Ladies and gentlemen, parents and friends, teachers and honored guests, what a wonderful evening in an incredible place to celebrate the achievements of an outstanding group of young women and men, the Science Leadership Academy Class of 2011.
Thank you to our partner, The Franklin Institute, led by Chair of the Board of Trustees, Marsha Perelman and CEO Dr. Dennis Wint and to our schools liaison, Dr. Frederic Bertley. To be partnered with a cultural institution such as this one is to share a belief in the true spirit of inquiry and its continued value in our lives.
And graduates, before we celebrate all that you have done, let us also honor the work of all of those who have helped you reach this moment in time. So please, let us have a round of applause for the parents and friends and teachers and loved ones who have helped you reach this milestone in your life.
Today is a signpost moment in your life. It is a moment to reflect on all you have done and to consider the path ahead. It is for us as well, as we watch you leave our walls. We have watched you grow up over the past four years. You came to us nervous, excited, with only one class above you, still eager to be part of creating a school. You had the energy that only 14 and 15 year olds can have… and the walls of the school bore the brunt of that energy. And we, along with your parents, watched you grow. Your advisors listened, begged, cajoled, threatened when necessary. They, and your parents and your teachers and I walked this walk with you, and we could not be more proud of all you have accomplished.
You have Student Assistant Taught in over 5,000 classes.
You have logged over 400 hours helping out in the Math Lab and Lit Lab.
You have run half-marathons, marathons and Kelly Drive more times than you could count.
You made the playoffs in soccer, track, volleyball, cross-country, softball and baseball, despite having no home courts or fields, and because of your success, the athletic programs at SLA will survive the budget cuts.
You created an award-winning cheerleading team… forever convincing me that, yes, it is a sport.
You won the City-Wide Debate championships – both individually and as a team.
You met the King of Jordan.
You argued with Bill Gates.
You also were late to school over 18,000 times and nearly drove your parents, teachers and advisors out of their minds about it.
You made the SLA Chapter of BuildOn the most active chapter in Philadelphia, traveling to Nicaragua, building schools, cleaning up neighborhoods, and adding to the general good in the world.
You have competed at National History Day.
You competed on the first ever SLA Slam Poetry team and represented us all over the country.
You took younger students under your wing and made sure that projects were completed, homework was done, holes in walls were repaired and maturity was gained.
You wrote plays that were performed as part of the Young Playwrights Festival.
You built robots, created original works of music, tutored young people, detailed your family history, and made original films as part of your Capstone.
You received over 350 acceptance letters to over 147 colleges with over $3 million in merit-based aid.
You have run an educational conference that brought over 600 educators from all over the country to learn from you. And you rebuilt the conference on the fly when we unexpectedly had over a foot of snow fall the day before everyone arrived.
And you have done all this while completing benchmarks projects, working after school jobs, taking care of younger siblings and parents and grandparents and managing all of the challenges that adolescence brings. And you now stand poised to take on the next challenges your life will bring.
Today, we watched the ninth graders present their Science Fair projects, and I couldnt help but think of how the cycle of school is on-going, that those young students are at their first signpost moment of high school… that they will soon sit where you are now, and they will be better for the year they spent with you… from the lessons you imparted to them… and I thought about the iterative process of learning that never ends and how much you have grown through that process.
Because I spent last week trying to get to as many capstone presentations as I could, or listening to seniors talk about the high school and capstone experience, because I love hearing you talk about the project that would stand as a signifier for the student and scholar and person that you have become. And whether it was a presentation about a film you had made, an event you put on, a robot you built, I was struck by the thoughtfulness of the presentations. You all own your learning, own your experiences, own your success and failures in ways that few adults, let alone high school seniors, can do.
Dylan wrote — on Twitter, of course — When doing my reflection. I realized that I didn’t learn anything, but rather relearned everything SLA had taught me…. I’m certain I’ll use all of the lessons taught to me at SLA for the rest of my life. It is our hope that today, of all days, you all believe that. That through all the successes and struggles, that you know, deeply and profoundly, that the lessons you have learned with us will stay with you throughout the rest of your life.
Beyond the radian circle, there are the logical patterns of thought you learned in math that will help you to problem solve no matter what challenges you are confronted with.
And whether or not you remember the exact details of the American Revolution (although, after the marshmellow re-enactment, how could you forget it?), you can remember to view the problems of the world through a historical lens, remembering to question the patterns of human behavior you see, place them in context and both honor and challenge those who have come before you.
And whether or not you remember the difference between saber and conocer, honor the diversity of the many people and cultures you will encounter, and remember to learn from those who are different from you, not just those who talk like you, look like you, believe what you already believe.
That it does not matter if you remember the specifics of which of King Lears daughters was the good one, or the exact details of the two-fer you wrote, but that you know that every text you read is a new way to view the world and that you can speak, write, dance, film, craft, create your voice so that your ideas can live in the world and by doing so, change the world.
And after you have forgotten the granular details of the periodic table of elements, continue to honor the scientific spirit of inquiry, always asking powerful questions and seeking out complex answers.
That is, we hope, what you have learned from us. That inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection are not just words in a mission statement but an iterative process of learning that can and will serve you the rest of your life if you let it. And perhaps above all else, remember that throughout that process, there are those in your life who have been there, who have cared about you, who have mentored you, and in doing so, hope that you will pay that forward. That you will care for those around you. That you will understand that the intersection of that ethic of care and that spirit of inquiry starts with asking the question, What do you think? caring about the answer, and then taking action.
Because, not to put too fine a point on it, the world needs you. We face challenges in our schools, in our city, in our country, in our world, that will require the best from those who have the passion to create change and the skills to do it. You do not have the luxury of hoping that other people will say what must be said, do what is needed, work to make the world a better place. We have left you a world facing great challenges. You must be smarter than we have been, more compassionate than we have been able to be, and braver than we can imagine.
But as I look upon you now, I see a group of young men and women more than able to rise to the challenge. You have accomplished so much in your four years with us, and it is only a beginning. On behalf of the entire SLA faculty, we are so proud of all you have done, and we cannot wait to see what you do next. Congratulations to the Class of 2011. Long may you shine.
