Good morning and I hope that your weather has been as great as ours has been here in Vermont. I wanted to share with you a couple of things that have been/are going on around here now that Commencement is over with. Other than my returning to my favorite past-time of kayaking - -
This past Monday night I drove to Bristol, VT and spoke to 200 students/parents at Mount Abraham Union Middle/High School at their Academic Excellence Banquet. I had been asked to speak by Caroline Patrie Camara ('88) who is a science teacher there and one of the people who coordinated this event. While some schools have done away with an academic recognition dinner, these folks, with the financial support of the Bristol American Legion Post (thanks Ron LaRose) recognized students in grades 9 - 12 for academic excellence. These students have achieved high or highest honors during recent marking periods. We had a very nice dinner served by the faculty and administrators and then I had the opportunity to speak with them. I stressed the importance of recognizing and celebrating their academic achievements and quoted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan who was our Commencement speaker last week. They were very appreciative of my comments and it was a good evening - congratulations again to all of the students who have done so well academically.
Tomorrow (Sunday) will be the Keybank Vermont City Marathon which has become one of the premier marathons in the country. I know two of our students ('09)who will be running (Alex Canning and Matt Alexander) but suspect that there are many more students/faculty/staff/administrators from the College who will be participating either alone or in relay teams. This morning's Burlington Free Press has a front page article titled: "Wheelchair champion passes on his skills, spirit" - I knew without even having to read the article that they MUST be talking about Pat Standen, a friend and colleague (he is a very popular professor of philosophy and a faculty mentor for our men's hockey team) who is the record holder and two-time defending champion in the wheelchair division. The story goes on to talk about how Pat has been mentoring two youths who will be racing for the first time this weekend. The marathon generates an amazing amount of energy and enthusiasm in the area as people line the streets and bike path to cheer on these amazing athletes. A few years ago I set up in Leddy Park near the finish with my camera and took pictures AND applauded as the runners went past me - they were so appreciative of the support that they received along the way. I will be back there in the morning, armed once again with my camera and my encouragement for all of them.
While many of our students have gone home for the summer to begin summer jobs or to start their "life after SMC" - 8 of our current students or recent grads plus two staff/faculty members took off this past Monday for Kolkata (formerly known as Calcutta) India for three weeks of volunteer work. Julia Berberan ('09) and Annie Brabazon are leading the trip and my friend Sue Kuntz (psychology professor) who is on sabbatical this semester is investigating the establishment of service learning being tied in with the classroom. I have gotten to know some of the students on this trip through having had them in class (Julia) or through their fund-raising efforts on campus as they hosted a "cook-off" and worked all year to prepare for this adventure. This is the seventh year that the MOVE Office has sponsored this trip and I just wanted to share their blog information in case any of you are interested (as I am) in following what they are experiencing in India -
http://smckolkata2009.blogspot.com/
Please enjoy this Memorial Day Holiday weekend safely, use lots of sunscreen and remember what this weekend is all about. Our soldiers and our veterans are still facing challenges that we cannot begin to imagine - keeping them in our thoughts and prayers is a way to pay tribute to their sacrifices and to thank them for their service to all of us.
take care and be well
Dave
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