Legends

I'm not talking about myths or anything, but the kind of legend we all leave behind when we leave: high school, college, or the world.

I guess what prompted me think about this was when Spadafino (the chorus director) announced that she was retiring this year, after 35 years of teaching.  Now among my friends, we often talk about the great people that have come in the years before us; the really great people, not people who have gotten into good schools; people who have set the bar so high that they have left, if you may, legends in the school.  In the past ten years, there has been one who made national chemistry and national biology, and placed bronze in the IChO, one who placed gold at the IBO, one who have made the national camp for both math and physics, Mort Pye Scholars, IPLE teams that have won nationals etc.  ...and then we look at my graduating class. On average we're easily better than the year before us, but we lack someone of 'supernatural intelligence', so much so, that they trump the ordinary studyhard workers of each class.

It's easy to get caught in the awesomeness of others, especially when we cannot accomplish something ourselves. But what we fail to see, is that the school doesn't suffer nearly as hard a loss when students leave as when teachers do. Teachers, not the students, turn the school into a potent force in academic/athletic competitions.  I guess I'm pretty fortunate to have all of the great teachers of EB before they retire, but they retired continuously as I go through high school, and whom I write this for is actually the future classes who never know the great teachers and never know how good the school once was.

I guess we could start with Mr Seel, my ap comp sci teacher last year. I did not know until he retired that he taught for over 30 years. Incredible man, great teacher. I heard the new guy is scary. I heard Ambrosy (psych) retired (don't know her). I attended Tedeschi's last concert (orchestra). Charanis (ap physics) was talking about his own retirement. I quite frankly do not know who could ever fill his shoes. Doc Kimmel (ap chem) is well past retirement age.  Even Brodman (AP iple) is probably planning down the road.  All these teachers taught for over three decades.  When they leave, where will our school be? Dr Kimmel runs every science club/team in the school. Brodman has led our IPLE team to nationals every year except one. Not saying I love any of the teachers mentioned above, but I honestly don't know who will fill their shoes. The school would suffer greatly should these people leave.

To put things in perspective, I guess my impact isn't that great, no matter what I do.  If I win a competition or states, I get more personal satisfaction than the school does because things move on and people move on. I guess its I only can keep doing what I'm doing and see where it takets me. I wonder what people will think of me when I leave...