It Took a Village
Earlier this month it was my honor to deliver the commencement address at my alma mater high school in Bellefontaine, Ohio. There’s always something safe about going home. Mary Rutan Park still has its four tennis courts and the pool is still open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
As I encouraged Bellefontaine’s 202 newest graduates to contribute, leave a legacy and connect with people throughout the world, it occurred to me that I would not be offering advice, encouragement and hopefully a little wisdom were it not for all of the front-line teachers and behind-the-scenes administrators. Some of them chose education as their life profession. Others manage to crowd the role of coach, booster club or PTA president, or board of education member into a life already crammed with work and family. Nonetheless, each of them made the conscious decision to push us, at 18 years old, out the door fully equipped to take on and improve the world.
I’d graduated a long time ago with part of that school leadership team. And as we reminisced about some of the idiot things we did back in the day, it was clear to me that my former classmates had plotted a deliberate winning strategy for Bellefontaine High School’s graduates that would make Gen. Petraeus proud: More than $200,000 in financial aid and scholarship money went to those who applied for it. The number of kids graduating with college credit skyrocketed from 25 last year to 133 this year. Five graduates had chosen a military profession, with one Marine leaving for boot camp that evening.
The business of providing great education is not a task for the weak or the lazy. It takes some effort to be in the top 20 percent of anything, whether it be academic, athletic or business. However, to get to the top 1 percent of that 20 percent (think Tiger Woods or Bill Gates) the level of effort gets statistically tougher the closer you zoom in toward those one-digit percentages.
As I chatted with year 2013’s next international business major, computer scientist engineer and Broadway star, I felt safe and hopeful, if only because this generation will one day take care of my generation. If the high school graduates across the country are anything like the new graduates of Bellefontaine, Ohio, then I’m in good hands.
If you’re in the profession of training minds (and that’s almost all of us), I challenge you push yourself to that final 1 percent of excellence. If you’re on the receiving end, kick up the effort and push yourself to that 1 percent of excellence too. And along the way, thank your teachers, your coaches, your parents, your bus driver and all of those volunteers.
Thank you for our next generation of leaders, Bellefontaine. You give back.
Get out and give back.
Filed under: Children, Education, Family, In the Neighborhood
I attended Bellefontaine’s Graduation last Sunday as my niece (Mary’s daughter Abbey Keller) and my son’s girlfriend (Malia Johnson) were both graduating in the class of 2009 and was there to hear your speech in person. You did a great job and I hope that you inspired at least a few in attendance to look beyond themselves and find small ways to support and improve the lives of others. I wish I could have touched base with you after the ceremony but things got a bit hectic. Take care and thanks for your contributions and inspiration to others.
I know I’ve already told you, but your speech was wonderful!!