Millis Public Schools

Athletic Trainer News
Published on Jul 20, 2021 16:00

Dear Millis School Community,

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the summer!  I am writing today to share the news with you all that after just over 15 years as the Athletic Trainer here in Millis, I will be moving on from my position.  My family and I are going to be relocating to Florida sometime in late summer/early fall.  With a healthy mix of excitement for what lies ahead and nostalgia for what we are leaving behind, we are taking on this new adventure.

I cannot begin to express just how important my time here as part of our Small School Big Family has been to me.  So many wonderful experiences, memories, and feelings come to mind as I write this letter - the camaraderie with families I’ve gotten to know over the years of having multiple siblings go through our athletics program; the elation and pride in seeing our teams and athletes win league, district, and NINE state championships, and compete to the absolute best of their ability year in and year out; the emotion of seeing a student-athlete successfully come back from an injury or surgery; the inspiration in the resiliency and determination that I’ve witnessed time and time again in the face of adversity, be it an injury, a tough loss, a tough season, to a complete upheaval in all aspects of life over the past year and a half; the admiration as I have seen students grow and display such incredible examples of leadership, work ethic, team work, sportsmanship, and the myriad other qualities that have made my time working with our Millis student-athletes so meaningful.  I could go on and on!

The gratitude and appreciation I have for so many members of our school community is immeasurable.  To our administrators past and present, as well as the amazing office support staff for the central, high school, and middle school offices, thank you for everything you have done and continue to do, especially all the behind the scenes work to make the experience for students and staff in Millis the best one possible.  A special acknowledgement goes to Coach Grant for his unwavering support, encouragement, and wise guidance- it’s been a heck of a run, and I will miss our insightful talks, amongst many other aspects of working together!  

To our school nurses, especially Mrs. Molinari (and Mrs. Garb-Palumbo before her), I could not have asked for better colleagues and collaborators in student health care.  The value of a great relationship between a school nurse and athletic trainer cannot be overstated, and I am so incredibly grateful that we have had that!  A thousand thank you’s to all the members of our operations staff for all your help over these years- another group that does so much behind the scenes to keep us all going.  

To every coach I have worked with, and to all the families of our student-athletes, thank you for your faith and trust in me to help “our” kids through the physical demands and challenges of sports and injuries; for your cooperation as we navigated everything from registrations, meetings, preseasons, emergencies, to minor injuries, treatments and rehabs, doctor visits, return to play protocols, progress, setbacks, and successes; and for being their leaders, teachers, advocates, and biggest and best fans.  

And finally to all the student-athletes I have had the privilege and honor to work with- you have given me 15 years of the most rewarding, fulfilling work that made most days not feel like “work”.  Thank you for all the smiles and laughs we’ve shared, the tears of joy for your successes and sadness when seasons have come to an end, the effort and determination you’ve shown, the questions and challenges you’ve brought to me, the willingness to learn, and the chats, “thank you's”, enthusiasm and great attitudes that could turn a tough day into a great one in a split second.  And for the invaluable help from those of you who volunteered your time as student aides, did senior projects to help improve the athletic training room, and in the last few years, even served as babysitters and the occasional kid chauffeur to help a working mom out in a pinch- it all means more to me than I can say!

Of all the things I am going to miss about working in Millis, it’s absolutely the people I will miss most.  But you haven’t quite seen or heard the last from me yet!  I will be assisting however I am able to ensure a smooth transition of my position and responsibilities to the next athletic trainer, including handling the usual preparation for fall sports in the interim.   I hope I can see many of you in person at least one more time, maybe at our fall sports preseason meeting, and if I don’t, maybe some other time down the road when I’m back up in MA for a visit! 

With fondness and gratitude, thank you for the memories Millis!!

Jamie Farias