Dear OHS

How do I miss thee? Let me count the ways.

First and foremost, I miss all of the friends that made my time at OHS so fun. There was a comfort level between us that is incomparable. I miss sitting around the lunch table with all of my people (i.e. Summer, Kirstin, Bryan, Jason, Sarah, and John) and laughing endlessly about one thing or another (one of the plusses to teaching high school students is the endless amount of stories). I miss the first few days of school before the students arrive that I get to hang out with all of peers, even if that means we have to go to workshops. I miss going to Cottage Cafe, Jim Bobs, or Mandarin at lunchtime and coming in five minutes late. I miss Dr. Rogers standing in the back of the room because he can't sit still. I miss all the inside jokes Kirstin, Summer, Jamie, and I shared throughout the entirety of the workshops. I even miss rolling my eyes at all the new theories and work we find out we have to do for school improvement...

Secondly, I miss my students. I think I should write a book. A book that only includes funny stories that I have experienced while teaching. I have only been teaching for three years, and I already feel like I have enough for a good start. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think that I had the best group of kids each semester. Even the rough ones...I'm pretty sure I learned more from them than so many of the good ones. There were days that I would walk into my classroom and feel terrible, and then one student would give me a compliment or say something funny and my day would change completely. I will always remember my students at OHS. They are very special to me.

Lastly, I am going to miss all the sports and clubs I got to attend or be a part of throughout the years. I love OHS football games. I smile just thinking about being at one of them. It was always fun to sit with close friends and watch the games. The atmosphere was always very energetic. One club I am going to miss is FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). The students who faithfully attended this meeting every Friday morning were like lights in a world of darkness. Just to see there smiling upbeat faces meant the world to me, and always seemed to make my day go a little better. Jamie and Kyle always did an excellent job with this club, and I learned so much about boldness and perseverance from these two amazing Christian examples. Finally, although I never thought I would say this, I am going to miss Diamond Darlings and OHS baseball games. I believe I have sat at more OHS games than any one person should, although when you have a friend with you, it really is a lot of fun. My first two years, I had Kirstin by my side. One or both of us was always there. We always had a ton of fun and laughed hysterically about things happening at school or in our personal lives. Last year, Kirstin opted to coach soccer, so Summer joined the Diamond Darling team. Although I always felt unorganized, it was always fun to hang with Summer and the girls at the games.

For all of these reasons and many more, I will miss OHS with all my heart. There were so many people there that I learned something from in one way or the other. Thanks for all the good times. Much love.