A View From the Schoolhouse
So… I’ve been feeling the urge to write again, and that urge comes in no small part from the process of going through this podcast where Christian and Russ asked me so many really thoughtful and interesting questions that forced me to really think.
I hope you enjoy it…
[This was a particularly special year because Jakob graduated this year. You can imagine which paragraph was a little hard for me to get through.]
Family and friends, teachers and honored guests, what a wonderful evening to celebrate the achievements of an outstanding group of young people, the Science Leadership Academy Class of 2022.
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.
Parents and guardians – one of the things that makes graduation so emotional for all of us at SLA is we aren’t just saying goodbye to your kids, but to all of you as well. For many families, today is the end of a four year journey that you have embarked on with us, and for more than a few families in the Class of 2022 – today is the end of a journey that has spanned many years and multiple children. You all have been such an essential part of the SLA family, and I know I speak for all of the adults at SLA when I say – thank you. Thank you for sharing your children with us. Thank you for every Parent-Advisor conference. Thank you for cheering at all the sporting events. Thank you for believing in the idea of the little school that could – even when I am sure with all that has happened in these past few years there were moments when that belief was sorely tested.
And of course, this year, there are several of us on staff who were able to watch our own children learn with and from our colleagues. It is something very special to be a teacher (or principal) and a parent at SLA. To see your own child grow through the work of this community is quite something. So, on behalf of Mr. Clapper, Ms. Menasion, Mr. Ames and myself, I want to join with all the parents here tonight and thank our faculty and staff for taking such good care of our children. We have seen our own children grow up thoughtful, wise, passionate and kind, and truly, we are forever grateful.
And if I may, Jakob… it was always our hope that these four years would give us the stories we would tell for the rest of our lives, and my goodness, has it ever. I can’t imagine it was always easy to be the principal’s kid, but you handled it all with a grace and joy that left me in awe. I will miss every ride home, every early morning practice and every shared Halal cart lunch. The school will be a little emptier for me next year without you in it. Your mom and I love you so much, and we are so very proud of you.
And now… to the Class of 2022.
So that happened. I am pretty sure that there isn’t any one of you who, had we asked you four years ago, what do you think your high school career would look like, would have come up with what you all have lived through. And I realized something as I was writing this speech… you all are our 13th graduating class, and so, yeah… this all makes more sense now, because my goodness, it seemed like every time we turned around, there was another crisis to overcome for you all.
But in spite of all the challenges you faced… you have thrived. And you all stand as the class that bridges SLA’s past and future. You are the last class to have gone to school at Arch St., and you are the first class to gone to school and graduated from Broad St. And in between of course, you survived asbestos, 440 and 18 months of Zoom school. It was not easy – in fact, it was far harder than it should have been. You have seen first-hand how our systems can fail its constituents, and you had to become advocates for yourselves and your neighbors. You had to learn across multiple modalities and in locations that were not meant for children. And of course, you had to deal with a world in crisis – from a worldwide COVID pandemic to a racial reckoning to continued rise of white nationalistic violence in our nation to the gender inequities that continue to plague our society to ever-increasing gun violence that – just this past weekend – once again hit far closer to home and reminded us how needed young people of integrity are needed to help us fix that which broken. And I can think of no better group of young people to inherit that challenge than all of you.
Because, despite everything you have faced, you have thrived. You have proven that – even though you should not have had to – you are capable of meeting all challenges and overcoming them. You packed yourselves into conference rooms at 440 and called them classrooms – and you breathed a life into that building that it had not seen ever in its existence.
And just when you thought you were going to experience your new home, the world came crashing down and we experienced another disruption. And now, you all had to pivot back to online classes – after our first experience in the fall. (As we like to say, we were doing Zoom school before it was cool.) You lost your spring sophomore season and your fall junior season. You had to figure out what SLA looked like online. And you had to persevere as two-weeks online turned into the rest of 10th grade and the rest of 10th grade turned into all of 11th grade.
And then, you had to come back and lead the school into our new era. You set the patterns of how we walk through our new hallways – making the school immediately feel like home, whether it was in the Commons or in Siswick’s Office or my office or the hallways, you re-established SLA as a school of the kids and for the kids.
And last week, you presented capstone projects that blew us away. From engineering projects to incredible films to philosophy papers and murals and art work to teaching elementary kids science and running SuperSmash Brothers tournaments and more, you set a high standard for all the underclass students who saw your presentations.
In all, you took our core values – inquiry, research, collaboration, presentation and reflection – and applied them to your own ideas, your own passions, and in doing so, created incredible artifacts of your learning. You stood in front of your community and said, “This is who I am. This is the scholar I have become. This is what I can do.” And in doing so, you reminded all of us of what young people can do when given the freedom and the support to dream big.
You are the class that set the tone to help three classes of SLA students learn what it means to go to our school. The work you did as mentors to the younger students will resonate for years to come. Whether it was the work you did as Student Assistant Teachers, or as leaders of our Black Student Union, or as captains of our sports teams, you all put the “Leadership” in Science Leadership Academy. You won a Public League championship. You competed at State Championships. You worked with Ms. Ryans on the Student Action Board. You hosted a senior prom.
In short, you put in the hours. You did the work. You made sure that SLA will be SLA for years to come after you leave, and for that we are forever grateful.
And the thing is, for all you have already done – already lived through – your journey is just beginning. We love to say that high school should not just be preparation for real life, and as much as I would have hoped the last four years were not quite this real for you all, you graduate with no illusions that life will hand you anything. You know – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that the world you inherit desperately needs your intelligence, your advocacy, your compassion, and your sense of justice.
For while tonight is a night for celebration and reflection, it is also a night to be forward thinking. You have completed one chapter of your life tonight, but it is our hope that the lessons you have learned with us propel you into whatever comes next. You are our hope now. For the parents and families and teachers gathered with you today, you represent our best chance, our best ideals, our most hopeful promise that the world tomorrow can be better than it is today.
So, if you will indulge me one last time… let me leave you with some thoughts on how you may go about the profound challenge of trying to change the world… because I have no doubt that you will continue to do so.
You must remember that inquiry means asking the hard questions, not just of yourself, but of others. And you must remember that the true spirit of inquiry means never settling for the easy or trite answers, but rather seeking out those small “t” truths that will lead to new ideas and new solutions. You must remember those moments of the past four years when you challenged yourself and those around you to discover new ideas, to shed old illusions and create anew our world.
You must have the humility to understand that we all stand on the shoulders of giants, and your humility must lead you to research what others before you have discovered, so that you do not repeat the mistakes of the past. We need you to, after all, make new and more interesting mistakes than the ones we have made. You must keep in mind the path you have traveled, the pitfalls as well as the successes, because it is that humility, that notion that our shared humanity – our moments of frailty – that will keep us grounded in the world, in the notion that each and all of us have value.
And that means that you must remember that we are better together than we are apart and seek out collaboration. You must understand that the complexity of the challenges we face are more powerfully understood when viewed through the lens of many, not the lens of one. You have walked for four years in a community that values — and at times struggles with — the diversity of voices that make up the rich tapestry of our school and our city. We all are better for listening to each other and informing each other’s voice. That idea — of collaboration — of diversity — of coming together — is at the heart of how we will all make the world a better place.
And to do make the world a better place, you must continue to make your voices heard. Continue to speak for the purpose of educating your listeners. Keep working to make your voices inclusive, so that others can pick up your cause, your idea, your voice, and echo and amplify it for many more. Ideas, after all, do not live in isolation. I know that all of you will have the courage of your conviction, and the passion and voice to speak your truths to those who must hear them.
And I urge you, no matter how busy you get, no matter how important the work you are doing is, you must remember to take the time for reflection. For it is when we reflect on our actions, on the world around us, that we can process and learn from what we have done. Never be in such a rush to do, to create, to lead, that you lose sight of the importance of listening, of stillness, of the wise counsel of others, so that you can always be thoughtful and intentional about what you have done and what you have left to do.
And, of course, make sure you remember that unspoken sixth core value – care. So many of you have spoken about how SLA is a family – granted, at times a dysfunctional one – but a family nonetheless. That is because we all — adults and students alike — take the time to care for one another.
Because all of us here have benefitted from being in a caring environment where questions like, “What do you think?,” “How do you feel?” and “What do you need?” are not admissions of weakness, but rather of strength. So know this… To be kind when the world would allow you to be cruel is to show strength, not weakness. To listen deeply to others, to thoughtfully construct answers, and to create solutions that empower many is the best – and perhaps the only – path to change the world.
And that matters, because we need you now. The work you do, the challenges you embark upon, the causes you champion once you leave our halls matter. You are our best hope for the future, because you truly are what we hope for our SLA graduates – you are thoughtful, wise, passionate and kind. And you are — all of you — what the world needs.
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. That is not the world in which we live. 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 people more than able to rise to that 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 Science Leadership Academy Class of 2022. Long may you shine.
Families and friends, faculty, staff and honored guests, here we are – at long last – to gather together to celebrate the graduation of an outstanding group of young people – the Science Leadership Academy Class of 2021. To say that the road to this moment had more twists and turns — and yes, potholes and speed bumps — than the average high school class has had to face is probably pushing a metaphor far too hard, but here we are.
And, students, before I talk about you and all your accomplishments, I want to talk a little to your families. Parents and guardians – one of the things that makes graduation so emotional for all of us at SLA is we aren’t just saying goodbye to your kids, but to all of you as well. For many families, today is the end of a four year journey that you have embarked on with us, and for more than a few families in the Class of 2021 – today is the end of a journey that has spanned many years and multiple children. You all have been such an essential part of the SLA family, and I know I speak for all of the adults at SLA when I say – thank you. Thank you for sharing your children with us. Thank you for every Parent-Advisor conference. Thank you for cheering at all the sporting events. Thank you for believing in the idea of the little school that could – even when I am sure there were times in the past two years where that belief was sorely tested.
And in that vein, let us honor the work of all of those who have helped these amazing young people reach this moment in time. And I want to take a moment to specifically thank our Assistant Superintendent Dr. Christina Grant. Thank you for all you have done to advocate for these students and our school. We will miss you and DC is very lucky to get you.
Graduates, your class reached this moment in no small part because of the commitment of so many who helped you get to today. And in a year where — all over the world — people have had to learn in new ways, extend support beyond what they thought they were capable of, and face challenges that the world has not faced in over 100 years, there was a community here that faced all of that down and was unwavering in their goal in getting you to this moment. So please, Class of 2021, 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.
And what a journey it has been to get to this moment. Let’s be honest, if we gave this script to a movie producer and tried to sell this story, I imagine the conversation would go something like this:
“Wait… so a school has to move… and the building isn’t finished. And they move in anyway… and then there’s asbestos… and they move where? School District conference rooms and a synagogue down the block? And then what happens? They finally move in… happy ending right? Wait… what? A global pandemic? For how long are they out of school? Fifteen months??? Come on… no one will ever believe that!!!”
But – as you all can attest – that’s what happened. And I am quite sure that – to a person – this was not the high school experience you all thought you were getting back in September 2017.
There is an old saying, “We are the stories we tell.” And in no other year is that more true than now. We all can tell a story of loss for the last two years. Loss of trust in a system that pledged to keep you safe. Loss of a building to call home for the better part of your junior year. Loss of a spring season of sports last year. Loss of time in each other’s company for these past 15 months of school. And so much more. And no one would fault you for that.
And all of us who walked this walk with you would understand that. You need to know that all throughout Capstone week, as we watched you present project after project that showed off each and all of your unique talents and passions and abilities, we on staff kept looking at each other and realized our own loss this year. We all acutely felt the loss of the time we would have gotten to spend with all of you this year, because you are an extraordinary group of young people, and we won’t get back this time with all of you, and we are sad for that.
And then, we realized something. As much as this wasn’t what any of us wanted for the past two years, we were lucky enough to go through it with all of you. And what we realized was that for all of the loss that we felt as a faculty, we could tell the story of working with a group of young people who never gave up and never gave in and who all persevered in ways that defy description.
And with that, it is my hope… my most fervent wish for all of you… that when you tell the story of your high school years, you tell a story that recognizes what you lost, but also celebrates all that you achieved.
Because…
You can tell the story of justice. Whether it was when you were faced with a school building that was not fit to be occupied and you spoke up for not just one school, but for two, or when you lent your voices to the many who have called for profound and fundamental change to address the long-standing issues of systemic racism in this country, or the ways that those of you on our building design committee convinced the architects and the School District that, yes, a high school could and should have all-gender bathrooms as a powerful and profound way to ensure that gender-fluid and transgender students can feel safe in school, you all have spoken up and worked hard to create a more just community.
You can tell the story of community. Because wherever you went, the community showed through. Whether it was the photo on the steps of the apartment building next to 440, or PE in the basement of Rodeph Shalom, or forming the SLA Student Action Boardand the SLA Youth Dialogue Institute as a way to keep people together and informed or the Food Truck Prom, what you did, you did together, and you did it in a way that brought people together in ways that made us proud.
You can tell a story of leadership. This year would have been so much harder were it not for the XX of you who were SATs, teaching younger SLA students what it means to be an SLA student, even through “Zoom School.” Your classmates would not have had the success they had in the college process were it not for the work of the College Access Leaders. And our teams would never have gotten back on the fields and courts without the leadership of our seniors who made sure that we represented our school with pride.
You can tell the story of dedication. Whether it was 6:30 am practices, pulling all-nighters to finish your benchmark projects, or working with your mentors to create Capstones that made people rethink what high school kids are capable of, or running EduCon inside 440 and still pulling off a conference that made educators from all over the country rethink what school can be, you always gave so much of yourself in your time at SLA, and we are better for it.
You can tell the story of excellence. Despite not having your CTE facilities for two years, you still completed Capstones that were ambitious engineering projects and meaningful documentaries and original and art projects. And in a year where there was news story after news story about how hard it was going to be for the Class of 2021 to get into college, you *ROCKED* the college process in ways that defy description, and as student-athletes, you came back and won on courts and fields across this city, and tomorrow, you will represent us one last time in the Public League Baseball Championships — and I know you will do us proud.
You can tell the story of perseverance. Simply – nothing stopped you. You proved you could overcome all obstacles – from the building to the pandemic, you all kept going no matter what, and I don’t know if you all have realized this, but every member of this year’s Class of 2021 is graduating today. I know that it wasn’t always easy, and there were plenty of moments of doubt, but you all made it.
And you did so in the most “SLA” way I can imagine. You all honored the spirit of inquiry and the ethic of care in all that you did. What you proved is what we have said over and over again, “SLA is not just a place. It’s an ideal that we all hold dear.”
In short, you learn. You create. You lead. And that is all we could ever ask of you.
And, as you well know, the world is crying out right now for the people who can do those things.
And you are ready.
And that matters, because you have never been more needed. If the past year and a half have shown us anything, it is how deeply needed you are. As you know, you are inheriting a world where we must explicitly say “Black Lives Matter” because for too long they have not. You are inheriting a world where a pandemic has laid bare all the ways in which we as a nation fall short of our best ideals – health care inequity, educational inequity, economic inequity, environmental injustice, electoral injustice – to name just a few. You are coming of age at a time where the twin sins of inequality and inaction have come to roost and the status quo can no longer be allowed to hold by people of conscience and conviction.
These problems will not be easy to solve, nor will resistance be easy to overcome. But I have no doubt that you are all up to the challenge. And, as you all go forward, remember that we are here for you, to always remind you of your brilliance and resolve, and to be that touchstone in your lives when you need a reminder of all that you are.
For you are our best hope for the future, because you truly are what we hope for our SLA graduates – you are thoughtful, wise, passionate and kind. And you are — all of you — what the world needs.
And you must remember — 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. That is not the world in which we live. 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 think of all of you now, I can see a group of young people more than able to rise to any challenge. And that is the story you all must tell. The story of your high school career is the story of success and community and celebration and achievement in the face of overwhelming odds, and for all of you, it is the first of so many amazing stories you will be able to tell.
On behalf of the entire SLA community – faculty and staff, family and friends – we are so proud of all you have done, and we cannot wait to see what you do next. Congratulations to the Science Leadership Academy Class of 2021. Long may you shine.