Dear Seniors,

I would like to start by congratulating the Class of 2011 on your many outstanding accomplishments and milestones that you have achieved throughout the past eighteen years of your lives. I have had the privileged to work with this wonderful class and have been blessed in getting to know all of you in some way over the past four years. Some of you have spent several hours with me and some have spent just a few. The majority of you I know well and others I know just a little.

Over the years we have spent time advising, struggling, supporting, questioning, encouraging, helping, consoling, listening, disappointing, commending, crying and laughing. My hope is that this time spent has impacted what you will take beyond the walls of Theodore Roosevelt. We have made tough decisions and we have made simple ones. We have agreed, disagreed, and even sometimes we have agreed to disagree.

These four years have gone by quickly. They have left me with quite a few memories and some great relationships. I hope they have left you with some as well. This class has endured many challenges throughout your journey. You have developed tremendous character and resilience. You have grown into young men and women that will impact our world in unbelievable ways. I am very proud of what each and every one of you has accomplished. I would like to thank you for my part in your experience and journey.

May life bring you the happiness you deserve. Remember that no matter what challenges you face throughout life, face them with enthusiasm and a positive attitude.

I wish the very best to the very best - THE CLASS OF 2011!

Mr.Carlton

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Class of 2011,

I would like to commend you on your personal and class accomplishments. It is my hope that Kent City Schools has provided you with a foundation for future success. Go forth from the halls you know so well prepared to explore life’s possibilities. Never forgetting there is a lifetime of learning still awaiting you. Have a great journey!

Mr. Bachtel
Director of Career Technical Education

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Dear Seniors,

I have enjoyed working with your class all four years. This senior class has had an exciting year, and I cannot believe how fast it went. Your class has provided our school with some great memories. Your maturity and attitude toward school have made us proud. The class of 2011 will do so many wonderful things in the future.

Thanks for everything,
Mr. Love

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To The seniors of RHS:

I feel privileged to be a part of Roosevelt high school. I am especially proud to say I’m so honored to have been able to know this class so much deeper than any in the past. I am always proud when I see my students succeed and meet one of life’s ultimate goals, but this special graduating class meant so much more to me. My Daughter and best friends will be part of this celebration. I am so proud of her and so pleased that she was part of this Roosevelt family. I watched her and all of her friends grow and become young men and women. I love that they nicknamed me “momma Ferrell”. I would gladly adopt them all! I know that the class of 2011 will be so successful. I feel lucky that my daughter was able to meet all the special people here at Roosevelt and I thank all her teachers because she loved school every day and always had wonderful things to say. Because of you she is eager to continue learning.

Good luck Class of 2011. I love you and am so proud of you, Mckenzie! Thanks for being you!

Ms. Ferrell
“Momma Ferrell”

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Dear Class of 2011,

Congratulations to the Class of 2011! You have given us many fond memories of your accomplishments: a record number of academic scholarships this year, many championships in the Portage Trail Conference Metro Division, past “Excellent” academic ratings by the Ohio Department of Education, and memorable performances in the arts, including Brigadoon.
We send you on your way, however, with a word of caution. With the impact of global business on our national economy, you must never stop learning new skills and knowledge that can help you to shape your career and work life. Many jobs in your future do not even exist yet! New information and knowledge will be the key to your success in life.

I suggest that you look at the life example of your retiring Roosevelt Principal, Roger Sidoti. He never has stopped learning—about education research, about trends with today’s young adults, and about career opportunities for all of you.

Equally as important, Mr. Sidoti has been able to convert his daily, ordinary routines into extraordinary results. Every morning, he stood by the library to greet you (ordinary routines), but the fantastic relationships (extraordinary results) that he was building with all of you helped Roosevelt to be a special place for all students.

In closing, as you prepare to leave the hallowed halls of Roosevelt High School, I would like to offer you this small bit of advice. No matter how far you roam from us, Kent will always be your home, the place from where you graduated high school! Travel far and wide; see as much of the world as you like; but remember that we will be here for you. Perhaps you will stop back for a temporary visit, a longer period of support, or a lifetime of career opportunity in your home town. In any case, Kent is your home; Roosevelt is your alma mater; and you are always welcome here.

I wish each and every one of you Godspeed! You are very special.

Sincerely,
Dr. Joe Giancola
Superintendent

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Dear Class of 2011,

It has been a great honor being a small part of your lives for the past four years. I hope you will cherish the time you have spent at Roosevelt and will look back at your adventures fondly someday. Now it’s time for you to take the next step toward your future. The best advice I have is from my role model, Eleanor Roosevelt, who once said, “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

May your choices lead you to fulfilling relationships, engaging vocations, and joy without measure.

Best wishes on bright futures!
Pam Harr

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Dear Graduating Class of 2011!

Wow, I remember my first graduating class of seniors in June of 1972. Not unlike you, they faced graduation from high school with anticipation, excitement and, yes, a little trepidation. The world was a tough place back then. The Viet Nam War was still being waged. The country was still reverberating from civil unrest of the sixties, and the tragedy of Kent State had the education world wondering about our futures. Gasoline prices rose over a dollar a gallon, two dollars a gallon in some local areas, as the energy crisis forced all Americans to rethink their habits. We were experiencing the beginnings of an economic recession. Some felt things looked a little bleak, but the class of 1972 stepped out into the world and, as a first year teacher, I hoped and prayed for them.

In the subsequent thirty-nine years, the world changed dramatically. The Cold War came to an end with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but we are now immersed in a new “war on terror.” CB radios (ask your grandfather about them), microwave ovens, cell phones, personal computers, the internet, large screen television, digital movies, digital sound, compact disks, e-mail, instant messaging, texting, tweeting, I-Phones, I-pads and an endless stream of other technological new tools for our lives keep being invented, used and discarded! Even with the banking collapse of 2008, the Stock Market, though rising and falling many times over the four decades, has ushered in a standard of living for all Americans that could not have been conceived in 1972!

So much for reminiscing! The Class of seventy-two is doing okay and so will the class of 2011! I couldn’t have even imagined back then that I would have the privilege to serve in the capacity as your principal, let alone be leaving together as I retire after your graduation. How could I be so fortunate? I see the future in you, and believe we will be a better world through your efforts!

Your class has a richness about it that will endure in my heart. You have always stepped to the challenge of leadership and have taken responsibility for your school. I have admired you problem solving ability and your commitment to helping others. You were asked to carry on the rich tradition of involvement, caring, and academic achievement that is so much a part of our school. Not only did you meet those challenges, but you have set a standard for those who follow you! Your achievements in academics, the arts, athletics, and community service stand as a testament to the quality and character of the Class of 2011.

Not unlike my first senior class as a teacher, from the day you arrived at Roosevelt High School as Freshmen, you made me feel welcomed and appreciated as your Principal; I deeply appreciated you, what you brought to school each day, and how you have made my last year so very special! I have gotten to know many of you personally and for that my life is a little richer! I congratulate you on your graduation from Theodore Roosevelt High School and wish you well in all your future endeavors. I will miss you all.

Roger B. Sidoti
Principal
GO RIDERS!