Every year at this time. I get hit over the head with the same surprise and ask myself how on earth the administrators and teachers manage to fit in so much activity in the final weeks of the school year.

I guess we reporters notice it more than most folks because of the type of business we have chosen in a weak moment!

The last few School Board meetings have simply been crammed with ideas and requests in a down-the-stretch race for the “last day of school.”

And that also includes planning a budget for the next school year, or should I be more realistic and say school “challenge!”

Not only did the Board have to reorganize and choose new officers at the last few meetings, but also had to say goodbye to retiring teachers and strive to replace them by hiring a number of new ones.

And that doesn’t even touch on long-distance decisions that need to be made.

Monday night was typical, and I’m sure more than one Board member must have been trying to remember what caused them to originally run for one of the toughest volunteer jobs in Hillsboro.

I’m glad they did, but most parents and local residents will probably never know what it takes to make those tough decisions, that not only impact on the community adults, but also play a major role in the future of our most valuable treasures …the ones carrying those backpacks.

So, I for one am going to give the group a pretty darn good mark. Let’s say A-, so they will still have something to achieve in the next school year!

And let’s throw in a “thanks” just for extra credit!

***

For those, like me, who are still trying to accept that terrible “senior” label and actually would rather pay full price than admit to qualifying for the senior discount, here are some printed smiles for you.

By the way, are store clerks trained to raise their voice when they ask about that SENIOR DISCOUNT?  It wouldn’t surprise me much, although some just do it for their own obnoxious chuckle.

Anyway, the following thoughts are for those of you who qualify for that treatment.

• I was always taught to respect my elders, but it keeps getting harder to find one.

• Frustration is trying to find your missing glasses without your missing glasses.

• Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting.

• Every morning is the dawn of a new error.

• Always aspire to inspire before you expire.