June 28, 2011 - A very important date in my daughter's life, hence, a very important date in my life (in her parents' lives). Today, my daughter graduated from the most wonderful performance high school one can dream of (Frank Sinatra School of Performing Arts). This public school is a gem of an institution in a city filled with both challenges and opportunities. The graduation ceremonies were attended by Tony Bennett and his wife Susan, Harry Belafonte and his wife, Peter Vallone Jr. , Helen Marshall (Queens Borough President, Donna Finn (the principal), the staff and teachers of the school and hundreds of parents and relatives. But to us, the star of that ceremony was our daughter. Her walking on that stage and being handed her diploma was the culmination of almost 13 years of hard work. If you have read my other blogs, you know that this day was at one time long long ago a dream that could never have been on our horizon. Who changed all that? My daughter changed that. She showed the courage and determination to achieve her dreams. I'm sure she didn't want to disappoint us, but more importantly, she did not want to disappoint herself. Who else changed our mind and made sure our daughter's dreams were in fact within her reach? The wonderful people at that school. They supported her in ways that, I'm sure, went way beyond their job descriptions. This is a school that you need to audition for to get in. For them to take a chance with my daughter was an incredible leap of faith. I assured them at every parent teacher conference that my daughter would be one hell of a student who would give them more than a thousand percent effort in everything they asked of her. I know she did exactly that. I owe this school a debt of gratitude for giving my daughter what she needs and wants to move ahead and forge on. Thank you so much to all of you at Frank Sinatra and congratulations to all the graduates of 2011.
I would like to give you and your daughter hugs and kisses. Congratulations!!! I know our kids try so hard and give beyond the teachers' expectations.It is so true,the most important thing is the kids shouldn't disappoint themselves. And they need the supports from their parents,teachers and mentors to achieve their dreams. I wish your daughter a fabulous summer and a wonderful college life.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Yoko. I do know that without exception our kids try very very hard at their academics. I don't doubt that most if not all of their teachers see this. Congratulations to Rintaro for finishing his freshman year. Hope to see you soon.
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