Next year's 5th graders, Malcolm X Academy

Attending the 5th grade graduation at Malcolm X Academy yesterday gave me a great opportunity to reflect on why Brush Fire is so important to me. In a nutshell, it helps me to grow and hopefully gives the students something to hang their hats on too. At the very least, getting to know this group of youth has given me a huge appreciation for all the changes a person goes through between the ages of 7 and 10. I also appreciate the immense resilience available to all kids, especially this group.

As I watched them walk across the stage to get their diplomas, I tried to see the men and women they will become. They may not ever know how much I’ll miss them, but as their lives stretch out in front of them, I hope they will rely on their creativity, their extraordinary ability to make something new and exciting and healthy and whole out of what ever circumstances they find themselves in.