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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])
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