Avenue in New York, of saving lives as firemen and policemen, of glory in the military, of engineering feats we have yet to even consider, of explorations of the moons and planets of our solar system, of health or genetic research that may one day bring back the dinosaurs. I am always amazed how quickly they can smile and beam of a future that is bright and promising. How fortunate they are to realize that the future is indeed bright. Keeping the future bright is a full time job. Grafton Middle School is a place of hope. I am happy to tell you that the dreams of our students have a place to live and grow at Grafton Middle. We accept the dreams as possibilities, and offer advice that includes hard work and focus as the highways to one’s dreams. Keeping dreams alive has many implications. We have some rather creative students here who flourish when the opportunity to go beyond the basics is provided, and although it is important to identify boundaries with middle school kids, creativity is a trait that must be nurtured or it may wither. Permitting our students to dream big and wonder about the possibilities is encouraged by the staff at GMS. Many students get to dream big through the academic opportunities provided by our teachers. Projects and various writing assignments require students to critically think about how challenges have been addressed in the past and help hone skills that they may need to face issues in their future. Some of the science projects this year were aimed at providing insightful solutions to significant issues in the world today. Some activities, like our Builder’s Club, permit kids to identify and provide solutions to real world problems the students can see today. The GMS Operation Smile organization is providing doctors and nurses with resources needed to improve the lives of children in far off lands. The SCA provides students with a chance to gain a sense of what mechanisms are needed to make change and generate attention. GMS provides students the chance to dream of a better world and advances opportunities for them to participate in that goal now. Most of us, the adults who are running this world, have fallen into established patterns that have produced the structure of the world that we currently experience. Many of us have become a bit cynical about the ability of our political, economic, and social systems to make significant changes in the world. The breath of fresh air for all of us is that the kids do not yet realize the limiting effect of our system. They do not notice the obstacles, they only dream of a bright and promising future – and I believe in them. How fortunate we are because, from what I see and hear, the future is indeed bright. I hope you enjoy this edition of our newsletter, The "Trade Winds". Please contact us at GMS if we can help you. I hope we all have a pleasant Spring.
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