Message from Mayor Josh Losardo | June 30, 2023
At the high school on June 21, I was reminded listening to Class of ’23 President Gabby Smulewitz about the importance of “high school friends” during a wonderful graduation ceremony.
As Gabby noted, high school friends aren’t just friends. They know everything about you.
My high school friends know my personal story, my parents, grandparents and brothers. They have my back 100% of the time and provide invaluable, honest and critical advice whenever I seek it (and often when I don’t).
I hope you are fortunate enough to have such lifelong friends. I also hope that the SPF graduates follow Gabby’s advice and actively stay a part of their fellow graduates’ lives. It really is a lifetime gift.
During graduation, I was also reminded how wonderful and supportive Scotch Plains is. Parents cheered their children, but also the children of others. We are a community of thousands of families whose parents are dedicated to making their children’s lives better than their own. We do that by supporting one another when times are tough and when it’s a regular day, such as when we take turns carpooling or bringing snacks to the kids’ games.
We are a strong, safe and diverse town and our kids have benefitted from that fact in countless ways. Our community fabric is so strong; we warmly greet our neighbors as we walk the dog or by welcoming new residents when they move to the neighborhood. The graduates are well prepared for the next chapter in their lives because of our rich diversity.
Sometimes I see the (slightly) younger parents as they wait for their children exiting Coles Elementary School at the afternoon dismissal. I wonder where the time went… and then find myself grateful that our town draws young families that want the same experience for their children that I was able to give my own.
As we look forward to the Fourth of July (by the way, please come to the town’s fireworks celebration at Shady Rest on July 1st – fireworks at sunset!), summer barbecues with friends and family and well-deserved getaways down the shore, I want to thank my fellow residents for all YOU do to make Scotch Plains so special. I, like you, am immensely proud to call Scotch Plains home.
My very best wishes to the Class of ’23, including my daughter, Ava. I know each of you will continue making Scotch Plains proud!
