Dr. Stan DeJarnett; Superintendent, Morgan County School System

Dear Class of 2009,
I write this letter to congratulate you on the wonderful award you are about to receive, that of earning your high school diploma. I emphasize the word “earn” because I know that you have had to work hard for this diploma. Now that you are about to cross the “finish line” I can confess this: we planned it that way.

Preparing the Path for You

Your teachers, from kindergarten through 12th grade, have all worked mightily to make sure that you are ready for whatever your dreams and plans hold for you after graduation. Part of that planning, especially early in your school career, involved developing detailed lessons and projects that would catch your interest and develop the habits of learning you need for the future. They knew then that you needed a solid foundation upon which to build your future. They worked with your parents and the community around you to prepare a clear path that you could easily follow.

Preparing You for the Path

When you became more independent the job of your teachers changed.  The work you were assigned did as well. It was no longer possible for any of us to correctly choose the path for you as we did when you were young. So, rather than preparing the path for you to follow, we needed to prepare you for whatever path you might choose to follow.  We hope you learned how to think analytically and creatively, how to plan and follow through, and how to make good decisions. We also hope you learned how to care for each other.  While it is impossible to predict the opportunities you will have in the future world of work, you will definitely need all those skills, whatever path you choose.

Look Forward...Look Back

I know you are excited about what lies ahead. You should be excited, because you are ready. You are ready because you have benefited from the best teaching and guidance available anywhere. Guess what? Even though we may shed a tear at graduation and appear sad that you are leaving us, we are excited too. The only thing more rewarding to us than watching you walk across that stage on Friday night to receive your diploma is the bonus of seeing you in two, five or 10 years as a successful adult who is making a difference in our town, our state and our world.  So remember this: even though you are tempted to look only forward as the door to your future is thrown open, don’t forget to look back every now and then to see how far you have come.  When you do you will see us all, still cheering you on!

Congratulations to each of you in the Class of 2009. We are proud of you!

One Morgan,

Stan DeJarnett,
Superintendent