Here it is June 8, 2023, and yesterday, June 7, was the last day of school for all Rim District schools. Last week, I was at Valley of Enchantment Elementary School for their annual Senior Walk. No, it’s not a walk with senior citizens. What it is is a procession of some 200 Rim High graduates, dressed in their bright blue gowns and caps, through the halls and down to the playground, all the while tapping hands with kindergarteners to fourth-graders.

I was told by the principal and several VOE teachers that this traditional walk has been done since 2016, with the exception of the so-called COVID years of 2020 and 2021. I was told that the reason for this event is to encourage the children to word hard so that they, too, will someday get to participate in the Senior Walk and, perhaps, get to enroll in college.

Anyway, congratulations to the Class of 2023. It was a long haul and you finally made it. Ah, yes, school is finally out for the summer.

No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers’ dirty looks. Out for summer, out ‘til fall, we might not come back at all. School’s out for summer, school’s out forever, school’s out with fever, school’s out completely. “School’s Out” – Alice Cooper – 1972)

Wrongo! It doesn’t have to be that way. Like the guy on TV who’s trying to sell you a new miracle slicer that dices and slices cheese says, “But wait, there’s more.” Yes, indeed, there’s more; there is still college to attend. If you want to get anywhere in life and make the big bucks it takes to buy a nice, new home, complete with the new cheese slicer, you need to further your education.

And it doesn’t have to be some fancy, smancy college like USC or Harvard. You could start out at San Bernardino Valley College or Crafton Hills. This way, you can get the first two years of college credits, practically for “freeeeeee,” as Larry, the mattress guy always says. In fact, I did this myself by enrolling at OCC (Orange Coast College), also known as “Surf Tech.” It was kinda like high school with ash trays. Anyway, I did two years there before transferring to Chapman College (now Chapman University) to complete the next two years (only it took me three but I persevered and finally got my BA and teaching credential… and the rest is history.

If you don’t think you can afford to enroll in a four-year college or university, you can do quite well by going to a community college or trade school to train for some high-paying jobs in the electronics or computer industry, nursing, dental hygienist, MRI technologist, automobile mechanic or air traffic controller. The sky’s the limit.

Keep it flyin’

Uncle Mott