December 7, the anniversary of the 2010 crash that killed Griswold High School students John Clapper III, Sativa Cornell, Dillon Clifford and Steven Szklarz, was certainly a somber day at the school.

But what so impressed me was the resilience of the kids and the job that the teachers, staff and administrators do to support and nurture the students.

The events during the anniversary were touching and constructive, and it still was a day of classes and learning.

Principal Mark Frizzell - of course referred to by everyone as "Doc" - has been nothing short of incredible in his handling of this terrible tragedy.

He understands the balance of teaching and emotional support, of remembering but also moving on. While I observed this myself, nothing tells the story as much as "Wolverine Strong: A tribute to Dr. Frizzell," which was written by students Gabrielle and Nicole Garza last year after the tragedy. It's framed in Doc's office, right next to a folded American flag. It's not something he shows off, but it obviously means a lot to him - and for good reason.

I'll reprint portions of it here:

"When hope had become something foolish to think about, you gave it new meaning. When we had fallen apart, you put us back together like pieces from a puzzle.

"If novels were every written, to describe the depth of our thanks no library in this great big world, could house them quite enough. You've reminded us once more that we are a strong family. That our blood runs green. We are Griswold. Wolverine Strong."