TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2018: Ken George

To my 2nd hour Honors English 10 Class:

Thanks to Chris for your consistency and laid-back humility, Paige for sticking with me and giving it your all, Autumn for your kindness and compassion for others, Jonah for your depth of thought and quiet confidence, Savannah for deciding to stay, Jacob for your drive to succeed, Jeremy for the ping pong battles in your basement, Avery for your charisma and toughness, Matt for your friendliness and reliability, Annika for your thought-provoking comments in class and positive leadership, Rachel for your humility and knowledge, Sam for always supporting Rangerball and the former coach, Brendan for doing more and more, and Tanner for your joy of learning and willingness to take a risk.

To my 3rd hour Honors English 10 Class:

Thanks to Hadeel for your smile, Chloe for your sincerity and integrity, Alaina for your charisma and maturity, Emily for your quiet confidence and interesting ideas, Koyuki for stopping by the Christmas House, Ben for always being right with me, Lily for the hilarious email that canceled a quiz, Brendan for keeping my phone from blowing up, KT for your kindness and smile, Anika for your friendly demeanor and incredible gifts as a writer, Jaden for your depth of analysis, Eden for being a leader even though you don’t realize it, Olivia for always telling me to have a good day, Linus for being everyone’s most trustworthy friend, Julia for always striving for greatness, Syd for the kindness you’ve shown me, Amanda for stepping up and seeing the big picture, Abby for the high fives, Aidan for always making good choices, Grace for your energy and kindness, Madison for fighting hard, Audrey for rising up as a writer and leader, Mina for always being prepared and friendly, Sukhpreet for your lively attitude and for giving me your best effort, JT for writing on your own, Leo for saying the only student quote that made it onto the wall, Haley for always smiling and pushing yourself in Honors this year, and Anthony for the kind comments that make me feel like a better teacher.

To my 4th hour Honors English 10 Class:

Thanks to Aseel for your quiet confidence, Julia for your helpful hints on reducing our stress levels, Jake for being a leader and positive role model, Abigail for your passion and energy, Olivia for always smiling, Evan for putting up with me twice a day, Megan for being strong-willed, studious and supportive, Lynlee for the confidence boost you gave me, Daci for your unrivaled intelligence and creativity, Valerie for your storytelling, Lajla for your reliability and gentle personality, Emma for your engaging personality, Abby for sharing your powerful poems with me, Maddie for your positivity and cheerfulness, Lindsey for your articulate answers in class, Zoe for growing up into an amazing young lady, Sarah for your sense of humor, Rachel for asking me how I’m doing every single day, Delaney for being hard working and consistent, Morgan for making my two classes a priority, Maggie for your highly intelligent comments in class, Amelia for teaching me how to use Spotify and for being motivated to give me your best, Paityn for making me love your dog, too, Marion for fighting hard and giving great effort, Annika for sharing your once-in-a-lifetime writing talent, Esther for your willingness to laugh and smile, Addison for your charisma and energy, Hannah for your kindness and humility, and Sophie for positively impacting my classroom every single day.

To my 5th hour Honors English 10 Class:

Thanks to Taylor for your willingness to lead, Sawyer for buying a binder and listening to an old man’s ideas, Signa for being the best listener I’ve taught in years, Hailey for your determination and for stepping up, George for your personable approach, Rebecca for confidently sharing your intuitive insights, Hannah for being so strong, Isabel for your smile and laugh, Gwen for your depth of thought and willingness to take a risk, Bryce for your quiet, consistent approach, Ayesha for writing perfect essays, Sydney for stepping up and giving a great book talk, Ben for making The Crucible come to life like it never has before, Grace for being personable and genuine, Ellie for striving for greatness in everything, Xavier for your focus and persistence, Sharon for asking great questions, Katie for playing the piano so beautifully at Hope College, Eli for being modest despite all your talents, Kristen for relaxing (sometimes) and enjoying class (usually), Autumn for your talent and optimism, Rachel for your energy and love of life, Lydia for being a great friend to everyone around you, Molly for appreciating everyone (we appreciate you!), and Abby for being one of the most giving students I’ve ever met.

To my Writing for Publication class:

Thanks to Amanda for your authentic gifts as a storyteller and as a friend, to Evan for your ideas in class, to Isaac for working to improve, to Tessa for your great sense of humor, to Emma for that picture, to Jordan for being hardworking and easy going at the same time, to Jeremy for learning how to do the sports writing so quickly, Dana for your laugh and your creativity, Ethan for quietly displaying your writing skills, Olivia for being so upbeat and organized, Alissa for being generous and kind, Morgan for your diligence on every story, Natalie for being a thoughtful and committed student and friend, Brooke for staying so positive, Kacie for your upbeat personality and for sticking with WFP, Megan for being so strong, Caitlin for your strength, Rachel for keeping that back table laughing, Delaney for being persistent and positive, Lejla for genuinely caring for people, and Meredith for your reliability, thoughtfulness and consistency.

To The FHC Sports Report:

Thanks to Jordyn for your determination and stepping up as a leader, Jacob for being organized and committed, Zoe for bringing smiles to everyone’s faces, Matt for your easy-going leadership and energy, Audrey for your consistency and commitment, Tommy for your natural talent in sports reporting, Logan for helping edit and lead, Alaina for all the great ideas, Sam for your energy and love for sports, and Haisley for your upbeat and warm personality.

To The Central Trend staff:

Thanks to Courtney for sharing your smile, talent and charisma every single day, Lynlee for writing columns that rival the best ever in The Central Trend, Ashlyn for organizing my room, my life and my brain, Sarah for your gifts as a thinker, writer and friend, and Abby for combining words and phrases and ideas in ways only you can pull off.

To my editors:

Thanks to Molly for stepping up and taking the FHC Sports Report to new heights that we never thought possible.  Your commitment is unrivaled. Your ideas are creative and realistic. Your talent is obvious. We are all so thankful for you.

Thanks to Nisha for walking into my room two years ago and never leaving. You have changed me, everyone around you, and the culture of The Central Trend forever. You are unlike any other student I’ve met, and we are all blessed to be with you every day.

Thanks to Reena for dedicating three years of your life to making The Central Trend the best high school online news site in the state (have you ever heard me say that before?). You have stepped up in multiple situations and continue to amaze all of us with your talent, awareness, leadership, and charisma. I’m so proud of you.

Thanks to Susannah for making everyone else always feel like the most important person in the room. You listen like nobody else. You genuinely care like nobody else. You bring light to everyone like nobody else can. We are all better off for knowing you.

To Jordan, Ty, and Meg. I’m thankful every day— not just on Thanksgiving—for my amazing family. I have two sons who are likable, successful, kind, witty, and unselfish. I’m so thankful that my beautiful wife demonstrated those qualities to them every day as they grew up.