Earlier this month, New Vistas School celebrated the commencement of all of our students and the graduation of our senior, Faith. That happy, and somewhat bittersweet, day gave us the occasion to reflect on what it means to have “FAITH”.
To have faith means to have friends and family. During her years at NVS, Faith has been a friend to everyone. She’s always quick with a smile, an encouraging word, or a helping hand. Faith became the school’s unofficial, and on occasion, official, ambassador, greeting visitors, representing NVS at various events, and welcoming new students. To have a friend like Faith is to have a true friend indeed. In addition to friends, “F” also means family. Faith has been so fortunate to have the love and support of her family, including her school family, to help guide her through her school career. To have faith is to know that not only do you have family here on earth looking out for you, but family in spirit to watch over you.
To have Faith means to have attitude. In the case of our Faith, it is usually a positive attitude. Faith always showed up at school each day with positive attitude and managed to find a silver lining in just about every situation. Many times, in talking with Faith about something negative, Faith would begin her response with “At least it didn’t…”.She can always see the good in people and events. Occasionally, that attitude would manifest as stubbornness. To have Faith means when you believe in something, you stick to it. As we say at NVS, persist and prevail!
To have Faith means to be an individual. Faith has always been her own person and puts her unique touch on everything around her. Her style of dress, her fun Halloween costumes, and her choice of songs for Can-Do Night, all have always reflected Faith’s individuality, as has her dry sense of humor, her approach to tackling challenges, and her ability to work out issues and obstacles to a positive outcome.
To have Faith means to think about time. Faith has spent a great deal of time at NVS. In that time, she has grown from a 12-year old girl into a very confident 18 year old young woman. Faith has used her time at NVS to progress in academics and in how to contribute to her community, by assisting in the elementary classroom, participating in our annual service project, and generally helping out around the school.
Finally, to have Faith means to have heart, happiness, and hugs. As stated previously, Faith just about always has a smile and a happy, positive demeanor. And she always has a hug or two for her school mates and teachers. Faith has a heart for caring for and helping others, again, as evidenced by her ever-ready willingness to assist those around her.
So, what does it mean to have FAITH? Our Faith has taught us that it means: to recognize the importance of family and friends, to have a positive attitude, to be an individual, to appreciate and take advantage of the time we’ve been given, to have a heart, happiness, and to share hugs. To borrow a line from “Romeo and Juliet”, Faith’s favorite Shakespeare play, “What’s in a name”?. In her case Faith, everything she (and we) needs.
