As the American metaphorical saying goes, an optimist will make lemonade out of lemons. He or she will take a bad situation and turn it into something positive. That's taking lemons (bad) and making lemonade (good). I have seen this over and over with our students at Great Neck South High School. They turn a negative event or series of events into an opportunity and a lesson learned. Let me give you an example: I have helped students with and read several student-written memoirs in which these young people have converted past obstacles or adverse experiences into personalized essays which end up representing the people they have become. One had to deal with a very painful punctured eardrum; another, with a brain tumor. In each case, the teenager demonstrated, in his or her memoir, that he or she has become a stronger person as a result of past difficulties, that obstacles or challenges are made to be faced and overcome - and that is a good sign for that person's future, because life contains a series of challenges to be faced and defeated. There's no doubt that a college admissions officer, reading one of these memoirs, is thinking: This is someone I want at my college. This is someone who will not fall apart when things get tough. This is someone who is capable of taking a bunch of lemons and making some great-tasting lemonade out of them!

       A long-time Study Center and Social Studies teacher passed away early this morning. Mr. Thomas Mattia, who had just retired this past June, had a great life and will always be remembered by the thousands of students he taught and by the teachers who were lucky enough to have him as a colleague and a friend. He would have been 93 years old this coming Wednesday. He was a sailor in World War II, seeing action in the Pacific. He was a teacher for half a century. He knew what he was talking about when he taught history. He was wise and compassionate, and will always be in the thoughts of those of us who were fortunate to have known him.
       Mr. Mattia, pictured above in the right corner, with Mrs. Jacobson on his right and Mrs. Pappas on his left, was loved by his students. They knew that his main goal was to help them do better in their classes (the same goal all we teachers in the Study Center share). Please read four student comments about him when he was teaching: "... an excellent resource with a lot of experience teaching Social Studies"; "He helps me SO much...He's a great teacher. He reminds me of my grandpa."; "He is the best ... such a helpful teacher, amazing ... I wish I had his brain."; and "The best teacher ever, helpful and kind."
       We will miss him, but we don't have to be sad. He lived a long, marvelous life. People should be judged by the positive ways in which they helped and influenced others, and using this measure, Mr. Thomas Mattia lived a very valuable life. He will be remembered that way. He WAS Life! He will be in the hearts and minds of all those who had the privilege of knowing him, and that is how he will remain alive to us.