Hey Mr. Mills!! 

Man, how I have missed you. I have been looking back on older pictures recently and Snapchat memories that pop up from competitions or practices and it makes me miss it all. Guard was (still is) such an influential part of my life, which really was because of you, Mr. Mills, as well as the leadership team in its entirety- Andrew, Janessa, Kelly.

I first joined guard thinking, "oh I love to dance, and I really enjoy going to my brother's marching shows, so let's try out!". Never did I think I would find such a beautiful family through it. When you came in to be our new director, I had no idea what would happen to our team. But boy, did my expectations get blown out of the water. You taught me (and I'm almost 100% sure others can say the same) through example how to lead through empathy, compassion, and selflessness. You showed me the beauty of how to unify a group with such rich diversity in it. You showed me how to collaborate with patience and how to work smarter, not harder, which is a motto that is currently getting me through my sophomore year of college. You encouraged me in a multitude of ways that I will never be able to fully convey through words. One way, that I will note, is how you consistently affirmed me in who I was and reminded me to be confident of my abilities. You brought such an energy to the group and affirmed us in so many ways, which I think led us to display that same type of energy and encouragement to one another as teammates. In conclusion, you made guard a family. I am who I am today because of my experience in Guard (cheesy, but TRUE). 

Those are just some of my thoughts, and you can use anything you want, or not use it haha. This is all from the heart and I mean every single word. You are amazing Mr. Mills, I think about you and my experience in guard quite often. 

Sending love your way! I hope you all are staying safe (I'm currently in quarantine :/ ) and that the guard is staying strong! 

With joy,

Sydney Graff