Congratulations, Class of 2017

Offering #1 - Don’t oversleep.
Whether you realize it or not, you are about to have more free time than you may ever have experienced before. Depending upon your class schedule, and what you decide to do in terms of extracurricular activity, you will be completely on your own, left to your own devices. For most of you, this will be the very first time in which you must be in charge of getting yourself up and ready for the day, and setting the schedule for those 24 hours, 7 days a week...10, 080 minutes to be exact!
10,080 minutes

What a wonderful gift---and a real responsibility...Guard those precious 10, 080 minutes wisely…

Don’t waste your time! Learn to use the hours of the day to your advantage...As the great author Leo Tolstoy once claimed,

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Well, you, will be “armed” with plenty of time in your day to accomplish much… Your self-discipline will be paramount, and it will be critical for you to be organized and to be a master planner if you are truly committed to getting the most out of every day. And one more thought here---Please do NOT choose a course of study based on the time of day it is offered...Find something you are truly interested in pursuing, and jump in! Don’t oversleep.

Offering #2 - Get involved.
Beyond choosing what you will focus on in your course of study, I encourage you to search for “meaningful” moments. Whatever you choose to become involved with---be it an independent study, intramural athletics, fraternity or sorority life, volunteer service, student government, whatever--

Make sure you explore the possibilities “beyond” the classroom, seeking out healthy and challenging pursuits.

Develop a network of friends and people who share the same ideals and values as you.

When I graduated from high school--all the way back in 1988---I was convinced that I would study law, and become an attorney. Accordingly, during the summer after my freshman year, I completed an internship at a law firm in my hometown of Nashville, TN, in which I learned a very important lesson:

“It’s just as important to know what you DON’T want to do, as it is for what you to know what you DO want to do!”

I did, however, discover in college--through my volunteer work with the Boy’s Club of Richmond--that I really enjoyed teaching and coaching kids...Nearly every Saturday--and many of my weekday afternoons--during those four years at Richmond-- were spent working with these young people, traveling into the inner city of Richmond regularly, and hosting events and activities on the campus.…Here’s a shot from the Yearbook, taken all the way back in 1990...

Little did I realize, that the positive feelings and fulfillment I discovered in those moments with those kids, would fuel my desire just a few years later to pursue teaching full time. My work with those boys led me to what is now, a 24-year career in education, and more joy than I could ever have asked or hoped for!
Get involved.

Offering #3 - Find a mentor.
Mentors are everywhere around you. Your teachers, your coaches, your Advisor, maybe a family friend, a rabbi, or church leader... Many of you have already developed strong relationships with folks whom you chat with and discuss things with regularly. Just remember, finding the right person who truly cares about you and your future is a wonderful gift, and it behooves you to cultivate that relationship. And while certainly we all have family who care about us, I will argue that as wonderful as those folks are, they are inherently biased! My own father gave this piece of advice to me many years ago, and that advice was very simple:

Go find someone in the teaching profession whom I could learn from, and whom I could ask all the questions I needed to know.

Once I knew that I wanted to pursue education and possibly be a Head of School, my efforts led me to a most distinguished gentleman, Mr. Harvey Sperling.

Harvey and I now have a 20 year friendship...I lovingly refer to him as my “second father” and he even calls me “son”...Harvey is actually here today, sitting right here in the front row, as he is a distinguished member of our Board of Trustees, traveling regularly from Nashville to be part of our School.

I have learned much from Harvey over the years, and I am most grateful for his love, support and his unique ability to push me to think “outside the box”, always answering my questions with more questions---which, I might add, is quite frustrating, but very effective!
Find a mentor.

Offering #4 - Become a Lifelong Learner.
Now, take what I am about to say in the context and message it is intended...For what it’s worth, I have never been asked in any interview what my GPA was in college!

Parents, friends, and Faculty, I implore you, please don’t throw anything at me or get the pitchforks out, just yet, but Class of 2017, hear me when I say that it is the PURSUIT of learning that is so important, and not necessarily the final result…

In short, Focus on learning---and NOT the grade.

By concentrating your efforts on the genuine desire to gain new knowledge and outside perspectives, you will find great joy, for it is the process, that will ultimately serve you in powerful, life changing ways.

Find something that excites you, and forces you to think, stretch and grow, for, as Edna Ferber, noted playwright and novelist claims,

“A closed mind is a dying mind.”

I am NOT saying that you should not give your very best effort, and certainly obtaining a solid GPA is a wonderful Goal to have; rather, I hope you will approach your work with passion and zeal, focusing on the learning, and not getting too caught up in the outcome, as measured quantitatively.

In his recent remarks upon this very topic, author and historian David McCullough, Jr. speaks so eloquently on this very concept---much better than me, I might add!

“Like accolades ought to be, the fulfilled life is a consequence, a gratifying byproduct. It’s what happens when you’re thinking about more important things. Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, NOT so the world can see you.”
Become a lifelong learner.

Offering #5 - Choose to be Positive.

You choose your Attitude every day, plain and simple.

Playwright Tom Stoppard encourages us to do the following, noting that:

“A healthy attitude is contagious, but don’t wait to catch it from others...Be a carrier.” Be a carrier!

Take that positive attitude of yours, and remind yourself that, as you well know by now, life isn’t always fair. Things won’t always go your way.

My fellow Tennessean, famed entertainer Dolly Parton reminds us, too, that

“...if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.”

In your own quest to reach your desired level of success, you will fail….You won’t always succeed.

How you respond to that failure, however, is critical, and will ultimately pay dividends for you.

Does anyone remember this story I shared with you over 2 years ago, in our Opening Chapel? If you do, I’m really impressed…!

Can you name this famous historical figure?

• Failed at business in 1832
• Ran as a state legislator and lost in 1832
• Tried business again and failed in 1833
• His sweetheart died in 1835
• Had a nervous breakdown in 1836
• Defeated for Congress in 1843
• Defeated again for Congress in 1848
• Defeated when he ran for Senate in 1855
• Defeated for Vice-President of the United States in 1856
• Ran for Senate one more time and lost again, in 1858…

With persistence, humility and a confidence defying his track record of failure, consider that in 1860 this gentleman became our President…

Honest Abe Lincoln was finally elected as our 16th President in 1860, and, well, the rest is history, as you well know…

Failure is a powerful teacher, if we allow ourselves to learn from its effects...And that’s the key…

As we all know, it’s how we respond to defeat that truly defines us; that is, how we rise after falling---how we “get up and go”, taking the first step forward and ultimately seizing the opportunity that lies before us…

It is up to you how you will go about your daily work.

It is up to you just what your attitude will be.
Choose to be Positive.

And so, Class of 2017, that’s my last bit of advice to you, before you walk out these doors today, diplomas in hand, celebrations soon to begin.

I do hope you can use these 5 short lessons, as you develop your own set of rules and perspectives along your journey...However, I also hope that most importantly, you know just how grateful I am for each of you.

As we say in my hometown of Nashville, I am “proud to know ya”!

You have made our School a better place, and you have enriched my life, and the life of the Roberts Family, with your presence. Thank you.

Thank You, Class of 2017.

Your Positive Spirit and your Genuine Commitment to the Ideals of our School are of the highest order, and our entire Community owes you a great debt of thanks for leading us so capably this school year.

Remember, too, upon leaving us today, the following:

Know that you are loved.

Know that you are supported.

Know that we are always cheering for you.

Know that you will be missed.

Know that we are waiting, and hoping you will return in due time to share your stories with us…

And, always remember,

You may leave Palmer Trinity, but Palmer Trinity will never leave you.