“Be kind to everyone, consider all options, take advantage of all opportunities, don’t over-commit, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, beans are good too, don’t gossip, get up no later than 8:30 a.m., consider Monday through Thursday as if they were work days, go at it for 8 straight hours, don’t resist change, socialize after dinner, make appointments to meet personally with all of your professors, try meditation, annotate, ask the hard moral questions, try to answer them, form study groups, don’t leave your laundry in the washer over night, read the newspapers, exercise regularly, make your Facebook status ‘unavailable’ during exams, always hydrate, be grateful, vote, don’t forget to brush your teeth, and call home even when you don’t need something.”
–Jayne Osgood; IB English HL II, World Religions
“Some words of wisdom, probably the first one is if you are studying out of state to always keep in touch with your family and friends, you need this network to support you. The second tip is to plan and have specific goals in order to achieve them, to always persevere even when the pressure of classes gets harder. Also choose a career that you will have a passion for, where you can have the freedom to use your creativity and your full potential. In addition, ask questions and/or research, the most expensive school is the ignorance. And last and not least travel abroad when possible at your college, this will be an amazing experience to know and understand other people’s customs, traditions, language and culture. To my Spanish students, I hope you keep up with your Spanish. And if you never took a language course before is never too late! Felicidades!”
–Ana Gonzalez; IB Spanish II
“My parting advice for the Graduation Class of 2012… Take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that surround you – when you are at college you will find that time in the classroom is not nearly as long as you spend in high school – what will you do with all of that “free” time? How about finding a noted professor at your school (they are everywhere) and sit in on a lecture (or better yet, enroll in their class – especially if it is outside your major!); I ended up with a minor in history by doing this – I had a world-renowned professor on Russian History, his lectures were packed just because he would tell such fascinating stories, and the best part is you don’t have to worry about being tested on it! You are learning for the pure enjoyment of it!”
–Eric Misencik; IB Biology HL, Human Anatomy
“Charge of the Light Brigade By Alfred, Lord Tennyson: ‘Half a league, half a league, half a league onward, all in the valley of Death rode the six hundred. ‘Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!” he said: Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.” Like Tennyson, my advice to this 600+ graduating class is to charge ahead! Go for the guns! O’er these past years you have been armed to fight whatever battles await you in that valley of Death that is the real world. Go forward, seize your moment, ride out, vanquish your enemies, and attain glory, fortune, knowledge, and wealth. Best wishes to the class of 2012!”
–Drew Foster; IB Geography
“Some say your high school years are the best years of your life. I disagree! The best years are right in front of you. An open mind is your key to making new friends, experiencing the world outside of Robinson, and finding out who you are really meant to be. Remember that being present is half the task. Go to class! Show up to work on time! Participate regularly and embrace the diversity of thinking and personalities you will encounter. Balance is also critical. Take the time to have fun, try something new, travel, and help others, for these experiences will become your most cherished.”
–Megan Garnett; Combating Intolerance
“When I was in high school, a lot of things we now take for granted didn’t exist, such as graphing calculators, smart phones, PCs, DVDs, digital cameras, social media video games, facebook, Skype, YouTube, and many others. So in the next 40 years, who knows what inventions your children will take for granted that you can only dream of today? But what we have in common is a great high school education that I hope has given you the skills to know how to learn, communicate effectively, and think critically. Try to discover what you love to do and then pursue your passion when you decide on a career; the money will follow if you live within your means. To paraphrase the T.V. commercial, ‘stay thirsty for knowledge, my friends!'”
–Bob Collidge; IB Math HL II