Be Hatched

  One of the highlights of being a junior/senior high school principal is my time with seniors. They are pretty much fully formed adults able to have rational conversations...which is a real unicorn if you spend too much time with junior high kids. (As a parent of a 6th and 7th grader and former 8th grade teacher of 11 years, I say this with a lot of experience and love). Seniors have a jam packed year at Kennedy, filled with a lot of traditions. From the first Mass walking in the Kindergarteners, Homecoming Court, Senior vs Staff Volleyball Game, Senior Retreat, Prom, Baccalaureate, Awards Assembly, and Commencement to name a few. I don't cherish having a front row seat to it all--rather, I love the behind-the-scenes time I get to spend before those big moments.  Today was the Homecoming Court Speeches- each candidate speaks for a few minutes to the 9-12th grade student body, trying to win over votes with their friendly roasts of each other, taking a stroll down memory lane, ...

A few people close to me have had newborns recently. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law had their first baby, my beautiful niece Josephine on Valentine's Day this past February. My high school best friend/college roommate and her husband had a sweet second baby boy in June. As a mother of two tween girls, it's been a minute that I have been in that newborn phase of parenthood. Holding their babies, many forgotten skills come rushing back. I was never great at manuevering the spit rag under those little jello necks but I am pretty adept at getting a burp out. I remembered packing to leave the house with ev.ry.thing in a bag plus a stroller and a carseat and change of clothes...and inevitably not having the one thing you actually ended up needing. When I changed a diaper, it reminded me of cutting off a onesie like I was a trauma nurse when there was a diaper blow out. My living room was filled with a different structure for every 2 month phase- the swing, the bouncer, the exosa...

  Good Morning Kennedy Family. It is with joy that I address you, the graduating class of 2022. Many of you know that I am a sucker for reality TV, and if you didn’t know, I suppose this is my confession. I’ve watched all the Bachelor and bachelor adjacent seasons, including being the commissioner of a Bachelor Fantasy League for a few years. I watch the reality dating-on-an-island shows and listen to the corresponding podcasts. I love The Real Housewives of all the cities and I may be the only person who watched and loved the 2-season series premiering in 2004, The Real Gilligan’s Island. (But, seriously, moms out there, if you watched it- I am available to discuss following commencement). Now, while some of you are really questioning how I spend my precious free time, I promise you there are some actual lessons to be learned from reality tv that I will impart on you now as you leave the safe nest of Kennedy and soar into “reality.” #1- First Impressions count. Even if there isn’t...