Gilad Seckler ’10 Gilad first stepped through the doors of Park as a shy sixth grader in September 2006. Over the next four years, he would undergo a journey of great personal and vertical growth—a journey culminating in his legacy as the mastermind behind the fabled “Team Smock” of TOTAL Day lore as well as several historic talent show acts. After graduating in 2010, Gilad enrolled in Newton North High School, where he spent many hours playing and singing in music groups, running around the track, and kicking soccer balls. Gilad’s hard work in school paid off and he now attends Brown University. At Brown, he can most often be found playing trombone or Ultimate Frisbee, with the exception of a brief hiatus during Fall 2015 at Tel Aviv University. Gilad worked at a developmental psychology lab at UC Berkeley this summer.
Grade IX Graduation Address by Gilad Seckler ’10
F
aculty, staff, students, families, alumni, trustees, and Class of 2016—what an honor and a privilege it is to be back here in this tent for the first time in six years. For those who don’t know me, my name is Gilad—or as Mr. Savage likes to call me, Gilahhrd—and I graduated from Park in 2010. If you have ever attended a Park School graduation, you’ll know that it is pretty much obligatory for the speaker to offer advice to the graduating class and to reminisce about the good times he or she had at Park. I must admit that, as someone who prides myself on originality, I was sorely tempted to break from this precedent. But after several drafts and advice from people I trust, I realized that this occasion is about you, ninth graders, not me, so I want to—for the most part—stick to the playbook. Part of what makes this school special are the traditions that continue year after year and the way that every class has the chance to make the experience their own. I remember walking around the library in eighth grade looking at all the poetry anthologies; and I remember decorating the cover of my own anthology, which I titled “Fishing for Stars,” with wallpaper from my childhood bedroom. I remember the extensive
22
The Park School Bulletin
fall 2016