"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." ~Winston Churchill
Dear Community,
On Tuesday, our wonderful Early Program and Beginner students headed off for summer (some excited, and some a bit teary!). Wednesday morning, the rest of us gathered at All Souls Unitarian Church for a splendiferous Graduation and Stepping Up Ceremony. Indeed, it is time to celebrate, find opportunities to rejuvenate, and to look forward!
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, to our community. You are a very special, special group of people. Your children are indeed precious, and we learn from them as much as we hope to teach them. So too are our Caedmon Alumni. They come back and speak of their time here with such admiration. Caedmon faculty, administrators, and staff are exceptionally gifted, and it is a joy to work side-by-side with them. Caedmon parents, grandparents, and families are devoted to their children and want the very best for them. It is so appreciated that our families are effusive in their appreciation for our teamwork with each other.
So, thank you for being this very unique community!
I wanted to share my words from Wednesday's ceremony, not because they are particularly profound, but I do believe they capture the spirit of why a Caedmon student is the luckiest child in the world! Have a wonderful, wonderful summer everyone!
Graduation Speech – Caedmon Class of 2022
Good morning. Welcome to the 59th Graduation of the Caedmon School!
I think there are few events in life more exciting than graduations. A graduation has a very important ingredient, more so than many other major events in life. Graduation celebrates future and hope. We attend this graduation, and everyone here takes a deep breath of HOPE. The future is in good hands. The earth will be saved…politicians will become respectful and work together…violence will be replaced by kindness and empathy for each other. This is the magic of a graduation. We look to you, Class of 2022, and we say, please keep making this world a better place!
I have been thinking a lot about the Mission of the Caedmon School, and the Caedmon Class of 2022. The first line of our Mission is always the most profound for me: we honor the individual and foster each child’s natural curiosity. Sitting in front of you are 15 very distinct individuals. Their talents, their approaches to learning, their interests, and their senses of humor are very diverse. They “tick” in very different ways. Now, that can be a bit challenging. But it is also SO exciting. You can’t begin to imagine the fun I had in writing their recommendation letters last fall – complex thinking scientists, actors, singers, politicians, peace makers and disruptors, little engines that could, and brains working so fast that the teachers had to run to catch up. And the grade itself is very distinct. My very favorite moments of this year have been when this group of young people would invade my office in the afternoon, following their recess. They would pile in; we would read a story and they would bring me up to speed on their world. They made ME feel like I added value in this world as a Head of School.
The second crucial idea in our Mission is to nurture empathy to value perspectives other than their own. Developmentally, this is actually a very big “ask.” Young children really need to be focused on themselves in their early years, as they grow and collect experiences in their world. In fact, many adults never achieve the stage of authentically being able to empathize and walk in another’s shoes. The individuals in this grade have taken on this challenge seriously; not always perfectly, and there have been some bumps in this part of the journey. Yet, your efforts in being empathetic to others are why your graduation gift is the story of ONE, which we enjoyed together, in which ONE stands up to the big meany RED, with graciousness and invitation.
The final line of our Mission promises graduates who are creative, capable, and courageous. Frankly, there is not much more that I can add to that promise. Parents, family members, Caedmon teachers – sitting before you are fifteen of the most creative, courageous and highly capable individuals I know.
Graduates, can I just say that you are why we, the adults at Caedmon, became educators in the first place, and why we love to work in schools.
I am going to pause for just a moment from my focus on the graduates, as today is also graduation day for a number of children in this room:
- Kindergarten, you have done a marvelous job of making all of us feel so much love every day. AND you have done a marvelous job learning about reading and math, so you are now officially in First grade and join the Lower Level!
- Lower Level, you have an important and unique place at Caedmon. The Second grade prepares for the challenges ahead, and also takes care of the First grade. First grade, you stretch and learn just a little bit more than First graders in other schools, because you have your excellent Second grade mentors. You all have certainly earned the official move-up. First grade, you are now Second graders, and I hand these Kindergarten students in front of me to your guidance. Second grade, come on up to the fourth floor!!
- Third grade, this has been such an important year of growth and success for all of you. You are fierce friends, caretakers of each other, and creativity is your middle name. You are now the Fourth grade.
- And soon, Fourth grade, we hand the leadership of the school over to you. You are a group of young men and a few very outstanding women, and we are confident and excited for what you will bring to school year 2022-2023!! You are now officially the Fifth grade at Caedmon.
How delightful to celebrate the “stepping up” of our Caedmon students!
Let’s take an additional moment of celebration! Class of 2022, stand up and look out at ALL of these people who love you so much. They are your parents, your teachers, your family members and the younger students who look up to you. Soak in their pride and admiration and hope for you and your future. Now, I ask you to stand and join with me to say thank you to them and give them an enormous round of applause!
Class of 2022, the world will soon be in your hands. Please be the creative, capable, and courageous young men and women - the change makers - you have shown yourself capable of being. Thank you.
