C E L E B R AT I N G 4 0 Y E A R S
Democracy’s Cornerstone For the first time in the School’s histo‑ ry, a sitting governor visited Derryfield to deliver remarks on the importance of education to the state’s quality of life. As part of the School’s 40th Anniversary Forum Series, Governor John Lynch spoke to about 200 in attendance in the Nancy S. Boettiger Theatre on February 17th. He then turned the podium over to moderator Jack Herney, teacher of history at Phillips Exeter Academy, who guided a panel discussion of educational experts on the future of public education. Lynch is no stranger to firsts. The Hopkinton Democrat, seeking his first elected office, was also the first person in recent memory to deny a sitting governor his second term in office. Lynch defeated incumbent Republican Governor Craig Benson in the general election in November. Inheriting antici‑ pated revenue shortfalls as he pre‑ pared the biennial budget, Lynch faces a number of challenges from the
Republican‑controlled Legislature. According to Head of School Randy Richardson, “We know that education is at the top of his list of priorities sim‑ ply by the example of his life.” Intro‑ ducing the governor, Richardson cited Lynch’s having coached youth sports as a testament to his interest in educa‑ tion, quipping, “We have openings at Derryfield if you’re interested.” Upon taking the podium, Lynch recognized the appreciative and “warm” crowd, responding, “After dealing with a three hundred million dollar budget deficit, the legislature, and school funding, I think a coaching job at Derryfield sounds very, very attractive.” Lynch focused his remarks on the role of education in preparing a citi‑ zenry ready to safeguard its liberties and to prepare for full participation in democracy. Offering the example of Lyndon Johnson, U.S. President at the time of the founding of The Derryfield School, Lynch discussed the role of
Panelists Ellie Freedman and David Ruedig listen to comments from Shep Melnick.
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by John Bouton government in promoting education. Lynch said, “Johnson recognized what we all know to be true: our democracy and our culture can’t function without a strong educational system.” Acknow‑ ledging the explosion of information and questions of credibility both with‑ in the media and within government, Lynch asserted, “A quality education gives our citizens the ability to assimi‑ late information, to sift fact from fic‑ tion, to make sound judgments based on the facts that are presented to them. That’s the type of education that Derry‑ field has been providing for 40 years.” Lynch also touched upon the need to invest in public education as a means to improve quality of life for citizens. Drawing on his experience in the Executive Branch, Lynch said, “Ask any governor, which I have done, what the single most important economic development investment that they can make is, and that governor would say, ‘education.’ Our economy demands a highly skilled and educated work‑ force.” Lynch described education as preparation for economic success, observing, ”The earnings disparity between college educated workers and non‑college educated workers is actu‑ ally growing exponentially. How much you learn is often how much you earn.” Lynch articulated values he had campaigned on, declaring, “I believe strongly that we have a fundamental responsibility to make sure that we’re giving our children the opportunity for
Derryfield Today – Winter 2005