Because of YOU. You know we talk a lot about butterflies at this place, and about
transformation, growing from the inside out, change and development.
Because of YOU
You know we talk a lot about butterflies at this place, and about transformation, growing from the inside out, change and development. And I think that sometimes we all think about this as being about you – the students. – that it’s all about YOU transforming, and changing and growing from the inside out. But it’s also true that YOU – each one of You – change US from the inside out. We grow, we learn, we develop ‐ because of YOU. We want to thank you and your families. We all have grown as people, as professionals, as a school, as an institution.– because of you. The Monarch mission is to provide an innovative therapeutic education to individuals with neurological differences. The Monarch model has grown, and learned, and developed because of you. While you learned to cope, confront, own, celebrate your neurological differences and strengths, we learned how to help that happen. And now the students who follow get the benefit of what you have helped us learn and grow. So there’s a whole cool list of things that WE are now more competent at, because of you. You each have changed each of our lives. The faculty reflected on what we have learned from you – and here are their words.
1. Griffin—We learned that beautiful poets live beneath the beasts. That “bad” kids don’t exist. Griffin taught us about the evolution of things ‐‐ taught us where to find patterns and where to disregard the patterns. Griffin changed our lives. We learned to be cautious about assuming that one’s breathing fire was about anger for anger’s sake – it is more often about the protection and insistence for fairness, equity and justice. 2. Oleg—Changed our lives – He let us know that slowing down to the heart of relationship development is where the hard work begins. In the years we have known Oleg, we’ve seen much growth in him and in ourselves. Usually, our furniture projects take weeks, and even though Oleg could only see the next few steps, he has shown us the faith in himself that he and we could build a bench, a table, a cutting board ….anything we and he put our minds and hearts to. 3. Scott‐ Teaches us the meaning of true courage Scott taught us more about opening the Creative Box & Stepping Outside our Comfort Zone He teaches us how to be willing to help others, how to be a true friend. Despite challenges that might break our spirit, Scott teaches us to find the drive to find the positives.
4. Benjamin‐‐ with passion comes understanding despite language barriers. Benjamin taught us the power of joy sharing ‐‐ ‐‐ Benjamin taught us grace. Where others would try to conform to join their peers, Benjamin has taught us to take the natural (and possibly the harder) road to lead peers into the enjoyment of their own everyday lives. 5. Rachel ‐ Rachel teaches us to be appreciative and have a happier outlook on life. She knows how to take you where her thoughts are going and truly hopes you are enjoying the ride as much as she is. Rachel carried us to a different place with her prophetic dreams, religious euphoria, and her sense of the primal laws of justice. Rachel changed our lives. From her we learned how brave one has to be to let go of “will” in order to receive and accept the grace intended for us. And that this largely is bravery one must decide upon daily. 6. Anthony ‐ forwarded my learning about truly listening to students when they advocate for themselves. Anthony taught me to never stop asking the question WHY. Anthony has taught me no matter how many times you try to resist your own destiny of happiness in helping others, you always end up helping which brings happiness. Our purpose is to be better than we think we can be. Anthony taught me to accept winning at arm wrestling gracefully! And he taught me that whatever abilities you have, it’s not about ability, it’s about choices. 7. Ali helped me understand how powerful peer support can be. Ali changed my life – she woke up childhood ghosts, gave me a path to understand past friendships, perceived emergencies, and transformation. She teaches me how to stay young . 8. Nathaniel: Silent movies sometimes make the strongest statements. He teaches us to slow down and look at the world and see how we can help by doing for others. His small acts of kindness and noticing what is needed add pride and peace and peace to our lives. Nathaniel teaches us to “be square with the world by taking care of our tools.” Nathaniel taught us to be kinder to ourselves, more accepting of our frustrating painful imperfections. 9. Kylie showed us the inextricable connection between the social world and the world of mathematics. Kylie’s trust, sharing, and courage opened a window into the ways our own families navigate through the world. Kylie teaches us daily about the strength of spirit it takes to give up regulation of others for regulation of ourselves.
10. Caytlin taught us about “poignant innocence, transparency, completeness, and dignity.” She teaches us to never stop believing, never give up on growth, and make sure to bring everyone along on the journey. She teaches us that we are needed. 11. Through Zachary Alfred, we know all new ways to value the world. We work more often to curb our sarcasm. We learned to not presume that anything that was easy for us should be easy for others. 12. Chris Rose. How you have grown and taught us the meaning of patience. When it was difficult to read the words in the text, you steadily and quietly did all your work, never complained, and grew up in the process. Christopher changed our lives. From him welearned that embracing the humility to start over at the foot of the mountain is the first step of a resilient climb to higher ground. 13. Walt – We’ve learned it’s never too late to claim our truest selves. It’s never too late to find joy. We learned from Walt to not take ourselves too seriously. We learned how important safety and comfort and belonging are to growth and production. We are thankful and grateful to the contributions these graduates have made to our learning community.