Submitted by Mr. Ethan Sickels

I am so thankful for some of the beautiful weather we have had lately . . . it’s nice to enjoy the sunshine after the challenging winter and spring many of us have faced. I do want to start out by saying thank you to everyone who has helped the students and families of our school district during this horrific flood. It has been amazing to see the caring and concern put forth by many in our community, and in surrounding communities as well. We here at the Rock Port R-II School District can’t thank you enough for helping us through this time, and please let me know if there is something else we can be trying to do to help you all out as well.

It’s that time of year where every day, and practically every evening, we have a school activity going on. It’s hectic, and certainly can be nerve wracking; yet it is such an exciting time of year for our students and teachers. We have entered “testing season,” where our students are busy showing what they know on the MAP and EOC state assessments. It’s the countdown for our seniors, who are excited about what lies before them, but also want to enjoy those last few days of high school as well. We also have those final events everyone looks forward too . . . banquets, concerts, and awards days, that give our students one last chance to shine during the 2018-19 school year.

We will hold graduation on May 12, beginning at 1:30 p.m. in our south gym. We have 29 seniors this year whom we will honor. I easily could say this about many of our classes, but I am extremely proud of this group of kids we will see graduate that day. They are a hard working group, an intelligent and talented group, and a fun group to be around as well. They will truly be missed, but I know they will continue to be great representatives of Blue Jay Nation as they move down life’s path.

We will be have early dismissal on May 23 for Teacher Professional Development, and then an early dismissal on May 24 for the last day of school. The final day was a little later this year due to all our snow days, but I was thankful we were able to finish before Memorial Day … barely!

In closing, please continue to keep your chin up and take care of your friends and neighbors as we continue to deal with our current situation. It affects many people more directly than others, but kindness and compassion sure go a long way in making it the best out of the situation for everyone. I am so thankful to live and work in a community that cares about our students, staff and our school! As always, I leave you with three important words . . . GO BIG BLUE!