Across our staff and volunteer teams, there is a collective release of held breaths as we celebrate a wonderful Easter weekend and the completion of a major church holiday with its collection of services, events, and activities. For our high school students, this passing of Easter and Spring Break marks a collective holding of breaths. We now begin the season of AP Testing, State Testing, Proms, college decisions, graduations, and a full calendar of end-of-year events, concerts, tournaments, and other activities. And they will do all of this on top of their regular school work, practices, rehearsals, and outside commitments.
As busy as this season is, it is also a season of joy & celebration. Concerts and performances mean a chance to share the talents they have been working on all spring. Tournaments bring a chance to compete for the top prizes in their favorite sports. AP tests bring an opportunity to showcase academic achievement and boost college applications and credit loads. Those making college decisions finally have a firm answer to the big question of "What's next?", a process that for some started more than nine months ago.
So keep our students, of all ages, in prayer. Celebrate with them in their moments of triumphs. Stand with them in their moments of challenge. And remind them how much they matter to this community.