A strange thing happened after I dropped off my son at high school this morning. It hit me how different this young man is from the high school freshman I first dropped off four years ago. Somehow, this high school senior looked like a carbon copy of a few of his teachers — or maybe some college professors I’ve had … musical instrument in one hand, and a large curriculum bag in the other, full of binders, accoutrements of academia and a bottle of trumpet valve oil.

How they transform our kids into these young world leaders who take on adult-level responsibility is beyond me. But it’s a marvel to witness.

Now, in May 2025, with Memorial Day on the horizon, it feels like spring has decided to fully move in –and seems to have invited summer to join her in a month or two. Those “whispering worries” that winter was here to stay have been blown away like so many apple blossom petals. Now we can see the sturdy leaves of summer unfurling and getting us all ready for another great Adirondack summer.

Raising a son has been like watching 18 years of spring unfold — new branches, new growth and fresh curiosity to learn from the world. At the same time, we’ve seen his roots grow deeper, stronger, grounded in the same community that raised and educated him.

We know from biology that when pine trees and birch trees grow close together, their roots communicate underground. They support each other, drawing strength from their diversity and enhancing each other’s immunity. I believe the same thing happens when we raise our children in a sufficiently diverse and supportive community. We all benefit from a kind of social herd immunity — the deep resilience that comes from self-acceptance and the acceptance of others.

May I ask the reader: where else can we find this kind of foundational, anchoring education — intellectual and experiential — if not in our public high schools?

How many of us still remember the lunch lady? I’ll bet most of us could instantly recall a few of our favorite high school teachers, a few cherished moments, and maybe a few we’d prefer to leave in the past. But all of it — the ups, the downs — is part of belonging to a thriving ecosystem of diverse strength.

When we practice including more sources of strength in our lives — through the goodness of others, and through our own development — we don’t just benefit ourselves. We benefit others too. That’s the kind of math good public high schools teach — inclusivity equals more for everybody.

Samuel’s mother and I have watched him grow with delight, terror and everything in between. But the guiding post for our success has been the Saranac Lake school system, which we have used — through partnership, faith and sometimes sheer parental improvisation — with great effect.

So … join me in three cheers for the Saranac Lake Central School District — for all the staff, the lunchroom champions, the behind-the-scenes miracle workers — and especially for Superintendent Diane Fox, who has served as our lighthouse keeper, steady at the helm, guiding this community with a blend of strategic vision, quiet resilience and neighborly grace.

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!

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Mark E. Keating lives in Saranac Lake.