As I prepared this week for today’s senior class farewell assembly, I had the distinct pleasure of sorting through photos of our Grade 12s going all the way back to when some of them were in Pre-K. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of their precious little faces peering back at me through tousled hair and expressions of unbridled joy. Many of them were proudly sporting a favourite t-shirt bearing the likeness of a cartoon character or superhero, rather than a pre-selected parent’s choice for photo day. They are all completely recognisable as the young adults they have become, though chubby cheeks and pigtails have long been left to the annals of time.
When I look back at photos of my own son as his younger self, it is hard not to yearn for a moment to go back for just one more snuggle, just one more playful toss in the air. And yet, even the most avid sci-fi fans know that backwards time travel is both theoretically and practically impossible. But even if we could, any past moment would never be the same because we can never be the same. We have changed as a result of knowing and growing alongside our dear children. To laugh with them, cry with them, hope with them, hurt with them, see the world anew and chart future pathways as we watch them become young adults is to be profoundly changed.
And what a privilege it is for us educators to experience this cycle of growth again and again each year – just as flowers blossom under the warm spring sun so, too, do our young people blossom before our very eyes. Each departing student will be missed; no one is ever replaceable. This current collection of young people at ICS will transform into a new cohort that will take us into 2026-2027, as they are joined by newcomers in each grade. It is always a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to our senior students. But we do so with rich memories and shared fondness for all the joys, all the challenges, and all the hope we have for their brilliant futures.
In partnership,
Gabriel Di Mauro
Secondary Principal
Interim ex-officio Head of School