The last weekend in May is often a fond time for high school principals.  While some welcome the end of another school year and the “off-season” that comes with June, it is the actual commencement exercises that I enjoy the most.  It is, maybe, the singular day where everyone is happy.  The students walking across the stage have all achieved whatever is needed and thus they are pleased.  Parents have only two requirements for the event – make sure their child’s name is in the program and be sure to announce their name.  That’s it.  So they are delighted.  It’s a great day.

Now for me it is also a workout as I shake the hands of more than 800 graduates and smile for individual pictures with each of them.  While it is a grind, the graduation allows me to have a personal moment with each of them before they head forward.  I hope to never take that for granted.

I also have the charge of sharing a few words of wisdom, and that is a practice that I take seriously.  It is a chance to convey to both students and parents what is important to you, and thus the school.  It’s a chance to reward them for their faith and trust in public education and remind them that you have their best interest at heart.  For this annual speech in front of nearly 10,000 people, I often use some form of a common script.  However this year was different, this class more unique, and thus I pushed myself.  Below is what I shared and I hope that others may find it helpful.

“The scars on my skin are a map of the adventures and the places I’ve been.”

-U Li La Lu, poi dog pondering

Having the honor to stand before you and offer a few words as you move forward is a highlight for me.  My pride in your accomplishments is boundless.  Among many highlights, this class led us to our first Football Playoff Victory in 43 years, you won National Championships in a variety of competitions, you’ve been offered scholarship dollars that exceed $36 Million (by the way this is nearly $15 Million more than our previous record); you’ve entertained others across the country, and you’ve comforted each other through the toughest challenges anyone might face.  We laughed and celebrated while we cried and grieved.  There was no obstacle put before us that we could not overcome.

Now this is the part of my speech where I normally challenge you to live your life with great wisdom while offering some sage advice.  However this year, as has been referenced, is different.  You see, this year I learned from you.

I learned what it means to be part of a community.  I watched as over four years together you each accepted each other regardless of background, race, economic status, gender identity, or any of the other means by which we too often get categorized.  You refrained from falling in to the stereotypes that so many try to paint upon your generation.  While you embraced the typical high school experiences such as Homecoming, student concerts and athletic events, and, of course, Prom, you also found moments to bring people and resources together for a greater purpose.  Being part of a community is similar to being part of a family.  And it’s important to remember that family members agree and disagree, they hug and cry, they share the grandest of laughs while embracing through the lowest moments of sorrow.  And then they recover.  It may not always be pretty and it can get messy, however it is absolutely what every family experiences and exactly what needs to happen.

Now I was and remain a fan of a TV show called LOST.  And while making every effort to not give anything away, there is a great quote delivered in the series finale that I think particularly fits this senior class, and I’d like to share it.

This is a place that you all made together so that you could find one another. The most important part of your life was the time that you spent with these people on that island. That’s why all of you are here. Nobody does it alone. You needed all of them, and they needed you.

While these past four years were both not fiction and not an episode of Survivor, the school you entered in 9^th grade was what was necessary then.  And for the years that followed you sacrificed, you invested in yourself, and you built exactly what was required.  Together you created this senior year because it was what you needed.  And a few months ago – when we lost Jade & Michael – together you made your way through it.  Because you had to and because you could.

Now the worry that often creeps in for seniors at this time is what happens next.  Maybe you will want your community to mirror what it is now.  Or perhaps you will desire something completely different.  My wisdom for you is that because of the experience you had at Bellaire, you, more than most of your peers across the city, state, and country, are truly prepared to build your own community.  Because you have already experienced it, if you can truly commit to do it, then what results from your effort will be exactly what you require.  You have that within you.  Trust it.

So as you prepare for the next exciting adventure in your life treasure the time you have had together.  Many of you will move on to the same college or city, and the effort needed to maintain friendships in this technologically rich world is far less than it was for your parents and me.  Yet it still requires effort, it demands respect, and it starts with a shared experience.  As your principal these past four years, I am confident that the shared experience of having moved through Bellaire is one that has been powerful for you.  I am humbled by your success and I thank you for always sustaining the necessary effort.  Go forward from today and lead a life that you take pride in, that you respect, and that you value.  Also be sure to eat your veggies, apply sunscreen, Stay Classy, Live Long and Prosper, and, finally, May the Force Be With You.

Understanding that the Principal has the opportunity to offer the final sentiments to students before they leave your school, how do you approach this opportunity?  What words of wisdom do you share?