CVU Celebrations
October 9, 2026
Dear Community,
I was on a call this morning when one of our district principals shared that he had asked his staff two questions, one of which has stayed with me all day:
What is something you’re proud of?
What is something you’re excited about?
As I was considering how I would answer those questions, I received two emails and a visit that all spoke to the first.
Email #1 was from a CVU graduate from the Class of 2003, who simply wanted to reach out and share his appreciation:
Dear Principal Riley,
I wanted to send a brief note of appreciation to you and two of your students. I recently read about Olivia and Yvonne's work with the Farm to School Club in a Shelburne Farms newsletter, and as a CVU alumnus, I was both deeply impressed and proud. Their initiative is a wonderful example of leadership, ambition, citizenship, and stewardship—qualities every student should strive to embody.
Seeing the active role these young women are taking in your community speaks volumes about the supportive culture you have fostered at CVU. Thank you for your continued leadership, and congratulations to Olivia and Yvonne on their inspiring work.
Best regards,
Email #2 was from another CVU graduate from the Class of 2003, who is married to one of my former advisees from the same class. Their son is now a CVU student in the Class of 2029. The email included a photo of me with one of my former students from the Class of 2000, who is now a colleague of mine and the parent of an Essex Hornet soccer player.
He and his mom, a member of the CVU Class of 1972, were cheering on the Hornets at Wednesday’s game, though we all know their hearts are still with the ’Hawks!
The visit was from one of my former advisees from the Class of 2020, who is currently substituting at CVU as she prepares to transition into her first teaching job next month.
Three seemingly small moments, each a reminder of the many ways our lives and paths continue to intersect long after graduation.
So, what am I proud of?
Perhaps a better way to say it is that I’m proud to be part of a school community where the connections we make are lasting and meaningful. A community where students become graduates, graduates become colleagues, and former advisees return as educators. Where families span generations, our paths cross in unexpected ways, and the relationships built here continue to grow well beyond the walls of the school.
One of the parts of this job I love most is finding out where our graduates land, what paths they take, and the lives they build along the way. I love seeing the many ways their experiences at CVU become part of their stories, and how they, in turn, become part of the stories of others. Sometimes, we get a glimpse of that impact through a note of appreciation, a photograph from a soccer game, or a familiar face stopping by to share what comes next.
These moments remind me that the work we do in schools is about so much more than what happens in a classroom or during the school day. It’s about the relationships we build, the opportunities we create, the values we nurture, and the sense of belonging that can endure for years—even generations.
We don’t always get to see where the seeds we plant will take root, or how far their impact will reach. But every now and then, we’re given a glimpse, and we’re reminded that the connections we make matter. That’s something I’m proud to be a part of.
