MAY 2023*
ISSUE N.4
PG 1
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
UNTOLD STORIES OF DDS *THE GRADUATION ISSUE
2023 Commencement Keynote Speaker Vince Papale / Photo by Laura Woods
May 25, 2023 at Davidson College
SENIOR DINNER AND GRADUATION SPEECHES JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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MAY 2023*
ISSUE N.4
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 2
Senior Dinner Speakers Pete Moore, Steve McGill, Emma McMahon / Photos by Laura Woods
For our final issue of 2023, we decided to put together all the speeches delivered by students and faculty at Senior Dinner and Graduation. Both events were phenomenal experiences for the graduates and all attendees. Much credit goes to the Graduation Committee, led by Tia Hill and also including Michael Smith, Caitlin Barndt, Charmaine Comerford, and Debbie Taylor. This group of people put in countless hours organizing and planning both events, and making sure everything ran smoothly. Kudos to all five of you! Senior dinner took place at Sweet Magnolia Estate in Cornelius, NC, and graduation took place in the Duke Family Performance Hall on the campus of Davidson College. Below are the speeches in the order in which they were delivered.
SENIOR DINNER SPEECHES Below is the speech that Head of School Pete Moore delivered at Senior Dinner on May 23, 2023. Good evening. My name is Pete Moore, and I am Head of School at Davidson Day. I would like to thank all the families and seniors for being here tonight. I would also like to thank everyone involved in putting together tonight’s event.
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I have loved getting to know these incredible young people over the last three years and I will miss seeing them every day, and I can't wait for them to come back and visit. I have two final chances to share my thoughts with our seniors before they graduate. Once at tonight’s senior dinner and on Thursday at commencement. I have been thinking a lot about things I wished I had known when I graduated high school thirty years ago. What I want to talk about tonight is the concept that Success Leaves Clues. Throughout history, we have
witnessed extraordinary individuals who have achieved remarkable feats, whether it be in the fields of science, art, business, sports, or education. These individuals have left behind a trail of clues that can guide us on our own journey towards success and personal growth. I first learned this concept around 25 years ago, when I started reading and listening to the work of life and business coach Tony Robbins. He wrote, “Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did, and model it. Improve it, but learn their steps. They have knowledge.”
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DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 3
This idea has helped me immeasurably over my lifetime. When I wanted to get better at something, whether it be teaching, leading, investing, being a parent or husband, I knew there were successful people out there who had left a trail of breadcrumbs for me to follow.
unique qualities and strengths, Steve creates an environment where students feel comfortable being themselves. This fosters trust, respect, and an open line of communication, laying the groundwork for strong relationships to flourish.
Sometimes I will simply ask people to share their secrets with me, and many times they are more than happy to share. I am briefly going to share an example of this with you.
2) The next tool Steve utilizes is accepting that his life is not his own. As an educator, he recognizes the profound impact he can have on the lives of his students. Steve willingly dedicates his time, energy, and resources to support and uplift his students. By putting their needs before his own, he demonstrates a selflessness that resonates deeply with his students, strengthening their bond and inspiring them to reach their full potential.
During my first two years at Davidson Day, I noticed that in their senior speeches, a number of students thanked and acknowledged Steve McGill for all he had done for them. Around 12 months ago I asked him why he thought this was and what he specifically did. I then asked him to do a presentation during our professional development day in January to his colleagues, titled Building Relationships with Students. He shared 7 tools he uses to develop deep connections with others. I did this because Steve has wisdom to share and I wanted to learn more about it and share it. Remember, success leaves clues and tonight I am going to share the clues that Steve shared with me. If you want to develop deeper relationships with others, I encourage you to follow this advice. Oh! I did want to share that Steve has given me permission to share his secret sauce. 1) The first tool Steve McGill employs is the simple yet profound act of being oneself. Authenticity forms the foundation of any genuine connection. By embracing his own
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3) Listening is another tool that Steve employs skillfully. He understands the importance of truly hearing and understanding his students. By actively listening, he creates a safe space for them to express themselves, their thoughts, and their concerns. This practice of attentive listening fosters empathy, deepens understanding, and strengthens the connection between teacher and student. 4) Interestingly, Steve also avoids traditional bonding activities. Instead, he focuses on creating an inclusive and supportive classroom environment where students feel valued and accepted for who they are. As someone who loves bonding activities, I wanted to leave this one off the list. Sorry Steve. Instead of bonding activities, he finds opportunities for people to be vulnerable and finds natural
opportunities for people to come together. 5) Steve’s approach also emphasizes teaching people, not just students. He recognizes that education is not limited to the transfer of knowledge but encompasses the holistic development of each individual. By understanding the unique strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations of his students, he tailors his teaching to their needs, inspiring a love for learning and personal growth. 6) Another important tool in Steve's arsenal is giving students the freedom to explore. He encourages independent thinking, creativity, and curiosity. By providing opportunities for self-discovery, taking chances and exploration, he empowers his students to develop their own voices, passions, and interests. This freedom to explore fosters a sense of ownership over their learning journey and strengthens their connection with Steve as their guide and mentor. 7) Lastly, Steve McGill understands the power of finding the good and praising it. This is based on a quote by Alex Haley which simply states, “Find the good, and praise it.” By recognizing and celebrating his students' achievements, both big and small, he creates a positive and encouraging environment. This not only boosts their confidence and selfesteem but also reinforces the connection between teacher and student, fostering a mutual respect and admiration. One of my favorite things Steve has shared with me is “Being a good teacher is about being observant.” Continued on page 18
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MAY 2023*
ISSUE N.4
PG 4
Senior Dinner, May 23, 2023 / Photo by Laura Woods
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
Below is the speech that English Department Chair Steve McGill delivered as the Faculty Speaker at Senior Dinner on May 23, 2023.
Greetings graduates, families, faculty, and admin. First I’d like to thank the graduating class of 2023 for presenting me with this opportunity to speak to you at this ceremony. It’s always an honor to be asked. It took me a while to come up with what I wanted to say for this speech. Ironically, or perhaps appropriately, clarity came to me when listening to two senior speeches that occurred on the same day – those of Chase Newman and Cole Snyder. Two students who lost their fathers early in their high school careers. Again, it seemed ironic but appropriate that these two gentlemen were giving their speech on the same day. And I was moved deeply by the fact that both of them discussed the loss of their fathers in their respective speeches. Cole also was very candid in discussing his struggles with mental health, self-abuse, and chemical dependency. As Cole spoke, I found myself thinking back to when he returned to school late in the third quarter after missing a significant amount of time, and the joy that I felt when seeing him again. When I left the theater that day, after Chase’s and Cole’s speeches, I knew what I wanted to say as the theme for this senior dinner speech – that life is all about falling down, and getting back up. And that it is not the falling down that matters; it’s the getting back up that matters. Both Chase and Cole fell into a black hole after the loss of their fathers. But look at them now. Not to say that everything is okey-dokey and all their sorrows and struggles are in the rearview mirror. But they got back up. They fell to the bottom, and they got back up. That’s what I’m talking about. In the second issue of the newly-formed school newspaper that came out earlier this spring, we included, with Chase’s permission, his college essay, in which he wrote about his academic and personal struggles in the aftermath of his father’s passing, and about how he has matured and challenged himself since then. About a month or so later, I was having a casual conversation with Karen Chien, who happened to mention that when she had read the essay, it had moved her to tears. And hearing her say that almost moved me to tears, because it served as yet another in a long series of reminders of what a sensitive, caring, thoughtful person Karen is, and also because it spoke of the connecting power of the written word. Listening to Chase’s and Cole’s speeches also had me reflecting on my own losses that I’ve suffered over the years, the most recent being the loss of my mom, who died at the age of 89 in June 2019. At the funeral, my older Brother Greg said, “Life goes on, and we go on, not because we want to, but because we have to.” Greg was right. We go on because we have to. My life has gone on. I miss my mom every day. And knowing that she lives inside me, and that her legacy is carried on through me, and that I will see her again one day when all of this is over, does not make me miss her any less. But I have a role to play. I have a destiny to fulfill. Like all of us do. A couple months after my mom passed away, Davidson Day’s Head of School, Latta Baucom, passed away after a lengthy battle with cancer. We here at Davidson Day continued on with the beginning of the new school year. Not because we wanted to, but because we had to. About six months after that, the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the entire world and caused mountains of tragedy in the lives of many, many individuals. We continued on. Because we had to. And we’re still going on, though none of us are the same people we were prior to March 2020. But along with tragedy comes opportunity. Every time we fall down, we have the opportunity to get back up. And, beyond that, we have the opportunity, if our will is strong enough, and if our hearts are pure enough, to transform tragedy into triumph, to be better people after the fall than we were before the fall, to create something of beauty out of our sorrow and heartbreak.
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MAY 2023*
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PG 5
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
Along those lines, I was talking to my AP Lang students one day this year about the song “American Pie” by Don McLean – “bye bye Miss American Pie, drove my chevy to the levee but the levee was dry….” I explained to them that the song was born out of tragedy. It’s a tribute to Buddy Holly, a rock star from the 1950’s who died in a plane crash at the age of 22. In the song, McLean refers to Holly’s death as “the day the music died,” and sings in the chorus “this’ll be the day that I die,” referring to a lyric in Holly’s most popular song, “That’ll be the day.” “American Pie” is one of the greatest songs ever written and recorded in the history of popular music. It’s a song about youthful exuberance, it’s a song of hope and redemption, of innocence lost and wisdom gained, and it’s a song about America. A quintessential song about America. It’s a song that will never grow old, no matter how old it grows. So yes, though the song was born out of tragedy, it represents the ability of the human will to triumph over tragedy. This whole concept of falling down and getting back up began for me in my sophomore year of high school, when I first began hurdling for the track team. I fell in my first race. It was a 300 meter hurdle race. I fell over the fourth hurdle, about halfway through. Though I had no chance of catching up to my opponents, I got back up and finished. After I crossed the finish line, my leg bleeding and scraped, I walked to the infield, embarrassed and humiliated. My coach walked up to me, put his arm around my shoulder and said, “All hurdlers fall. The good ones get back up. You got back up. Now go get something on that cut.” The good ones get back up. It’s the getting back up that matters. I passed a test that day, though I didn’t realize it at the time. When I fell down, I could’ve stayed down. Or I could’ve walked off the track and said hey, this ain’t for me. But I didn’t. I finished the race. And I can’t tell you how much it helped to have a coach who believed in me, who validated me in the immediate aftermath. If he hadn’t said what he said, I would’ve considered myself a failure, and that might’ve been my last hurdle race. That’s a part of my story that is sacred to me. Everything there is to know about my character can be found in that story. And I have to tell you, the best thing about being an English teacher, about being a teacher of writing, is that I get to read similar stories written by my students. Like Chase’s college essay. Like the personal essays that Aiden Lank wrote in my Creative Writing class, and the short stories that Kendall Todd wrote, and the poetry of Sophia Armstrong, and anything that Natalie Munro wrote for any of my classes. Aiden is a creative wizard. Kendall is one of the most compassionate people you could ever hope to meet. Sophia is one of the wisest souls you could ever hope to meet. And Natalie has an absolutely brilliant mind. How do I know? I’ve read their writing. Sophia’s poetry, for example, is filled with wonderful images of nature and astute observations regarding the superficiality of most relationships and the sometimes maddeningly trivial elements of everyday teenage life. Sophia is a deep thinker. And like all good writers, she is a keen observer of life. She notices things that most people don’t notice. And it comes out in her writing. I remember how Sophia cried while giving her senior speech. And I remember thinking how right it was that she was crying, because when realizing that the end is near brings you to tears, that means you had a valuable experience, and that you’re sad to see that experience end. Graduation, really, if you think about it, is a sad time. Yes, in the obvious sense, it’s a time of celebration, but it’s also a time of heartbreak, because it’s a time of goodbye. For me personally, when I think of how I’ll never talk about Philly sports with Xander Bowen again, I feel sad. When I think of how I’ll never have a deep conversation with Kathleen Moore at the jigsaw puzzle table again, I feel sad. When I think of how I’ll never have another student like Piper Griffith, who single-handedly raised the level of intellectual discussion in English III Honors last year, transforming the backrow bums, who had been leaning against the back wall, into active participants, I feel sad. When I think of how I’ll never again hear Brendan Clark say that a poem by my favorite poet sounds like a fourth grader wrote it … I don’t feel so sad. The great philosopher Dr. Seuss once said, “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” I’m gonna tweak that advice a little. Graduating class of 2023, when you look back on your years at Davidson Day School, I would like you to do both – cry because it’s over, and smile because it happened. Life is a paradox. Life is all about falling down and getting back up. And you can’t get back up if you don’t fall down to begin with. And again, it’s the getting back up that matters. Thank you.
JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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MAY 2023*
ISSUE N.4
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 6
The following speech was delivered by senior Emma McMahon at Senior Dinner, May 23, 2023. Emma was voted by her peers in the senior class to speak on their behalf.
Senior Dinner, May 23, 2023 / Photo by Laura Woods
First of all, I would like to thank my peers for voting me to speak tonight. Even if it did take me pleading slash strongly suggesting in a blast email. Yes, I actually wanted to share my speech with all of you tonight, although I didn’t have it written back then, so we’ll see how this goes. I wanted to speak as I feel I have had the fullest and most rewarding Davidson Day School experience I possibly could have. As a lifer, meaning I’ve been at DDS for basically my entire conscious life, I have participated in sports, theater (including show choir starting when I was 6), AP classes, clubs, battle of the books, global studies projects, yearbook, and so much more. I have so many fond memories here and have met so many amazing people who have helped make this place feel like a second home. Especially since during my Davidson Day tenure I have attended about 2,497 days of school in that same exact building on Jetton Street. That equates to roughly 17,479 hours or 1,048,740 minutes within the DDS walls. I have spent 62,924,400 seconds of my life at Davidson Day. Now, that’s a lot of seconds. During my time at Davidson Day I have participated in a plethora of activities, as many of you probably have throughout your time here, regardless of whether you joined in upper, middle, or lower school. Due to the nature of our small school, we have had the amazing opportunity to try out anything we wanted, whether it be sports, music, or subject related. Personally, I have taken 6 AP classes taught by our outstanding faculty, performed in 15 different productions in our Gordon Theater, participated on 5 different DDS sports teams in as well as beyond the Yates Gymnasium, and even gone overseas with my peers and teachers to 2 different foreign countries; Spain and Portugal. It’s these special opportunities that Davidson Day School so unique and great
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make
for those who take advantage of them. One of my favorite things about Davidson Day, is that this school encourages kids to not just pass classes, but to learn in all aspects of life. This first became prevalent to me when one teacher I had here in second grade, librarian and math teacher Mrs. Abernathy, had written in bubble letters on her door, which is now that of the middle school band room, “Great Mistakes are Welcome Here.” She believed in the power of failure and how it is the best opportunity for one to learn. This intrigued me, as it seemed contradictory at the time. We had been taught until that point that mistakes were bad, something to be avoided. Mrs. Abernathy explained that mistakes show that you tried, and that that is a success on its own. From that attempt’s mistakes, one learns what they can do better the next time to achieve their goal, and so on. The growth mindset Davidson Day School and faculty have encouraged, within all of us, whether you have been here for 16 years or just one, has nurtured a great skill we will have in us for the rest of our lives. We will take our growth mindsets that have been instilled Bring this newspaper to read; I've got a story to tell.
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in us into college and beyond, possibly even inspiring other people to do the same. Davidson Day creates life-long learners out of its students and I know each one of you has what it takes to make your wildest dreams a reality. But enough about the future for now; let’s reflect on all we have gone through to get to this great milestone in our lives. Remember the womb? You shouldn’t, but that’s pretty cool if you do. Well, leaving our comfort zone, even though none of us really had a choice in the matter then, is one of the hardest things to do, and we will all have a major life shift in just a few months, forcing us out of that comfort zone again. Just know, if you could do it once, you can do it again. But you haven't just done it once. Remember preschool? For many of us, the first time away from both our parents at one time. I definitely remember crying and screaming for my mom, and feeling so betrayed that first day she dropped me off at my first preschool. But then, after a few hours when she came to pick me up, I didn’t want to leave! I made cool little friends, ate some delicious snacks, and just played games the whole time! Things never seem to be as scary as we first think they are going to be. Elementary school was a breeze after that, as most of us now loved making new friends, and though some learning was mixed in, even that felt like games with spelling contests and multiplication races. Also, a big shout out to Cool Math games, the website of our childhoods that many younger than us never got the pleasure of experiencing. Life was easy back then, until fifth grade hit, or sixth grade for those of you who came to DDS in 6th grade or later. After the fun and games of elementary school it was time for us to graduate into middle school. I believe it’s safe to say middle school was rough for a lot of us, as we struggled to find our way in the world while our brains and bodies went through chemical changes that no one could have prepared us for. I would say after that, anything would be better. And thus we began high school. I believe high school was a breath of fresh air for all of us, even if freshman year was a bit intimidating at first. JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
I am grateful that we experienced almost an entire normal year of high school before Covid hit. Sophomore year went by in a masked blur, as well as that summer before Junior year. We worked hard to get our GPAs up before filling out college applications, and I think I can safely say it was a hectic year for most of us, and the largest workload we’ve ever had to deal with. By that summer, before our senior year, things seemed back to normal, an almost pre-pandemic feeling. More opportunities opened up for us, yet we were all directly or indirectly forever changed by that unpredictable world event. We did it once again. We had made it to senior year. Arriving back to school our senior year, we were busy. Many of us with AP coursework, some of us with our global studies papers, and all of us with college applications. Not to mention any and all extracurricular activities we all take part in to some degree. We had some fun things scheduled for us to help take some of the stress off, like the dope senior trip to Oak Island, but even then I still remember some of us frantically filling out applications we needed to submit before early action deadlines. That was just 6 months ago. Now we gather here, all pretty certain of where in the country, or the world, we will be in the next few months, just anticipating all that awaits us there. Life right now feels like the beginning of one of those “choose your own adventure” books we read in elementary and middle school. Just, now it’s about our lives and adulting instead of the Club Penguin sprites trying to figure out the mystery of who ate the last piece of pizza. I’m excited to see what we all will do in the future. On behalf of the entire class I’d like to thank all the teachers throughout the years who have been amazing and caring people inside and outside of the classroom, encouraging us to be the best people we can be every day and fostering our desires to learn. You give us so much of your time and energy, and will forever have made an impact on all of us taught by you. I’m not good with goodbyes so I’ll just say see you later everybody. Thank you.
CONTINUE WITH GRADUATION SPEECHES ON PG 8
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MAY 2023*
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PG 8
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
Michael Smith introducing Vince Papale at Commencement, May 25, 2023 / Photo by Laura Woods
GRADUATION SPEECHES The following speech was delivered by Head of School Pete Moore during the graduation ceremony on May 25, 2023. For those of you I have not yet met, my name is Pete Moore and I have the honor of serving as Davidson Day’s Head of School. Members of the class of 2023, Davidson Day faculty and staff, former and current trustees of our school, distinguished guests, and cherished
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family members and friends. I thank you for joining us on this very special day to celebrate our class of 2023. It's my great honor to warmly welcome all of you here today. To all of our graduates, we are here to celebrate your accomplishments during your time at Davidson Day. And we look ahead with anticipation to everything you will do in the future. I want to take this moment to thank Mrs. Hill, the graduation
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committee, and everyone at Davidson College for creating such a beautiful venue for us to hold graduation. I would also like to say a special thank you to the families who will leave our community after their child graduates today. I am deeply grateful for all your support and you will be missed as deeply as we will miss your children. I also want to give a shout-out to my mum, Jenny Moore, for traveling from Australia to be here today. Graduates, you are a remarkable group of young people and we are all so proud of you. You rose to the occasion in countless ways this year and set an example for everyone in our community and your teachers and I are deeply grateful. During our recent senior speeches, you all offered wonderful advice to the underclassmen. This is my opportunity to offer you some advice. Today I would like to talk about the Hero's Journey and how this framework can help you as you step into this next chapter of your life and take on the many obstacles that will inevitably come your way. As many of you know, I have been an avid Star Wars fan for as long as I can remember. Since the early 1980s, I have loved Luke Skywalker's journey and the path he took to become a Jedi. What I didn’t learn until much later on is that the story that George Lucas told was as old as time. Years ago, my father-in-law, Stan Adler, brought me a book published in 1949 titled The Hero With a Thousand Faces. The book was written by Professor of Literature and philosopher, Joseph Campbell.
DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
In The Hero With a Thousand Faces I learned that as Joseph Campbell was studying stories, myths, folktales, and legends from all over the world and across time, he started noticing that many stories were eerily similar in nature. What he noticed was that the heroes from these stories were taking more or less the same journey. And he called this the hero's journey. Everyone in this room is familiar with the structure of the Hero’s journey. It's got three basic parts: the call, the quest, and the return. This story arc can be found in every great story, from The Odyssey, Wizard of Oz, and The Lord of the Rings, to Kill a Mockingbird, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Hunger Games. A hero starts off in their village, their planet, or their hometown. They either leave, get separated, or are banished. This person is now on an adventure, whether they like it or not. The adventure is full of challenges. Typically, they meet a helper or wise elder that comes to guide them along the way. They may receive magical powers or maybe they get a magic weapon. They struggle. But finally, the enemy is defeated. The dragon is slayed or the Ewoks defeat the empire, and the Death Star explodes. The character has been transformed from an average person to a hero. But that's not the end of it. Then they have to return home to share their wisdom or treasure. A great example of the Hero’s Journey is the Harry Potter series as a whole, and more specifically the first book, The Philosopher’s Stone. We meet Harry as he is living unhappily with his aunt, uncle and cousin. He feels there is something odd about him, and that he doesn't quite fit in. He then meets Hagrid and learns he is a wizard and catches the train from Platform 9 ¾ to Hogwarts. At Hogwarts, he meets his friends and a wise elder, Dumbledore, and is given an invisibility cloak. He overcomes many challenges, defeats Voldemort, saves the philosopher’s stone, and returns home to Privet Drive. As you sit here today, you are all at the start of your own Hero’s Journey. You are at the first stage. This is where you hear the call to adventure, and you cross the first Threshold.
DO YOU HAVE A STORY TO TELL? EMAIL US YOUR UNTOLD STORIES, IDEAS, AND PITCHES. JILLIAN.TOYA@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG SMCGILL@DAVIDSONDAY.ORG
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DAVIDSON DAY UPPER SCHOOL
PG 10
Today as you cross the stage you will cross the threshold both physically and metaphorically.
Mark Twain said it another way, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you find out why.”
As you are about to embark on your own Hero’s Journey, it’s important that you have a sense of what is to come. You have answered the call by deciding to go to college. However, you need to be aware that as you begin your quest there will be obstacles you cannot yet foresee. Along your quest, you will encounter metaphorical tricksters, shapeshifters, dragons, death eaters, goblins and Sith Lords, and you need to be ready for them.
Myths, legends, folklore, and now research into fulfillment and human potential tell us that it’s the people who know their purpose and live a life of meaning are the ones that are happiest and shape the world for the better.
Joseph Campbell went on to make a remarkable correlation between the hero's journey and living our own lives. He noticed that humans across time have essentially feared and desired the same things. We all fear judgment, pain, and exclusion, and we all desire love, happiness, and acceptance. He also described the way that we can all defeat the shapeshifters and dragons that we will encounter in our lives. He believed that the way we did this was by living the life we were meant to live, and he would often say, “Follow your bliss.” Campbell believed that the most heroic of all acts is the courage to discover who you are and what you would like to be, to slay the savage dragon within, and to follow your bliss to the truth of your life. As Joseph Campbell saw it, following one’s bliss is not doing whatever you like. He felt it was about identifying a pursuit that you are truly passionate about and giving yourself wholeheartedly to it. He believed that by following your bliss, you will fulfill your potential and serve your community to the greatest possible extent. Campbell stated, “If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has been there all the while, waiting for you, and the life that you ought to be living is the one you are living. Wherever you are -- if you are following your bliss, you are enjoying that refreshment, that life within you, all the time.”
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So the questions I want to leave you with today as you set out on your own Hero’s Journey are: What is your bliss? What path is your heart telling you to take? Why are you here? What is your purpose in life? I encourage you to take the time to answer these questions. The Hero’s Journey is about discovering who you are and how you are going to make your impact on the world. I admire that you have all answered the call to adventure and I can’t wait to see how your quest unfolds. Once you return from your journey, come back to campus and share with us how you overcame your personal monsters, vampires, and werewolves and discovered your bliss. You are all heroes in my eyes, and I wish you the very best as you set out on your hero’s journey. Good Luck!
The following speech was delivered by Head of Upper School Michael Smith in his introduction of Keynote Speaker, Vince Papale, during the graduation ceremony on May 25, 2023. Good morning, and let me reiterate Mr. Moore’s welcome to each of you to our 15th annual commencement exercises. You look great out there. I am flattered to introduce you to our speaker this morning, who you very likely have heard of before today or by dint of this introduction. By show of hands, how many of you have had a major motion picture of your life made that stars Mark Wahlberg? Trent Brown, put your hand down. In 1976, Vincent Papale was one of us, faculty. He was a six-year
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veteran as a teacher and coach at his alma mater, Interboro High School in Prospect Park, Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Eagles newly hired head coach, Dick Vermeil, and the front office of the Eagles organization, held an unheard of open try-out for anyone interested in playing for their hometown team. Vince was the only player to emerge from that try-out as a Philadelphia Eagle, becoming the NFL’s oldest rookie, playing for Dick Vermeil, the NFL’s youngest coach, in that era, only a few years older than his newest rookie. Vince’s NFL career lasted more than three seasons as he became the captain of the Eagles special teams, playing in 41 of the 44 games throughout those seasons. In 1978, Vince was voted “Man of the Year” by his Philly teammates for his charitable ventures and community impact. Nearly three decades following his retirement from the NFL, Disney Films produced Invincible, a major motion picture based on Vince’s life starring Mark Wahlburg, and the 2006 film became a blockbuster. Following his retirement from professional football, Vince worked as a broadcaster before moving into a career as a marketing and senior account executive with Sallie Mae, keeping Vince in the business of helping educate people. These days Vince travels the world telling his compelling story, and inspiring others of their own invincibility. Vince and his wife Janet, herself a spectacularly successful athlete, join us to share that story today. I want to thank past parent Marnie Schneider for connecting me to Vince, but how he came to be here for this ceremony is a story worthy of a brief explanation. I should start by saying that there are no less than a half dozen Philadelphia natives on the faculty at Davidson Day, and, like most Philly fans, they are fervent fans. Among these Philly natives, the chair of the
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English department, Mr. Steve McGill, wears his Philadelphia feathers right on his proverbial sleeve, and two of his students, senior Natalie Munro, and junior Grace Mitchell, decided to launch a Go-Fund-Me page to send their beloved Mr. McGill to the Super Bowl. Honestly, I don’t think many people gave this initiative much of a chance early on, as authentically touching as the sentiment was, but within 3 short days, this went from an idea to a done deal. The local news stations started calling, and then while attending our home basketball games on the Friday night prior to the Super Bowl, I took a call from a producer at NBC Nightly News. They don’t call me a lot. Since I was standing right next to Steve anyway, I just handed him the phone - I said, “Dude, it’s for you. It’s NBC.” Suddenly, Natalie and Grace’s initiative was national news. You probably all know the rest of that story. Mr. McGill did in fact go to the Super Bowl, and everything about the entire story worked out perfectly, other than the final score of course, unless you were pulling for the Chiefs, but please keep that to yourself today if that’s the case. At any rate, we had the idea to continue the Philadelphia trend for commencement, and Marnie connected us, and I am so pleased to bring the coolest guy I know to the podium. Would you please welcome, a hero himself, the one and only, #83, Vince Papale. The following remarks were delivered by Upper School Science Instructor Julie Brown as an introduction to the Salutatorian, Katie Jones, during the graduation ceremony. Everyone knows the saying “Life is a journey, not a destination”. It’s attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but what Emerson actually said was this…”to finish the moment, to find the journey’s end in every step of the road, to live the greatest number of good hours, is wisdom.” When I first met Katie Jones, I immediately recognized her intelligence and her incredible work ethic. She had very clear academic goals and she had a plan on how to attain those goals. She also put a lot of pressure on herself to be “perfect.” But over these last four years, Katie has learned to embrace the journey. In 10th grade, when Covid hit, she learned not to take
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Julie Brown introducing Salutatorian, Katie Jones / Photos by Laura Woods
the important people in her life for granted. Those family and friend connections, even online, are important. As a junior, she struggled academically, for the first time. AP Calculus. She worked harder than she’s ever worked, and she got through it. I think it taught her that “perfect’ is an illusion, that it’s okay to ask for help, and that you learn a lot from the struggle. That year, Katie learned grit -- that’s courage and resolve. I think that’s also the year she fainted on the golf course, but we won’t dwell on that. And senior year, this year, Katie has just soared. She aced her many AP classes and got into her dream school. She leapt out of her comfort zone … and took a pretty hard fall into the pool on the senior trip. She welcomed new friends on her Whit’s trips and her Texas Roadhouse expeditions. She went to every home soccer
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game, and all the way to Wilson, to support her friends. This year, Katie has had a lot of company on her journey, surrounded by the people she cares about. Katie is a phenomenal student, a deep thinker, an excellent writer. She has worked incredibly hard to get to this point. And I’m so proud that, on this academic journey, she’s lived her greatest number of good hours. It is my great honor to introduce your Class of 2023 Salutatorian… Katie Jones.
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The following speech was delivered by Salutatorian Katie Jones during the graduation ceremony on May 25, 2023. Good morning fellow graduates, faculty, family, and friends. My name is Katie Jones and it is my honor to speak on behalf of the class of 2023 and welcome everyone in attendance today. I have been at Davidson Day for 13 years, and some of my earliest memories are with people in this room. No matter how long you have attended the school, we have all fostered connections within our community that we cherish. Each of us has utilized our unique talents to make a positive impact. This is what I want to emphasize today - the capacity we all have to make our community better. As we walked into our first week of high school, many of us were nervous, yet excited to begin a new chapter of our lives where more freedom, new experiences, and new teachers awaited us. For me personally, I knew I needed guidance. I remember walking into Mrs. Brown’s advisory for the first time, excited to have an advisor who I already knew and someone I felt confident would support me. Since this day, we have discovered that Mrs. Brown claims to hate all freshmen. However, I’m a bit skeptical of this claim. For many of us, Mrs. Brown quickly became a person that we could rely on. Someone who provided us with solid advice and helped us navigate the sometimes tumultuous waters of high school. I know that each of you found that connection with a faculty member and we are so fortunate to have teachers who go above and beyond to improve our school community. Along with our teachers, the teams, clubs, and other organizations in which we participated throughout the years have provided another sense of belonging. Just a few days ago, I had the pleasure of watching our varsity girl’s soccer team win the state championship. Two things stood out to me as I watched the celebrations occur after the win. The first was the overwhelming amount of support there to cheer on the girls. The fan section was packed with supporters who drove three and a half hours to watch the game and encourage the team, with plenty of others tuning into the livestream of the game. The second thing that stood out to me was the relationships between the players. As they celebrated their win, I watched as players embraced one another, crying with joy. I’ve never seen Mr. Laatsch with a bigger smile on his face. As I watched this scene unfold, I imagined the hours and hours this team had spent practicing together, all in hopes of this very moment. These experiences foster a strong sense of togetherness and have made high school such a time to remember for us all. On a personal level, I have been especially proud to contribute to the work of the diversity council over the past few years. Fostering an environment where we listen and learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives of our community members has enriched our collective understanding and created a safer and more welcoming environment for all. I commend all the brave individuals, many of whom are in this room today, who shared their experiences to promote more inclusivity. Getting up in front of a group and sharing personal details about your life is no easy task, but your willingness to do so has improved Davidson Day and brought us all closer.
Katie Jones receiving
her Salutatorian Aw
ard / Photo by Laura
Woods
As a school, we have many fabulous examples
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of how we come together to help others in the community - the annual food drive we hold to support the Ada Jenkins Center and the recent Backpack Drive are great examples that come to mind. But it does not take a project or council to enhance our community; there are countless examples of small acts of support and kindness that impact us every day. One such example is when Mrs. Cope gifted some of her students hand-painted rocks. This gesture was so considerate and meaningful. Mrs. Cope improves our school every day by continually showing her students how much she cares. Or take when Mr. Thomas would bring our golf team donuts after completing a challenge he provided to us at practice. These acts of kindness may appear small, but they have an outsized impact. I know that none of us take for granted how fortunate we are to have been surrounded by faculty and staff these last four years who truly care about us as individuals. At times, we certainly tested their patience. Especially those of us like myself who are perpetual procrastinators (apologies to Mrs Hill for the college essays I asked you to review the day before my application deadlines). Even so, the faculty has shown up every day supporting and encouraging us. Although I loved my high school experience, it wasn’t flawless. Like me, I’m sure everyone else encountered plenty of mistakes throughout their time here. Be it with friendships, classes, or teachers, our road to graduation wasn’t smooth by any means. For me, one of the biggest failures was on my calculus midterm. 18 months after that fateful calculus exam, I can’t remember the grade that I got. I do, however, remember the lessons that I learned from taking that calculus class and how Mrs. Cadilla went out of her way to help me persevere and restore my confidence. And of course, I could not possibly give a speech without mentioning our beloved Mr. McGill. He gave a fabulous speech at the senior dinner in which he stressed that it is not the falling down that defines us, it is the getting back up. Getting back up is certainly the important part, and for each of us that have fallen down, we have been lucky enough to be surrounded by people at Davidson Day who cared enough to make sure that we got back up. I believe the community and connections we have made have been the most valuable things we have gained throughout our time here. To my fellow graduates; congratulations on this amazing accomplishment. However big or small, you have all made an impact on this school. From starting up clubs, heading up our sports teams, showcasing our talents on the stage, and a myriad of other meaningful contributions, we have been leaders throughout the past year. As we move on and go our separate ways, I hope we all remember the connections we made here fondly, and use the lessons learned along the way to guide us through the next chapter of our lives. The community here has been so important, and I encourage you all to find your community at college. Get involved; join a club, play a new sport, or just put yourself out there. Find your community, and find ways to make it better. But do remember, the connections and community you have made at Davidson Day will always be there for you. Thank you.
Below is History Instructor Rob Simpson’s introduction to Valedictorian Karen Chien. In case you are unaware, the Valedictorian is the Senior with the highest GPA in this graduating class. Now If you’re one of the younger people in this room and you haven’t been to high school yet, that means they had the best grades (or most golden stars) in the last four years. It’s an impressive accomplishment that deserves to be celebrated (and it's why Karen will come talk to you very shortly) but it’s not what I’ll remember about her. It’s a good time to mention, since Karen is a Swiftie, I had this idea where I’d “sprinkle in a few bars” to introduce Karen. The problem is, I don’t know any, so I've been having a hard time adjusting, I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting. I won’t remember Karen for spending hours with me after school trying to perfect her essay writing process in my class last year. I’ll remember that Karen knows, if you don’t put in the work, the Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky.
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Rob Simpson introducing Valedictorian, Karen Chien / Photos by Laura Woods
I won’t remember fighting with Karen because she came to school on three hours of sleep because she was up late studying. She knows I tried to pick my battles 'til the battle picked me. Sometimes, Karen would come to class and say “I'm a crumpled-up piece of paper lying here on the floor” of room 413. I tried to say, “The world moves on, another day, another drama.” A few weeks ago, I was that crumbled-up piece of paper lying on the floor…with migraines. I’ll remember that Karen remembered my order from New York Bagel and brought me lunch. I will remember Karen for surprising me with a painting of my daughter as a gift at the end of last school year. She's got a toy on her head and it’s very cute and it’s sitting on my mantle. How evergreen, my group of friends. So, to Karen and the class of 2023, “Don’t you know, you’re really
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going to be someone, ask anyone.” Your Valedictorian, Karen Chien.
Below is class of 2023 Valedictorian Karen Chien’s speech during the graduation ceremony on May 25, 2023. To all 32 of us, I can safely say I’m proud of how far we have all come. I’m sure all of us, at one point or another, have thought that this day would never be here, but here we are. And while it wasn’t easy with all the adversities we had to overcome, like being masked or fighting off missing assignments, it has been incredibly rewarding to reflect on all of our
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accomplishments. I know we wouldn’t have had half the success we have without our teachers, peers, counselors, and family. So thank you, for helping us find ourselves, when we needed to be guided the most. You would think, as the smallest grade all four years of high school, we would be more interconnected. But with our vast differences between personalities, humors, and passions, we have found ourselves divided. But in more ways than one, that’s what has made our class, the class of 2023, so unique. We started our journeys together on the West Virginia gorge freshman year. Whether it was whitewater rafting or staying up late gossiping in our cabins, I finally felt like I was able to really get to know our grade. I remember most fondly gathering around a campfire one of the nights, listening to friends tell stories, seeing the fire light up people’s smiles, and watching Braden toast a marshmallow for my S'more, because I couldn’t do it without burning it. That night, it wasn’t just the flames that warmed us, it was the connection between all of us that we slowly kindled. But with the close of the trip, the grade divided, and worsened with the start of the pandemic, we isolated ourselves into separated spheres. But despite these spheres, we stayed connected within them. It was hard to come up with ways to have fun from our own houses. I was on Zoom nearly the entire day. Starting my days off with my classes, and then moving to zooms with my friends. I’d stay up until the sun rose playing Minecraft with Katie, laughing with Aiden while he read from a joke book, or playing Pictionary with our entire friend group. It wasn’t much longer until we returned with plastic dividers, distanced desks, and the disinfectant sprays we all have engraved in the back of our minds. Although it wasn’t a popular opinion to have preferred online school, my favorite part of returning was the double drop schedule -- something I, and the rest of the class can agree, was the one thing that should’ve stayed. It was probably the only thing our class could agree on sophomore year. As time went on, I felt as though the groups were straying further and further away from one another. It was hard to believe that I could go a week without seeing or talking to someone in our grade when there were only so many of us. And despite still gaining new kids, and meeting new people, nothing changed, as it was all we knew, and what we were comfortable with. Junior year was certainly the most stressful year collectively. Being told it was the most important year for college admissions, balancing difficult classes, and researching where we would spend our times after high school, all while trying to make the most within our respective spheres. We were finding out our passions, what we wanted to major in. We were finding out who our real friends were, and what we believed in. We were finding ourselves, without really realizing it, in the very hallways we walked into not knowing a thing about our futures, and, some of us found ourselves every two weeks in Kiawah… Or maybe that was just Brendan. Before we knew it, our junior days were over as we walked into the hall for the first time, for
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Karen Chien receiving
her Valedictorian Aw ard / Photo by Laura
Woods
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the last time. It was finally the year everyone said was the easiest, the time we could all lay back and take it easy… but I still somehow found myself crying on the floor of classes over my grades. I guess some things never change, like how Noah went from throwing spitballs freshman year to throwing paper planes at Mrs. Brown’s ceiling. Or how Nadia's vast knowledge of random facts about everyone never fails to amuse me. But with that note that some things never change, we started our senior year off, just like freshman year, except this time on Oak Island. With all 32 of us into two cabins only a couple minute walk from each other, we bonded like the class we were on the gorge. Rather than sitting around a fire, most of us sat in a circle in the hot tub. Piper drew in her sketchbook behind us, the boys talked about whatever boys talk about, all while Callie was on aux. I never thought I would ever see so many people in such a small tub, which is why I wasn’t shocked when I found out we broke it after the first night. But nevertheless, we still had so many great memories. When I didn’t wake up to watch the sunrise with Nour, we were woken by Mary singing Dear John. I got to get to know Natalie and her college plans by the pool. And we ended the nights with Thomas playing his guitar on the beach. But when he wasn’t, Katie, Sky, Aiden, Hayden and I were upstairs watching the Steelers game. I remember having moments, like when we were all singing on the bus, looking at the people around me, and taking in the moment, knowing it would be one of the last moments we all had together. The trip really put life into perspective how little time I had left with everyone, and so I decided to start really making the most of the time I had left. I laughed on stage with Tyler and Charlie during Clue, a production I had the time of my life in. I cheered on Chase, Jack, and Xander on the basketball court. And most memorable of all were all the times I spent with my friends. Whether it was Texas Roadhouse, Target adventures, or long chats at Panera, the bonds that I built will be the thing I miss the most about my time at Davidson Day. Which is why I had a strong sense of appreciation for all that Sophia tried to orchestrate, including events like a trip, senior assassin, and our senior prank. And while some of them didn’t work out, your efforts to bring our grade closer one last time did not go unnoticed. At the end of the day, no one could prevent our grade from being the way that we are. But we also never let it be a bad thing. We may have been isolated, but it was because of our diversified talents and wide ranges of opinions. We have spent so much time learning about others’ opinions, views, and passions, celebrating their victories and lifting them up during their losses. Even though we may have been split, we went through the same journey of high school together. Michael Josephson once said, “Take pride in how far you have come. Have faith in how far you go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.” Around 7:00 last Friday after a rehearsal for the Blumey’s performance, I went upstairs with Taylor, as he had to clean out his locker. I stood at the double doors, staring down into the empty hallway with bare lockers. The last time I would walk those very halls, and I thought to myself, it’s not as scary as it was four years ago. We have all come so far and often forget to reflect how much has changed since freshman year. Take pride in knowing all your accomplishments, big and little, and use your accomplishments to fill those places of doubt you have within yourselves. Yes, I know It’s scary to be leaving behind the people and places that you have grown to know and love, and that the new environment of colleges and universities is a whole new realm with a hundred times the amount of cliques we have, but have faith. Because if you don’t you’ll lose the time you don’t have much left of to the inevitable. Enjoy yourselves, enjoy your accomplishments, enjoy what you have left, and enjoy every part of your upcoming years. I’m so excited to see where college, and life beyond it, takes all of us. To our brilliant, divided, talented, and extremely split grade, I want to congratulate each and every one of you, no matter what group you are associated with. Thank you, class of 2023. You have made more of an impact on me, and I hope I left a positive one for you.
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Steve McGill with Goldie Witten, Class of 2020. Goldie's mom, Marnie Schneider, is the granddaughter of former Eagles Owner Leonard Tose. Photo by Laura Woods
Continued from page 3 Steve McGill's utilization of these tools in creating strong relationships with his students is a testament to the transformative power of these principles. By being authentic, selfless, and attentive, by fostering a sense of belonging and individual growth, and by celebrating the achievements of his students, Steve has created an environment where success thrives and meaningful connections flourish. Let us learn from the clues that Steve shared with us and incorporate these tools into our own lives, whether you are about to head off to college or are seeking to build strong relationships. By doing so, we can unlock the full potential of those around us, inspire greatness, and leave a positive impact on the lives of others. Thank you.
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