Last days at the G

Since saying goodbye to my fellow teachers and students at Garinger High School in Charlotte, North Carolina on June 8th I have had quite the busy summer. Beforehand, however, I want to mention just a couple things about my last month in Charlotte. First off, leaving Garinger was definitely a difficult decision and I truly will miss the students. Anyone who knows about my job at the G knows how important the kids were to me. This year I was lucky enough to be on stage and participate in the graduation festivities, as well as attend the prom ceremonies. I have included here several pictures of my students at their prom. It was tough saying goodbye, but I know they will do well on their own.

Secondly, around the same time as the Garinger prom, my sister Lisa’s softball team was working their way through the NCAA Division III national tournament. After an amazing run through the regional tournament in Louisiana (don’t ask me how Oregon and Louisiana are in the same region) in which the Linfield Wildcats won four consecutive elimination games, they advanced to the College World Series in Salem, Virginia. I was fortunate enough to attend several games at the College World Series and the best part was that my whole family was there. It is not often that I see both of my parents and my sister together in the same place and it’s always a treat when the four of us get to spend some time together. An even bigger treat was the amazing play of the Linfield Wildcats. Despite playing against 4 time All American pitcher Laurel Sagartz in back-to-back elimination games (and despite Lisa’s broken arm), the Wildcats belted four homeruns in the national championship game to win Linfield College’s first ever women’s team NCAA championship. GO CATS!

Less than a month later I was back in Oregon for Lisa’s graduation where she was honored with the Verne Marshall Award, the highest award given to any Linfield athlete for her strength and perseverance in the face of adversity (missing 25 games due to a broken arm and still winning a national championship). I have included several pictures here from the College World Series and Linfield College Graduation.

After Garinger graduation I immediately took off for Putney, Vermont for three days of staff training with Putney Student Travel for my upcoming language learning trip to Spain. I don’t know about you, but in my opinion spending three days in beautiful Vermont with 80 other recent college graduates is more like entertainment than work…I guess it makes up for spending five consecutive weeks with 16 high school students. Seriously though, I have a lot of respect for the Shumlin´s and all the directors at Putney with not only the wide array of programs they offer, but also the profound impact they are able to make on the lives of these children in such a short amount of time.