LETTERS

Mr. C a perpetual motivator

Posted 10/4/16

To the Editor, The sudden passing of Toll Gate's principal, Steve Chrabaszcz has left the Toll Gate community in a state of disbelief and great sadness. Today, when a sense of darkness seems to be shadowing our school system, he was a bright light. In

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LETTERS

Mr. C a perpetual motivator

Posted

To the Editor,

The sudden passing of Toll Gate's principal, Steve Chrabaszcz has left the Toll Gate community in a state of disbelief and great sadness. Today, when a sense of darkness seems to be shadowing our school system, he was a bright light.

In remembering him, we honor the goodness he stood for, the sense of pride he instilled in his students, the belief he had in each and every one of them, and the trust, respect and appreciation he had for his faculty and staff. There will never be another Mr. C, there can never be. He was truly an original. You can ask his students from ten years ago until today, he was force of boundless energy and enthusiasm, a perpetual motivator, an offbeat character, a friend. Steve Chrabaszcz meant something different to everyone, but the beauty of that is, he meant "something" to everyone. He walked the halls, sat in the lunchroom, loud and proudly cheered on all his Titans, from the bleachers or the auditorium seats, rain or shine, he always showed up! He worked tirelessly for the betterment of Toll Gate high school's students, teachers and staff, every day.

The Sept. 24 vigil was a testament to the remarkable man he was. I have three children who are graduates of Toll Gate High School, my youngest daughter, Kate, was a member of the class of 2016...the last graduating class that had the good fortune of having Mr. C as their principal.

He was so proud of this class, so proud of all his kids. On the day we were told of his untimely passing I was at Drum Rock, where I work as a Teacher Assistant, you could feel the sense of sadness everywhere. In the late afternoon, as I watched my students play, I looked to the skies, never expecting to see the sight I would see, a rainbow. A rainbow arching itself over Toll Gate, a rainbow that appeared without rain. I took a picture of this rainbow with my cell phone and I wrote about this moment later that night. I mourn his passing as a Toll Gate high school parent, as a Warwick school department employee, but mostly has a mom who knew the impact he had on "his Kids", all our kids. We were so blessed to have this man for all the years we did.....we were the lucky ones.

A Rainbow

It was in an innocent moment, in the quiet of this afternoon, laying beside a sweet 4 year old gazing at clouds...when it appeared. The clouds were an unremarkable feathery gray, with wisps of blue sky peeking out here and there, then something showed up and took my breath away. Across the clouds...a rainbow. It took me by surprise...we had no rain today, yet there it was.

A rainbow is always a welcomed sight. The beauty after the storm, a sign, a symbol, a blessing. a vision of faith...a bridge to a pot of gold. Realistically we know it is based in science as a meteorological occurrence. But today, I choose to ignore the science of this rainbow.... today I choose to see it as a sign of pure and simple love that comes with remembrance.

This rainbow showed up today, arched over Toll Gate High School. It all makes sense to me now. It was meant to be a reflection, like true rainbows are. But this one was meant to reflect goodness....and light...and humanity at its best. It shown itself to remind us that life is precious, that one never knows what each new day will bring us...what plan is put into our path, what will break our hearts, what will heal our souls.

So today, as sadness filled the halls, tears fell, hearts broke at Toll Gate High School the rainbow appeared. It appeared as if it were a sign from their captain, their coach, their cheerleader, their mentor, their number one fan...their true believer...the man who loved his job, loved his school, loved his staff and most of all loved "his kids", principal, Steve Chrabaszcz. He was an extraordinary man, the one in a million kind, a ball of endless energy, a man of many, many words, who possessed a heart of gold, who made a difference in so many lives over the course of his years at Toll Gate...he will be greatly missed, never replaced, forever remembered and always a Titan. I have nothing but gratitude for this man. I wish him eternal peace.

Tish Eminger

Warwick

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