A Former Board President Reflects

It’s Graduation Season.

When I was President of a high school Board of Education, I always looked forward to this time of year, the special Sundays when I would lead the processional into the auditorium, hand diplomas to each graduate, and have the privilege of making the commencement address.

What did I say to the graduating class in those 3-minute orations, some 20 years ago? Unlike my predecessor, I made it a point of honor to create something fresh each year, to use a new viewpoint, or comment on a new aspect of the graduates’ lives ahead, whether it be in school, the military, or other types of service. I recall horrifying the school superintendent one year, opening my remarks by discussing our pet dog. I believe I eventually made a point that coincided with the school’s mission.

Looking back, I wondered what themes truly stood out. So with curiosity, I logged into an old backup hard drive and found the text of three of my speeches. I used AI to list the most common words in them. Not surprisingly, “education,” “class,” and “students” were at the top of the list. They were closely followed by “vision” and “values,” the school’s buzzwords. A third V word, “village,” was there as well (Hillary Clinton had made her impact), and so were “community” and “opportunity.”

I am proud of what I said each year, and just as proud of what I didn’t say. There were no attacks on enemies, no barbs at underachieving faculty, no threats of retaliation. In fact, except for my one dog story, the speech wasn’t about me. Graduation was a time for the young men and women before me to savor what they had accomplished and look ahead to what they hoped and dared to achieve.

I hope Graduation Day can still be about all that, and nothing more.