An Open Letter to Maine Students On Their First Day of School

It's finally here!

You've been nervous, maybe a little excited, but today is the day that you get to walk the halls again.

I hope you find gratitude in walking through the halls of your school, seeing the many faces that you haven't seen in a while, sitting in the uncomfortable chairs to learn your subjects with the people who have made it a career to pass along their knowledge to you.

I hope you find the presence of others comforting because of their absence recently. I hope you find relief when the awkwardness falls away and you become lost in the lessons of your teachers and in the conversation with your classmates.

A Little Advice to Start the School Year

I few pieces of advice that I would throw out to the kids starting their first day today and this week include the following:

• Getting sleep makes for a much easier day
• You might feel scared to approach someone but you'll feel regret if you don't do it. Just take the chance. This chance will make the following chances much easier to get over.
• Find one place in this institution where you can completely be yourself, where you can say what you've got to say, where you can just peel off the care of worrying about what you look like, what people think and just be you.
• And lastly, don't feel the pressure of the mask debate. You are the one executing responsibility that determines an ultimate outcome. What the adults fight about is not important because you make the final decision. You know what's right. Follow that and feel the weight of the responsibility.

Happy new beginnings to those starting on their first day of the school year. Fight the fears, find connections and use your inspiration- this is always the way!