Welcome to our annual education issue, showcasing our Senior Spotlight students, who were nominated by their schools for being exemplary leaders in and out of the classroom. Our Editorial Team meets each year to review the nominations and are continually impressed by our local students. For as long as I have been a part of this process, the final decisions of who to feature in our pages has always been difficult. This community has such strong educational institutions and community programming that yield so many impressive and inspiring young people. Grade: A+
When I reviewed the nominations alongside my colleagues and later learned more about our featured students, I felt a nudge—a gentle push in my mind to do more, learn more. These students continually challenge themselves to open up to new activities, ideas and skills. Given their busy (underscore busy) schedules, we asked the featured students if there was a new skill they wanted to learn. Despite a full slate of classes and activities, they all had something on their must-try docket.
What about me? What am I doing to broaden my horizons? It should come as no surprise that I’m a reader. I come from a family of booklovers, and I placed a high value on our children’s reading world when my husband and
I had a family of our own. And that commitment continues. (Our basement table tennis table has been replaced with a bookcase, brimming with childhood classics and cozy reading nooks for the next generation—grandchildren!) Books—fiction or nonfiction—expand our worlds beyond measure.
But that’s not enough for me, so I have made a quiet commitment to seek out new learning opportunities and experiences to broaden my scope of discovery. What about you? Write me at renee@localmedia.co and share what you’ve discovered in this community that helps expand your horizons. I’d love to share in these pages ways in which we all can continue to be active learners. Who knows, by sharing your world, you might just open a door to a new space of joy and awe for someone else.
Until next month,
—Renée Stewart-Hester
