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Welcome Back, Spartans! Once again, summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. For me, summer was filled with much needed family time. 13173723_10206169685383941_2088190225191678297_nMy mom, sister, and I had an opportunity to travel to Wisconsin for a dance competition. During this trip, we drove a beautiful, scenic route to Chicago. It was the highlight of my summer visiting the Waukegan harbor, the Navy Pier, and taking in the exhilarating city of Chicago. The best part about traveling is the feeling of being on the road. I crave that anticipation of the destination. The excitement of being almost there. Though the arrival was always fulfilling, it was the drive to and from that was filled most with laughter, music, relaxing silence, but mostly, conversation. There was no multitasking, divided attention, or deadlines to meet. Traveling with family finally allowedme to jump out of a busy schedule and cruise with no agenda, just the willingness to be in the moment.

Soon after my return from Wisconsin, I was back on the road to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As the coach of the East Dance Team, the Apollonaires, my summer always includes a 4-day trip to Dance Camp. The Apollonaires attend an Elite UDA13731463_10206620221327058_5265238818389484033_n camp, which means they are constantly dancing from 8 in the morning until 10 at night. The dancers learn multiple routines, including a team routine they learn, clean, and transform to their own unique dance in only 3 days! It’s remarkable to experience the transformation of the team. Throughout their time at camp, they grow as dancers, but more importantly, they grow as teammates, building a strong foundation for the new season. It is during camp that the dancers truly start to form deeper connections as teammates and learn to dance as a team. Their successes were linked to their constant hard work and contagious positive energy.

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Of course, all of this traveling caused me to greatly miss my dog and husband. My husband and I got our darling dog Max (Maximus) almost a year ago. Max will be celebrating his first birthday on September 20th. I can assure you now, you will be hearing a lot of Max and all of his crazy adventures. Max is the perfect balance of sweet + cuddly mixed with crazy + adventurous. His sweet and cuddly persona makes up for all of the chewed up flip flops, books, mail, and socks. Watching Max grow, explore, and learn new tricks throughout the summer was a simple reminder to welcome new adventures and to continue exploring new places. As summer winds down, we collectively return to school and embrace routines and schedules. However, I encourage us all to continue to breathe the spirit of summer, to embrace adventure in the classroom, and be willing to explore the new and unknown.

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It’s going to be an incredible school year, an adventure I can’t wait to begin with all of my students, both new and familiar. I look forward to teaching English 9 and Children’s Literature this year. I have the best job getting to work with amazing individuals full of potential and capabilities. I also get to work alongside an incredible staff here at East High School.

I hope everyone has a great start to the new year!

Cheers!

Mrs. Hartman