New Church Life July/Aug 2013 | Page 44

n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3 things. And while intelligence is an asset in the classroom, it is your character which set a positive tone for the entire school. You are compassionate and quick to lend a hand. Your class of 58 volunteered more than 6,500 hours of your time during high school, and helped several classmates raise $15,000 for charities this spring. I have listened to you proudly speak with conviction. I have watched you warmly welcome newcomers into your class. You have grown to be thoughtful, in both the social and intellectual sense of the word. You have also made us smile. I was moved by the beautiful sound of your voices on the Delta Mu trip, and by the grit and determination which led to that long-awaited field hockey championship. And, while I may have simply replied, “You’re welcome,” I was touched each day that you would say “Thank you” on your way out of class.   This is the environment in which I work, where students act thoughtfully, in which teachers coach, and where the community supports both their efforts. We make a terrific team. So let us remember that, and continue to cultivate a caring institution, one which educates both hearts and minds. Thank you, all, and congratulations for the roles you played to bring about this day. Thank you, dear colleagues, for the honor of coaching with you. And graduates, while there is some sadness in your departure, there is also excitement and anticipation. This school has benefited from your time here, but the greater world needs you more. It needs your courage, your talent, and your kindness, so it is time for you to leave this religion lab and enter a much larger one.   Barbara Taylor Brown writes, “Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right. Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.”   You have been coached to know that these supposed failures are just part of learning. Keep experimenting. And may each of you continue to find those sweet spots in your life. Thank you. about the speaker Cory B. Boyce teaches Mathematics and Senior Project in the Academy Secondary Schools, is head soccer coach and adviser to Delta Mu, the schools’ community service organization. He graduated from the Academy Boys School in 1983, earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech and a master’s in education from Lehigh University. He and his wife, Pauline (Rhodes), have three children and live in Bryn Athyn. (Contact: [email protected]) 372