When Dorothy was transported to Oz, it was to learn, eventually, that there really is "no place like home." She met some amazing people along the way, but in the end, she wanted to go home. She wanted to be with the people who loved her, the people who she trusted, her family.

Now, I've never been a victim of tornado transport, but I don't think I need to be. I know where home is, I know a place I can find people who love me and who I love, I know where I can find my family. I don't need a tornado. My home is Kents Hill.

Kents Hill is not something I could ever describe in a blog or even a series of blogs, although, I did try. For my final blog I wish to impart on you my belief in the strength and power of this community.

I work maintenance at Kents Hill during the summer, and it was there that I realized, from top to bottom and from side to side, there is no one at Kents Hill who isn't rooting for you and your success. While working with "the guys" I realized that while they are not in the classrooms with us, teaching history or math, they are helping us in different ways. They are fixing our fields, so we can succeed in sports. They are fixing out lights so that we can do our homework. They are rooting for us; it’s just in a different way. That was when I realized…there isn't someone at Kents Hill who isn't a part of our community as a whole. There isn't anyone - from the kitchen staff, to Mr. Bonnefond in his office, to Mr. Moore in his garden, to Mr. Hodgin in his tree house by the ski hill, to Mr. Bell and Geno on the ski hill, to Marlow in her housekeeping office, to Doug, Mike, Jim, and Jake in the maintenance shop, to the people who have graduated before you, and those who will come after you - you can't go to with anything be it a question, or a need for a simple chat. There is no one you can't go to for help and there is no one who will not help you. There is no one who doesn't believe in you and there is no one who won't help you reach your dreams. Everyone believes in you, everyone is rooting for you, and everyone is there for you. At the end of the day, differences aside, everyone is here for you, good or bad, sad or happy. We are not perfect, but we believe in each other.

I wasn't really sure what a final blog should look like and, to be honest, it's taken me this long because I truly did not want to write a "final blog." To me, there is no saying goodbye to Kents Hill because while I am leaving the community that I am a part of it is staying where it is. While my friends are going to different schools, my love for them, and their love for our class, is staying with them. And we can always come home. We can always go back home to Kents Hill.

I spend a lot of time talking about our community but that's because the intricate love and complexities of a community full of people from all over the world, from all over the state, from all over the economic spectrum, from all different beliefs are difficult to explain. For my final blog, I would like to ask for help.

Help keep the community alive by believing in the fundamental bricks of our community, by believing in our mission statement, "that one man or woman of principle can always make a difference." Believe in the teachers who believe in you. Believe in the friends who aren't perfect, but who love you for who you are. Believe in the impossible love that you will feel once in awhile during a Morning Meeting when something truly "Kents Hill" happens. Believe in this community. Nurture it, take care of it, when it fails you, remember that nothing is perfect and try to love it again.

This is my call to arms. Fight the inevitable frustrations of everyday life and remember the bigger picture: everyone at Kents Hill is working for you. They believe in you. They love you and they truly will be there for you no matter what happens. We have weathered many storms and glowed under many suns and we will continue too if you believe in the community and work to keep it going.

As a graduate and someone who has spent a majority of her life at Kents Hill, I can attest to the fact that whether you graduated in '86 or '06, Kents Hill is there for you. Whether you are looking at Kents Hill or have been, gone, and come back again, Kents Hill is rooting for you. And we'll be there for you, no matter what.

So, if you are looking for a school where you can disappear, where you can hide in your room, or simply grab your diploma and leave unchanged, I'd choose somewhere else. Kents Hill is a place where you will be loved, be appreciated, you will succeed and you will leave changed forever. If that's what you are looking for, if that is what you believe, then welcome home.

Kents Hill, thank you or an amazing journey. It's been a great four years.

This is Meg Richardson signing off "We Are Kents Hill" for good. It is time for the next generation to take over and for me to join another community at Smith College. Good night and good luck.