There was a classic Hollywood movie that was very popular when we were attending Coshocton High School called "To Sir With Love" starring Sidney Poitier as a new teacher on London's tough East Side. He used some unique approaches to reach belligerent kids who knew they had little to look forward to if they didn't change their environment and lives. Deciding to treat them as adults instead of kids, he also insisted they treat each other with dignity and respect. The English singer Lulu expressed the effects of these methods with her song bearing the same name as the movie: "Those schooltime days of telling tales and make believe are gone. Yet in my mind, I know they will live on and on."
And so they do, the days we spent together at Coshocton High School live on in our hearts and minds, for they made such an impact on what we all ultimately became.
My teachers undoubtedly will attest that it certainly took a lot longer than one year or semester to help me mature into a productive member of society. In fact, like most young people I learned a lot more from watching my teachers, parents and role models than by listening to what they said. Perhaps that is the reason I'm such a firm believer today in the philodophy that values are caught more than taught.
How fortunate we were to grow up in Coshocton Ohio watching a town filled with people living out their lives filled with typical American middle class values before our very eyes. We had the opportunity of watching parents faithfully working their "tales off", some working jobs they merely tolerated and never enjoyed, simply to ensure we could grow up in a safe home environment where we could securely learn life's lessons. We were fortunate enough to be going to a school populated with outstanding dedicated teachers and coaches, sacrificing their time and personal dreams, transforming us from kids into young men and women. We were blessed with great friends who allowed us to make the common "growing pain" mistakes by supporting us when we were down, admonishing us when we needed encouragement and even "kicking our rears" when we needed motivation.
Now for one night you get to step back into time and relive those days growing up in Coshocton High. This time however you won't be burdened by so many of the fears, false bravado, image projection or insecurities that often shackle young people from really being themselves. You get to revisit days where shyness may have kept you from expressing your gratitude, appreciation, and admiration for those who influenced and impacted your life. Even those who may have been from another side of town or ran with a different crowd, but affected you from a distance.
In one sense you get to regain an opportunity lost, an opportunity for collectively expressing appreciation for the wonderful life we were all so blessed to live there. I hope you take the opportunity, thanking friends, teachers and God for making it all possible. After all, whether thay realized it or not they all played a significant role making us who we are today. So I pray you take this time, letting them all enjoy the real you, never again passing up the chance of reaffirming each one by expressing how much they influenced and helped shape you.
I regret I won't be able to be there in Coshocton for the reunion, but I will never forget what was done there in that little town. I want to formally thank all of you for your role in shaping who I have become.
God Bless You All!
Dale L. Garrett
