Over the past ten years, I've written a lot about Venture. There's been so much to say about the staff and students, learning, growth, challenges, and hope. But as I sit down to write this, the only thing in my mind is gratitude.
It's difficult to put into words how much this place and each of you has meant to me.
After accepting the principal position ten years ago, I began writing in the first of many journals filled with ideas about how things at Venture could be changed and improved. My family endured a nonstop monologue of my excitement for the work here.
Looking back, I realize how little I understood about what would actually make this place special.
It was never a program, a schedule, or a building.
It was all of you.
Over the years, I've watched you give second chances, third chances, and sometimes tenth chances. I've watched you stay late, plan and redesign lessons, wrestle with projects, rewrite curriculum, and refuse to give up on young people who had often given up on themselves.
I've watched you support one another through difficult times. I've watched you step in when a colleague needed help. I've watched you extend grace, speak hard truths when they needed to be spoken, and continue showing up even when the work felt overwhelming.
The compassion, resilience, humor, and commitment of this staff have always been the heart of Venture.
You've challenged my thinking. You've taught me lessons about students, leadership, relationships, and life. You've shown me grace when I've made mistakes and patience when I was still learning. Ten years ago, I simply didn't know what I didn't know.
Working alongside all of you has changed me in ways I never would have expected.
For the rest of my life, I will treasure the memories of this place. The laughter. The conversations. The stories that non-Venture people could never understand. The countless reminders that what we do matters.
I will remember the acts of kindness that no one else ever saw. The extra conversations. The quiet encouragement. The decision to help a student one more time, even when it wasn't easy and patience was severely stretched.
What makes Venture special?
It isn't journals filled with ideas.
It is all of you.
Students may forget assignments, schedules, and many of the lessons we taught. But they will remember that someone here cared about them. They will remember that someone believed in them when they struggled to believe in themselves. They will remember that someone refused to give up on them.
That is your legacy.
You have changed lives. More lives than you will ever know.
Thank you for the work you have done, the lives you have touched, and the example you have set. Thank you for touching my life and teaching me lessons I didn't even know I needed.
It has been an honor to work alongside you.
I will always be grateful.
