Letter: Thank You, Darien High

To the editor:

On behalf of the parents and students of Darien High School, we would like to take this opportunity to express publicly our profound gratitude to each and every teacher and administrator at Darien High School. DHS is a great school and our kids and community are fortunate.

The faculty and staff are amazing and their dedication shows. In light of the press coverage of the Darien public schools recently, we wanted to bring attention to and highlight our appreciation for the people who work so closely with our teenagers. 

It is important that we focus on the positive that happens each and every day at our school. In the words of a recent DHS alumnus -- now a freshman in college -- who wrote to her DHS teacher:  “I am so prepared for everything I do here … Every class I take here reminds me of how impressive Darien High School is … My education at DHS would have been nothing without the teachers I had.”

Another example of the meaningful bond that our teachers and staff forge with students is the excitement and good vibes engendered from Dancing with the Teachers (where students and teachers collaborate on and perform dance routines). 

There are countless other examples of how each and every day, teachers and staff make a positive and lasting mark on our kids. Students leave DHS well prepared to face the challenges of college and the workplace and we thank Principal Dunn and her team for their integral roles in that success.  

P.S. This letter echoes the sentiment of the conclusion of Laurie Orem/Carolyn Langelier’s speech delivered at the February 4, 2014 Board of Education public hearing.

Margot Congdon

Terrie Van de Graaf

Co-chairs