Superintendent Addresses Class of 2013

Superintendent John Doherty shared his speech from the Class of 2013 graduation below:

Mr. Higginbottom, School Committee Members, Fellow Administrators and Faculty, Family and Friends of the Graduates and most importantly, members of the Graduating Class of 2013, I am honored and proud as Superintendent of Schools to address you on this special day.

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate you, the Class of 2013, for completing the first leg of your educational journey.  You began this journey just 13 years ago, in 2000 during a time when life seemed to be simpler for all of us.  The price of gas was $1.26, Britney Spears was the world’s most popular pop music star, and cell phones were no longer considered a luxury, but a necessity.  This was also the year that we had one of the closest presidential elections in United States History.

As our world changed during these  past 13 years, so have all of you , from kindergarten students, who were just learning how to read and write, to middle school students,  who tackled the many challenges of adolescence, and now to high school graduates, who are ready to leave the Reading Public Schools for new opportunities and adventures.

During those years, there have been many who have supported you along your journey.  First, and most important, there are your parents, grandparents, and other role models in your life.  They have guided you, encouraged you, cared for you, and protected you.  They have been there for you regardless of whether you think you needed them or not.  Then, there are your siblings and friends, who have become more and more important as you have gone through your life.  Finally, there are your teachers, coaches, advisors, administrators and other staff members, who have worked tirelessly to prepare you for the complex world that you will face in the future.  They taught you how to read and to write, how to problem solve, how to compete and perform on the field, on the court, and on the stage, how to be good sportsmen and sportswomen, and how to stretch out of your comfort zone and use skills that you never even knew you had.  Some of those educators are retiring this year, including Birch Meadow Teachers Margaret Warshauer and Joanne Garelick, Wood End teachers Sally Mucica and Peter DiSalvatore, High School Teachers Bill Carroll and Jane Darveau, Barrows Principal Karen Callan and Former Joshua Eaton Principal and Assistant Superintendent Patty de Garavilla.  We also must recognize Patricia Puglisi, who has provided you with endless support over the last four years as Assistant Principal.  She came in with you as a Freshmen and will also be leaving with you for her own new challenges and adventures. 

Class of 2013, please take a moment today and thank the people who have made a difference in your life.  Join me now and let’s give them a round of applause.

As you now begin this second leg of your journey, I am going to ask you two simple, but powerful questions.  The answers to these questions will be different for each of you, but will help provide you with a compass and a road map to the next path you travel.

My first question to you is, “What about the world do you want to change?” 

As each of you know, our world and our society has many complex problems that need to be solved.  These range from environmental issues like global warming to addressing the amassing debt in many countries, to solving local issues like developing more sustainable communities or helping people in need.  These complex problems can be solved, but they will need to be solved by different groups of people, working together, with different types of skills. 

You may be thinking that you have some time before you need to contribute to solving these problems, but I beg to differ.  . You are not only the leaders for tomorrow; you are the leaders for today.  What you have done during the last four years at RMHS has been noteworthy and has prepared you to continue your journey on to college, the armed forces, or even a new career.  Remember, what you do over the next six to eight years will help you contribute to solving the problems of tomorrow.  Focus on learning and discovering your passion, your strengths, and your interests so that you can help to make the world a better place. 

In fact, many of you have already started making a difference.  Let me share some examples with you;

The first example is the presentation that I annually make to the recipient of the Patrick A. Schettini, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Award.  This is given to a senior who exemplifies the qualities that Superintendent Schettini most cherished:  A hard working, high achieving student both within and beyond the classroom who excels in 21^stCentury skills.  The student selected this year has chosen this path, is a quiet leader among peers, and is a person passionate about science and mathematics.  This year’s recipient is a positive, talented, and extremely bright individual who manages her time very well.  She is a talented musician, a section leader in the RMHS Marching Band and Concert Band, and is a participant in the Color Guard.  She has volunteered in the peer tutoring program and is a teaching assistant at her synagogue.  This student will be attending Colgate University in the fall to pursue a degree in Neuroscience.  It is with great pride that I present the Patrick A. Schettini, Jr. Memorial Scholarship to Abigail Lemmons.

Abigail is one example of someone in your class who has made a difference.  In addition, we had 22 members of the class of 2013 who took part in our Senior internship program. Marianne Arsenault, Steffanie Brian, Maddie Davie, Kiley Flammia, Katherine Ferolito, Victoria Fodera , Melissa Hannaford, Matt Granetz, Meghan Hubbard, Caroline King, Ashley Letezia , Sarah Malstrom, Caitlin McKee, Christine Ogburn, Alison Rigney,  Victoria Robichaud, Anna Samson, Adam Sandberg , Eva Sherman, Jackie Tucker, and Victoria Wilson have all made a difference.  Over the last several weeks, they have participated in community or school internships that focused on business, hospice care, political science, assisted living, education, the arts, community service or manufacturing.  

There are also several members of the class of 2013 who have done some of the little, but powerful things that have made a difference in the lives of others.  There is Jeff Chew who is the principal cellist for the New England Conservatory Youth Repertory Symphony Orchestra.  Then, there is Eva Sherman who spent the last semester of her junior year studying environmental sustainability at the Chewonki School, an environmental education program in Wiscasset, Maine.  There is Anna Sampson, a talented pianist who has performed twice at Carnegie Hall.  Or Michaela Tucci, who is passionate about working with students with disabilities and has devoted a significant amount of time to learn American Sign Language.  Then, there is the amazing story of Camille Springer, who was working at Starbucks on Boylston Street in Boston on Marathon Day when the bombs were detonated.  Camille worked with others on that tragic day and assisted in triaging the injured.

Last, but certainly not least, eight of you will be joining our armed forces. Domenic DeSimone will be joining the United States Air Force, Brendan Amico will be entering the United States Marines, Sarah True will be enlisting in the United States Army/National Guard, Tomasz Mariarz will be joining the United States Army, Luke Beaulieu will be attending a military prep school and eventually, West Point in 2014, and Even Jones, Amelia Panek, and Luke Sullivan have all been accepted in the United States Naval Academy.  Domenic, Brendan, Sarah, Tomasz, Luke, Even, Amelia, and Luke, thank you for defending our country and doing such important work. We wish you safe journey and godspeed. 

All of these individuals, of course, are just a few examples of the many personal accomplishments represented here today.  You all have your own stories to tell about your influence in making a difference in this world and our community.  You should be very proud of yourselves collectively as a class, where you have been outstanding leaders and role models for the underclassmen as they continue along their own journeys.  You have excelled on the athletic playing field with two state championships, and 12 Middlesex League Championships.  You have shined in the visual and performing arts with four outstanding drama productions and superior art work. Our Jazz Band and color guard are some of the best in the state and both our Band and Chorus performed at Walt Disney World in Florida this year.  Finally, you have achieved academic success including 10 national merit commended scholars and one national merit finalist.  And all of you deserve congratulations for completing the necessary graduation requirements to be here today.

You have seen time and time again during your four years at Reading Memorial High School how important teamwork is on our sports teams, drama productions, band and chorus performances, club activities and group projects.  What you have learned over the last four years is that team success is dependent upon how you work together and reach a common goal.  Think about what would have happened if the tech crew at the drama show did not do their job backstage or the offensive line on the football team did not block when they were supposed to or the color guard did not perform their routine in sync.  When groups work together, regardless of skill, they have a greater chance of achieving their goal.  Without this synergy, there is no team. 

All of these experiences and accomplishments will help you reach the answers to the first question I posed to you earlier, “What about the world do you want to change?”

So now, let’s move on to the second question:  “What could you do if you knew you could not fail?”

Time and time again, we have seen where individuals do not make a decision or take a risk for fear of failure.  If Walt Disney, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Michael Jordan decided to quit after their first failure, or even their second or third failures, we would have lost some of the most creative, intellectual, and athletic individuals we have ever seen.  Each of them have changed the world in their own way because they took risks, failed, learned from their mistakes, and tried again. They all shared a mindset where they viewed their challenges and failures as opportunities to learn and grow.

The Irish playwright, novelist, and poet Samuel Beckett once said,

“Try again, fail again, fail better.”

Remember that your challenges and failures are learning experiences.  Use them to learn and grow.  You have a tremendous opportunity in your life to be able to solve some of the most complex issues that our community, our country, and our world have ever faced.  Take the next 6 to 8 years of your life, learn the skills that interest you, and join us as the leaders of today to solve the problems of tomorrow.

What this means is that many times you may be travelling along a path that few have taken.  That is ok.  You do not necessarily have to go on the path most travelled.  Go on the path less travelled or make your own path  and lead the way.  The path that you take on the next leg of the journey is up to you.  Try a path that helps make you a better person and contributor to society.  Take a path where you continue to learn and grow.  Our community and our country needs your generation to work alongside with our generation to address the next set of problems and challenges that we will face.  Take the path that someday you will say, I am glad I did, instead of the path where you will be saying, I wish I did.

The American author, Alice Walker, who wrote the award winning novel, The Color Purple, once said,

To the extent that it is possible . . . you must live in the world today as you wish everyone to live in the world to come. That can be your contribution. Otherwise, the world you want will never be formed. Why? Because you are waiting for others to do what you are not doing; and they are waiting for you, and so on.”

You have the talents, skills, and perseverance to make a difference in whatever you decide to do.  I challenge each of you to find the answers to the two questions that I posed to you today by choosing or creating the path along your own journey that will create that spark in your life and helps you to find your calling. From there, the possibilities are endless.

I want to conclude with a final thought.  One week prior to the tragic marathon bombings, long time marathoners Dick Hoyt and his son Rick, who is a quadrapelgic, were honored with a bronze statue just yards away from the Marathon start line in Hopkinton. Most of you are aware that each year Dick, who is now 73, pushes his son Rick in a wheelchair the entire 26.2 miles.  They have been running this race for 31 years and have been an inspiration for thousands who participate each year.  At the bottom of that statue are three simple, but powerful words,

“Yes You Can”.

Class of 2013, each of you can accomplish your goals, your dreams, and your aspirations.  With your help we can solve the problems of today and tomorrow.

Congratulations on your graduation.  I wish you good health and godspeed on your journey ahead.