While thinking of what DI has done for me

I couldn’t help but think in poetry

Because like DI this form is quite effective

In making a point from a unique perspective

I would like to thank the board of the present, future and past

For supporting DI and making it last

I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t have a chance

To imagine, create and even sometimes dance

While working in groups of up to six others

Who through the years became my DI sisters and brothers

People I still consider my close friends

Even though our seasons have long ago come to an end

The time that was used to think, ponder and create

Helped inspire me to do something great

I wanted to give back to this program so dear

That I became a team manager for many years

Through this role I saw there was more to DI

Than pins and duct tape and the occasional pizza pie

More than a competition that you try to win

It’s a process that can be applied in many situations

Creative problem solving is certainly a practical skill

That can be used to overcome any obstacle

Yes, you can see problem solving applied in any situation

By those in any occupation including those on the board of education

In our ever growing world are ever growing problems

They need to be solved by those equipped with wisdom

Which is why I became an educator

To embolden children to make this world better

To inspire them to take on challenges even when they seem hard

To use their minds to take them far

To solve the problems both old and new

To appreciate the value in what they can do

This is what DI has done for me

It’s not about who we are but what we can be

It has taken me places that I never thought I’d see

Japan, Alaska, Hawaii, and even Tennessee

But what I’m most grateful for is that it brought me back here

Back to Orchard Park starting this school year

To inspire students to do what they think they can’t do

And go off to solve problems and be great people, too

 

2013
Mike Lovering
NYDI Alumnus and Appraiser