First suit

I think a lot about the varied rites of passage that our students experience during their years at Poly. Many, like first days of school and graduations, are carefully choreographed and photographed. Other firsts are less predictable, but they are nonetheless expected — teeth (getting and losing) come to mind — and equally memorable. I vividly remember watching as my daughter finally got the hang of riding her bicycle on her own, and the length of pavement between us grew. While I’m not sure her 6-year-old soul soared with thoughts of freedom, she was unquestionably proud of what she had accomplished. I was, too. It was also a profoundly bittersweet moment for me as my grown-up soul ached with the thoughts of her developing independence and courage mechanized and codified by her mastering the physics of balance, momentum, and speed.

Strung together, these rites of passage create the story, “extraordinary moments in time,” as David Gerson wrote, that we share with each other and hold for ourselves as touchstones of how we see ourselves differently from the moment before. When we try to preserve all of these moments with digital images, I worry that we may miss the opportunity to revel in the moment and to appreciate their importance to our children. As the new year approaches on the horizon, I encourage us all to take time to appreciate the moments that define the joy we celebrate and remember.

JWB