The Arrow Summer 2019

A Word to the Family

– Danielle Higgs

To the families of the graduating Class of 2019, This is a moment we all should appreciate. Your child is moving on to another chapter in their lives, a chapter where they are no longer teens, but young adults. This doesn’t mean they don’t need your guidance anymore. You were guiding us to this

moment, helping us get through high school. But in this chapter, you are now our mentors giv ing us advice and helping us find our way down the diverse pathways which our lives will take us. Life isn’t about to get easier; the things we struggled with in high school aren’t just going to disappear. We’re going to have to deal with these times of adversity even more as we enter the so-called “real world” and this is why we still need you by our side, for those good days and bad days. Mom, Dad, thank you so much for standing by me, protecting me, and directing me to the right path. I know it might seem like what you tried teaching me just flew over my head and I know that I was stubborn, but over these years at Oak Hill, I’ve realized that what you were showing me was love. Your love has helped bring us to this moment. We have learned lessons about community, responsibility, and leadership. We know that as we grow older, we won’t need you any less, because our relationship will evolve and we will need you in new and different ways. We graduates also want to celebrate on this celebration day the parents, families, and friends who have supported and loved us in many different ways throughout the years. Expressing that appreciation is not always easy, but I encourage my peers to find ways to celebrate their families. The only thing I can give to my parents to show how much I appreciate them is love, so I cre ated this portrait to express my love for them.