May 2023 - David Holquin, President

Dear De La Salle Community,

I don't know about you, but I blinked and this school year flew by. After Easter vacation, it went at a very swift clip (almost as fast as sophomore Trey Caldwell), and AP exams are now upon us, and our seniors will graduate in just a few weeks. This month, final exam preparation will fill the Learning Center to max capacity, our yearbook will be shared capturing memories from throughout the school year, and Teacher Appreciation Week will fill our faculty's hearts with the reminder that they are seen and appreciated. (Many thanks to all the parents who have supported this effort to show love to the staff who show love to your boys)!

Just looking at last week shows how much we can accomplish in a short timeframe. On April 26th, we celebrated our Founder's Liturgy, recognizing years of service for staff who have been here 15 years or more and also our Lasallian Educator of the Year, Mr. Joe Grantham. You can read more about Mr. Grantham's honor in this edition of the Spartan Spotlight. The very next day we inducted our largest group ever into the National Honor Society. Then, on Friday, we had our Student Recognition Assembly to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of a multitude of facets of school life and followed it up with a band and choir concert in the evening that filled the air with melodious notes. Saturday saw an open Trap Team invitational and our Senior Ball. Of course, this recap doesn't include the countless co-curricular activities that keep Winton Drive humming. It is only a tiny fraction of a week at De La Salle High School. How can this and so much more be crammed in? Well, that is what we do in education. I joke that we do in nine months what should be done in twelve. 

April 30th was also the 372nd birthday of our Founder, St. John Baptist de La Salle. In a reflection I wrote to our staff community, I shared: 

Former Superior General Br. John Johnston wrote years ago, "Our charism in the Church is to make the loving and saving presence of Jesus Christ a visible and effective reality in the world of education." In so many ways, I can personally attest that I see that happening day in and day out: by how you challenge, console, encourage, demand, and see the young men entrusted to our care. This work is not easy - quite the contrary - yet we are "destined to cultivate these young plants by announcing to them the truths of the Gospel and to procure for them the means of salvation appropriate to their development" (First Meditation for the Time of Retreat). The imagery our Founder used of plants reminds me of just how much we plant seeds that we hope one day will grow. 

Our Mission Statement calls us to love, guide, and instruct the young men entrusted to our care. What you provide as Lasallian educators is pure love. You see our boys at their best and worst. You help our young men, oftentimes you may be the only person, to know they are loved. You bring to life the Kingdom of God by the ways you hold them together. Today, and every day, may you swell with pride being a Lasallian educator and being called by God to deliver His mission you are entrusted with. May our Founder be pleased with our efforts, and may we never stray from fulfilling his work "to perform miracles."
 

So as we enter this month of May, I invite you to give thanks for the people who have been (or still are) a part of your story...especially our De La Salle teachers and even your own teachers! Maybe send them a brief note of thanks for planting the seeds that have grown in your son or yourself: maybe it is a chosen career path, stronger writing, truly understanding what team means, or seeing the Hand of God in life. Whatever seed has bloomed, give thanks for that, and be assured that at De La Salle we take our ministry as a sacred duty to do the same.

As we prepare to close out the year, on behalf of the President's Cabinet, and our faculty, staff, and coaches, thank you for your partnership, support, and encouragement. Our role as educators (parents and teachers alike) has never been more complicated and anxiety-inducing. Yet as this Easter Season reminds us, hope is a much more powerful tool and is Spirit-led. Finally, let's join our hearts and prayers for all of those graduating on Winton Drive and beyond. Whatever their next step may be, entrust them to a God who loves them (and us) fully as they are! 

Live Jesus in our Hearts. Forever,

David Holquin
President