Something very special happened in the auditorium during the final week of May at Stevenson. Just as I was preparing to deliver a lecture to the students about the life of our 35th President, John F. Kennedy, a very unexpected guest joined the assembly. While I had not planned on welcoming another Time Traveler to our school this year, I was delighted to learn that JFK himself had decided to honor our school with a visit.

He delivered an important message to our students about the importance of service to our nation and the world at large citing the Peace Corps as one example of how young people can share their knowledge with developing nations. He also mentioned the importance of responsible journalism and the constant need for people of integrity to pursue careers in politics and education. It was very interesting to hear him talk about the challenges his administration faced with Communism and the Cold War as well. He seemed particularly appreciative to have had great advisors to help him during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

At a time when so many of our students are preparing to leave Stevenson and move on to the challenges of middle school, it seemed very appropriate to remind them to “ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.” Special thanks to Jim Lane, Kate Cannon, Jason Burks and Scott Andrews for helping to make our final event so memorable.

Paul Bond…signing off for the Time Travelers network.