ThunderRidge Homecoming is back! It’s a time that brings us back to our past and allows us to recall the many great traditions that we have at TR and our own traditions from our high school back in the day. A sense of excitement and magic is in the air; you can smell it, even taste it.
In our fast paced and ever changing lives and a world that appears to be in constant turmoil, traditions are more important than ever before. They offer stability, familiarity and a semblance of order and predictability to our existence. They comfort us, give us a sense of belonging, and make us feel safe and secure.
We associate traditions with emotion, which is why we value them so much. They’re often the glue that binds a community or family of people together, and are a critical part of any group. But while specific traditions vary from person to person and family to family and community to community, what is clear is that across the world the concept of traditions is important.
Today marked the kick off of our long awaited Homecoming festivities. The kids in the Student Government started their three day weekend by coming to an empty school at 730AM to begin decorating. Some are still there now as I write this letter. After many hours of cutting, taping, pasting, and hanging, our kids took a short break to hop over to El Dorado Elementary to clean up the parade that took place. A parade that they put on, needless to say. These amazing kids will spend the next 9 days making sure that the students of ThunderRidge High School are proud to be a TR Grizzly.
Over the last year and half, our students at TR have struggled to find the fun that is often associated with ThunderRidge. The days were filled with google meets, Canvas assignments, and constant WiFi issues. We lost so many great traditions during this time. However, what is often said that if you get knocked down then you get right back up, our kids have done just that.
So maybe Field Day will be at Shea, and the Dance we will be wearing masks, but the traditions are still going to be there. Next week is packed with amazing events that cannot be possible without our some amazing leaders. I am beyond proud of this group of students. The part I don’t enjoy about next week is that these students will not get a single thank you from the school, they won’t get their names blasted over the loud speaker of the school for a good job, and they will remain hidden in all the memories they will create for our students.
My wish this year is quite simple…let us thank those who make things possible for us. Thank our parents for providing a bed for us to sleep in, thank our teachers for spending the time to teach a concept that we most likely will forget 10 minutes after leaving class, and thank our classmates for making our high school experience the best it can possibly be. Let us not complain or criticize the hard work that has gone into this week. Let us avoid making comments on social media that are in the negative. These kids have spent the last year and half getting ready for this week. They have faced the backlash from kids and adults over the year as the students tried to navigate how to save our traditions but respect the pandemic that the world is facing. We cannot let the worst of people get the best of us!
Traditions create lasting memories which in itself provides us with a wide variety of benefits. Thank you ThunderRidge Student Government for this amazing week that is about to happen.