It’s exciting that President Obama will be in Worcester Wednesday.   He’s a pretty high-maintenance guest, though.

From Secret Service sweeps to residents along the likely route being asked to tidy their yards, the preparations are taking far more time and energy than than Mr. Obama will spend giving the commencement address for Worcester Technical High School.

That’s how it goes when you play host.  Though Mr. Obama’s time in the city will be brief, it will be talked about for days, and tucked into the city’s memory forever.

The graduates and their parents, meanwhile, and the school administration, staff and students, are getting a thrill of a lifetime. It isn’t about how much time the president spends here, what he sees, or what he says — or even that he is arriving and leaving from Worcester’s airport. It’s the fact that he came.

Worcester Tech deserves the notice it has received on the national stage. The whole community can and should take pride in the accolades for Principal Sheila Harrity, for the Skyline Drive school’s smart and demanding vocational programs, and for it strong business and community partnerships.

There’s more to learn here than meets the eye, though. It’s the quiet and profound underpinning to all the hoopla, and it can be stated simply. Attention and excellence — in education, or indeed any endeavor — is the formula that will bring more of the same.

This young school puts in the work, and is rewarded; it’s a positive feedback loop, and we love to see it. For the last few years, it’s been marvelous to witness at Worcester Tech, and we wish for similar buoyancy and forward march for other area schools. It takes hard work and dedication from the inside, and support from the outside, but there’s no reason each public school can’t seek and receive it.

For the rest of us, it’s worth reflecting on the attention and excellence we give own jobs as parents, employees, citizens and students. What we pour in wholeheartedly, brings successes and surprises.

The city and many of its residents are working hard at the moment to tidy President Obama’s route to the DCU Center Wednesday afternoon, June 11. Company is coming, and the clock is ticking.

When the guest is gone, whew! Back to normal. Back to normal, maybe, with a spark of inspiration. It will be a good time for each of us to redouble our efforts doing our best in whatever corners we occupy.

The route to achievement and praise is never in the spotlight, but paying attention to the tasks at hand and aiming high is the sure path. What’s Worcester Tech’s secret? It’s a paradox, perhaps, but the more effort put in and challenge embraced from the beginning, the easier and clearer the way becomes.

Something to ponder while preparing for a presidential visit.