You nurtured his very soul

Dear Eric, On Friday morning, September 13, at nearly 9:30 an announcement came over the loudspeaker at East Meadow High School.  Mr. Howard, the principal, cut into third-period class time to reveal the names of the valedictorian and salutatorian for the class of 2014.  The recipient of the top award for scholastic excellence spanning several years (including two courses taken in 2009-10 at the Progressive School of Long Island) turned out to be an individual well known to you:  Nathan Siegelaub.  You might not remember that the six-year-old boy, who once sat in your office amusing himself with puzzles and books while his parents underwent a sort of grilling as to his suitability for attending Progressive, had planned on being enrolled just for kindergarten and then moving on to the public domain.  But life often takes unexpected turns and Nathan's certainly did as he ended up staying on eight more years (thanks, in large part, to your generosity and sensitivity) in which he absorbed the lessons that would form his character, work ethic, and pure love of learning. Probably you are not aware of just how pervasive an influence you've had on Nathan's makeup:  You, Eric, were his choice of topic and subject for an essay assigned to all candidates for induction into the National Honor Society.  You who changed his way of looking at the world; you who sparked his interest in knowledge that ignited his imagination and creativity;  you who gave him the confidence to take on challenges and pursue excellence; you who recognized his character and worth and, with patience and care, nurtured his very soul.  So it was not without emotion and consideration that Nathan lauded you for being his role model.  Of course, the achievements earned, honors won, and the relationships formed within his high-school community have been an extension of his experiences at Progressive. You know how hard Nathan worked for everything he got, how seriously he took his commitments and responsibilities, how he knew when to have fun and when to get down to business, all traits he developed and honed at home and at his home away from home, Progressive School.  As you well know, he never pursued anything less than full speed ahead, or took a single thing for granted.  Consider that when Nathan attended a concert at Lincoln Center the night before his practice PSAT's in tenth grade and groggily slogged his way through the challenging test early the next morning, he made the connection that a good night's sleep translated to maximum performance (at least for him it did), a valuable lesson that no one had to impart or reinforce.  He understood what he needed to do to achieve maximum results in the future and he did it.  It's not happenstance, then, that in his ensuing standardized tests, he received one of the highest scores on Long Island in the PSAT that counts toward a National Merit Scholarship (he just found out he's a semifinalist in the competition, almost certain to qualify for finals status and a scholarship), he earned a 2400 on his SAT's, received 800's in subsequent SAT Subject Tests (in Physics, US History) and 5's on all his numerous AP Tests.  Nathan competes hard and well, but he's so humble, sweet and good-natured that administrators, teachers, and students hold him in high regard.  The cheers that emanated from many classrooms upon his announcement, and the outpouring from well-wishers testify to his popularity. On the verge of applying to colleges and years removed from Progressive, I'd like to take this opportunity to express Betsy's and my gratitude for all you've done for our son and for all you still do in terms of the impact you have had on his (our) lives.  An educator can receive no greater accolade than the one bestowed on you by Nathan, who credits you and Progressive for endowing him with the grit and intestinal fortitude to overcome obstacles and with building leadership qualities and confidence that allow him to set lofty goals and achieve superior results.  The Siegelaubs thank our lucky stars that we had the opportunity to be part of your family at Progressive, and, rest assured that you will always be part of ours. With utmost respect and thanks,     -- Marc Siegelaub