On Your Mark, Get Set.... COMMENCE

Last night was my highschool commencement. I was fairly neutral about it going in; I knew it would be good to see people again but was too worn down after a week of being sick and stressed out to really care.

Upon arrival I was struck with the strangest feeling about what happens to people when they leave high school. Some of them, move on and genuinely change, but I was struck by how many will always be exactly what they are now. Maybe that is unfair to say, but I am not trying to be judgmental. You just sit back and listen to them have the exact same conversations you have heard them have every day for the past four years. If you are lucky the names they gossip about have at least changed thought is quite a sad one since it made me feel like there is a limit to the amount of people who will grow up from being teenangers.

There were some redeeming things in the evening, though. I laughed out loud to see my principal grinning like a madman, rocking back and forth on his heels like a four year old on his birthday. That man has put so much into Newtonbrook in four years- I think all of my efforts really fail in comparison. Other teachers gave me hope as well, there are some who are honestly invested in our success. It seems like that should be garaunteed, but it is a rare gift to have people dedicate themselves to the personal growth otheres. They chose this profession to facilitate youth and that is a noble and honourable goal.

Of all things I was most anticipating (and most happy with) the valedictorian speech by a dear friend of mine. Now it must be said that throughout his years at Newtonbrook I have seen him do some rather questionable things, and I have heard tell of many others... But he is the type of guy who is always there to put up a poster, or talk to a teacher or make you laugh on a bad day. He is the type of guy who knows the staff by their first names, even the janitors.

His speech began like all the others, with welcomes and thank yous. It was glaringly obvious to me that he was forced into the wording of this section, as he over-exaggerated to almost the point of sarcasm (which I loved, it - and the pausing to pose for photos- was the closest thing I got to him using the word 'deuchbag' or talking about peeing) But as he continued he did some things that I really admire. He had the guts to single out some amazing teachers, who do great thing but are rarely appreciated by the students. He made a point of talking about what clearly matters to him, which led to a Very y well said message on laughter, and not taking yourself so seriously.

From there he took the speech to a place I didn't expect him to go. He made very astute and intellectual comments about the world we live in, and even ventured so far as to offer some admirable solutions. To be honest, I think he lost a few people at this point, but knowing him (at least to some degree) I felt that I understood where he was coming from.

From the night as a whole, I don't take a complete sense of panic about the next generation. I look around to my group of friends, all of whom who have contributed so much of their time and energy, and to our deserving Valedictorian... I look at a teacher so dedicated to his students that he would show up after a week of not sleeping at all (And we all know that he will be even more dedicated to his new baby girl), at my principal who has become a dear friend and other teachers who have earned my respect... I look at the students in the crowd who are doing something, who have chosen a cause (or causes) and fight for them...

I see all of these people and I think about how much more I could be doing, I am inspired to moved beyond the contributions that I have already made and to give more. I hope that the other people who came last night were similarly inspired, because that would be a true cause for hope.

On a totally different note, I must thank Mom Dad (and Katy for the idea) for my shiny new ipod nano. It is one of the Project Red items that contributes money to AIDS research. I encourage you all to support such campaigns when you are buying things. Large corporations are taking notice of global issues, and if we as consumers demonstrate our approval, they will continue to do so.

Sam