Graduation speech from Ms. Lewia

I asked Ms. Lewia if I could refer to her speech for those of you who may not have been at graduation. She presented this speech with great polish!



Good Afternoon, Administrators, Senator Collins, School Board Members, Faculty, Staff, Parents, Family members and the Wells High School Class of 2008.

When I was asked to give the graduation inspirational speech, I said, “Are you kidding”… For those of you out there that know me this is not my forte. But this is a special group of graduates! I have enjoyed following all of you over the past four years and look forward to hearing about your new adventures.

I want to share with you today an inspirational story that I read many years ago from the book of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul. This story is one of my favorites.

It is titled TRUE HEIGHT.

See the passage True Height.

Today I would ask you to be brave. Explore the great big world out there. Open your hearts and your minds to new ideas and fresh suggestions. If I could give you one bit of advice it would be to try something new every day of your lives, even if it only means taking a different route to work or school. That way, whatever else that journey of life brings, it won't bring boredom.

I’ll leave you today with An Irish blessing that goes like this…
May the sun shine, all the day long, everything go right, and nothing wrong. May those you love bring love back to you and may all the wishes you wish come true.
I wish you all the best in your futures, I love you all and always remember…



YES YOU CAN!!!( At this point a banner dropped from the podium Yes You Can!)

Thanks Ms. Lewia

Permission to post this has been requested from Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul Enterprises.

My favorite quote, as soon as graduation was over, a student was heard saying, "I can't believe my text box is full!"

Juniors at Wells High logon to PrepMe

On April 12, 2007, all juniors in attendance at Wells High School were able to take part in an introduction to PrepMe. Here is the paragraph from PrepMe.com's website from Feb. 1, 2007.

Today is a big day for both PrepMe and the State of Maine. We just announced that in conjunction with a philanthropist, we will be making $4.5 million per year in PrepMe test preparation available to Maine’s public high school juniors for the next three years. Maine took the bold step of replacing its state assessment test with the SAT because it believed that every student deserves to have access to a college education and with the partnership announced today, PrepMe hopes to play a substantial role in making college accessible to Maine’s students.

It is not often that a whole grade level in a state can take part of something so influential and important (besides the laptops). I was in the computer lab all day at WHS and explained a little bit about PrepMe, test taking strategies and how to take advantage of the services that PrepMe has offered. Ms. Jennifer Lacher-Starace and I worked with the staff and students to get them involved with this process. I have to say that the support that PrepMe has been comprehensive and very reactive. I've been able to communicate with their company with questions and support.

PrepMe is designed for students to take diagnostic tests and then have a series of practice sessions individualized for them in preparation for taking the SAT's May 5, 2007. Parents may also take part in this process by accessing their student's account and by observing the kinds of topics the students need to work on. Each student went home with a flyer about PrepMe and an email about the process. If you have any questions about this process visit PrepMe or ask you student or your student's English teacher or Ms. Lacher-Starace. You can always email coakes!
How could I forget the most important part? The students were very serious about this test. They liked getting their scores immediately, getting feedback on their answers and about knowing what they need to work on next. Thanks PrepME.

technorati tags:PrepME, WHS, CherylOakes

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