Words of Wisdom, 02/14/11

We suffered a tragedy this weekend at Churchville-Chili.  Two of our seniors were involved in an accident on Buffalo Road.  One, Marcus Blythers, survived and remains in the hospital showing promising signs of recovery.  The other, Dijon Pratt, was killed.

This is a horrible shock not only to those who knew these two wonderful boys, but to everyone who even shared our schools’ halls with them.  We see promise and hope replaced by sadness and despair.  We are left with the question, “what next?”

I believe it is important to honor both of these young men.  We need to mourn the passing of Dijon Pratt and we need to give our love and our prayers for the recovery of Marcus Blythers.  They have been lifelong friends and teammates and they have touched their classmates with their personalities and warmth.  We will miss Dijon and we will wait for the return of Marcus to his school home.

As a parent, a grandparent and a teacher, I watch my children, grandchildren and students with a mixture of excitement, hope and love, but I also have a bit of dread because I know that while each is precious each is also vulnerable and subject to the dangers of the world.

I hope that you will take a moment to realize how important each of you is in our school.  Keep Dijon and Marcus in your thoughts, but don’t forget to treasure each other in your heart.