Graduation: The measure of a man

School NEWS

Graduation: The measure of a man

At many points in their respective addresses at Graduation 2016, Headmaster Hal Hannaford and our two CoHead-Prefects, William Rossy and Jonathan Colaço Carr, all seemed to be searching for the perfect word for the character traits to which a Selwyn House graduate should aspire.

Mr. Hannaford recounted seeing members of this remarkable class begin to grow into what he describes as “significant men,” those who exhibit “maturity, engagement, kindness, empathy, passion, artistic expression and emotion.”

To further elaborate, Mr. Hannaford looked to concepts taken from cultural tradition, such as the Yiddish mensch and the Greek philotimo, words few of us can define but most of us grasp the meaning of.

Co-Head Prefect Jonathan Colaço Carr posed the term gentlemen. “But what does that even mean, to be a gentleman?” he asked. “If Selwyn wants all of their graduates to be gentlemen, are we all the same? Products at the end of the assembly line? The answer is no. And, in fact, that’s what our teachers understand quite well.”

“Words, as Ms. Manning continually reminds us, do make a difference,” Mr. Hannaford said, turning to an often-quoted word at Selwyn House: the school’s motto, VERITAS.

“We hope all of you are on your way to developing a lifelong

commitment to Selwyn VERITAS,” the headmaster said. “True to yourselves through that hierarchy of self-awareness, self-respect, self-confidence and self-advocacy; true to others by showing respect, compassion, kindness and empathy; and true to your school or place by developing passion, commitment and a legitimate work ethic.” Beyond the individual qualities that define the significant man, the three speakers seems to converge on one aspect of the Selwyn House experience that goes beyond the individual to embrace the nature of friendship. “You have journeyed through the world of a boys’ school, and throughout it all you have learned the value of true friendship,” said Mr. Hannaford. “So take advantage of what you gained here at Selwyn House. Treasure your friendships, never take them for granted, and work hard to “When many of our high-school cultivate them each and every day.” memories begin to fade, that’s how we’ll ultimately “It has become impossible for me to imagine a life without my school, and surely this feeling is spread measure the time we spent here.” beyond just me, as we have all been impacted by this institution in one way or another,” said William Rossy. “When many of our high-school memories begin to fade, that’s how we’ll ultimately measure the time we spent here, not in periods, semesters, classes or assignments, but in the friendships that we made and the times we shared together.”

Headmaster Hal Hannaford

William Rossy receiving his diploma from his father, Alan ’79. Jonathan Colaço Carr