Earlier this morning I had the privilege of participating in the first-ever "5th Grade Moving-Up Ceremony" at Trinity. Mrs. Shelley and I both had the opportunity to speak to the current 5th grade class and present each student with a wonderful book. Following is the text of my remarks to this outstanding group of young people:
Good morning rising 6th graders! Today you officially begin your journey toward adulthood. You will experience as much growth and development during the next three years as you did during your first two years of life. You will essentially look and act less and less like a child, and more and more like an adult over the next several years, and we are going to be here to guide you through those changes.
The middle grades are an exciting time. For the first time in your school-life, you will have a tremendous amount of freedom. Classes will change seven times in a day, and you will have some choices as to what your areas of study will be. At Trinity, you will be able to choose between many different, exciting courses in the fine arts, study three foreign languages, and engage in competitive athletics.
In the middle school, we strive for Christ-like excellence. We like to think of this endeavor as shooting for "Straight As." We want you to excel, to the extent of your God-given abilities, in the areas of Academics, Athletics, the Arts, your Appearance, and your Attitude.
Let's look at each of these areas briefly:
Academics - This heads the list because it is the key to your future. Excellence in the academic arena will open countless doors for you, and will allow you to pick and choose among colleges and universities, as well as your career. There is no substitute for a solid academic background, and we are committed to giving you the sound foundation you need in order to build a bright future.
Athletics - Many of you are gifted in this area and Trinity has a stellar reputation for outstanding athletic teams headed by gifted, committed coaches. When participating in competitive sports at Trinity, you will be taught how to win with humility and handle defeat with grace and dignity. Our coaches are Christ-like men and women who will shape you into true winners, both on and off the competitive field.
Arts - In ancient Greece, a person was not considered to be educated unless that education included instruction in the fine arts. Music, dance, and art classes are every bit as academic as English, math, science, and social studies, and are treated as such here. You are encouraged to pour yourself into the arts during your middle school years. You will find the experience to be very rewarding.
Appearance - The way you dress and carry yourself has a direct impact on how you feel about yourself as well as how others feel about you. We take our dress code very seriously in the middle school for this very reason. Our Accelerated Reader program is taking this ball and running with it next year as we implement "Dress for Success" days. We want you to care about how you present yourself because it will directly impact your future.
Attitude - This may be the most important thing upon which we focus in middle school. Your attitude is everything. While you can't always control your circumstances, you can control how you react to your circumstances. In short, we want to be Christ-like in our attitudes, demonstrating the Fruit of the Spirit each day, and treating each other with utmost respect at all times.
Students, I congratulate you on your accomplishments thus far, and I welcome you to our middle school. It is my hope that the next three years will be some of the happiest and most meaningful in your life. I pray that the Lord will begin to prepare your hearts for this transition even now, and that He will guide your every step during your middle school journey.
