How can it be the end of May?
I trudged up the stairs of my apartment with great fatigue. Last week had been a trying one. There were track meets to cover, baseball and softball games to attend. There had been a school board meeting and a pyrotechnic display that gives me an even greater appreciation for everything firefighters do.
Then there was Abbotsford High’s graduation on Saturday. The sun shone down and the temps were glorious. Warmth is such a wonderful feeling, especially after the last few chilly weeks. I watched the seniors pick up their diplomas, listened the valedictorians and salutatorian give their speeches.
As always, the display moved me. I wrote last week about becoming attached to one’s subjects, and in the case of my student-athletes, that always happens.
This group of seniors in particular is special to me because I have followed their journey all four years of their high school careers. They are the first group of kids that I have covered from freshmen to seniors, and now graduates.
It’s been a special journey for them, filled with ups and downs, conference titles and numerous milestones and achievements. They’ve handled and lived through COVID-19 — as well as the crazy Wisconsin weather that is typical of our state.
They’ve left their mark on the halls of Abbotsford High, and now they will be leaving their mark on the world in the coming years. I know they will succeed in many and surprising ways.
Some will be teachers, some will go on to medical field or the military or will build homes and then build families. Some are continuing on with their sports careers, playing at the next level. I look forward to all of it.
I’ve done my best to chronicle their high school years. And as I celebrated their graduation, it was great to hear from them how happy they were to have me be their reporter. That, to me, means more than any award or recognition I could be given.
As I trudged up my stairs, worn out and weary from a busy week of covering sports, I thought about everything I had seen and smiled. It’s been a topsy-turvy year and a half, but seeing something like a graduation made me feel like maybe we have turned a corner, maybe things are getting back to normal.
And as I reached the top of the stairs, I breathed deeply, and inhaled the scent of freshly cut grass, the smell of wildflowers in bloom, and the smell of people cooking on the grill.
Amazingly, it’s the end of May. We are almost into summer, and in three short months, another group of seniors will begin the final year of their high school careers. I cannot wait to see what their legacies will be.
I feel the same way about Colby and their seniors, who will be graduating this year. To all those who graduate this year, I remind you, there is no sure path to success. And to be honest, success is defined by your terms. Go out, conquer the world, do amazing things. You’ve earned that right. The world is yours, enjoy it!
M USINGS AND G RUMBLINGS
ROSS PATTERMANN REPORTER
