@imc’s high school has a cool tradition called Senior Tribute Night where the teaches prepare a roughly 2 minute speech about each and every graduating senior. Students and parents then get to hear smart, heartfelt, funny tributes to all these awesome kids. Isabel’s beloved music teacher did hers. It was so sweet. Here are some things she said.
Although limited to two minutes, “I could very easily talk for weeks on end about this super-human.”
“I had to fight off others — and I fought hard — to get to be the one to talk about her tonight. She is that respected by her teachers.”
“Isabel could very well be one of the most passionate students I’ve ever taught.”
“My experience with her in the five years I’ve known her is that everything she does, she does with great passion.”
“She is passionate about everything. Fashion. Food. Music. Books. Hamilton. Mr. Hjelmberg’s humane letters class… "
[pause for laughter]
“She is even PASSIONATE about organized choir folders.” After asking her to help organize my music folder “it was returned to me with color coded labels for every song type, and a sweet note in the front.”
“Isabel is passionate about her studies. Sometimes too passionate. Often thinking the worst of her abilities and doubting her accomplishments. It’s at those times that I get the many expressions of Isabel…”
Here she held up giant posters of various exasperated emoji faces to go with Isabel’s various frustrations including “I failed my physics test” 😧, “I’m so stressed out” 😫 and “I wish the rest of the choir would shut their mouths and rehearse” 😡.
“Yes, Isabel is very passionate. Dare I say intense, determined. This passion is what I will miss the most about you…I will just miss you, Isabel. My helper, my logistics coordinator, my workhorse.”
“I will miss all of it because you really are the full package, Isabel. Everybody knows it. Your teachers I had to fight off to honor you today know it. Your classmates, friends, your parents all know it.”
“This passion I speak of will follow you everywhere you go, to Valparaiso and beyond. I’m so proud of you.”
😭😭😭
So proud of my baby girl.