KIT
David Feldman Head of School
ROEPER COMMENCEMENT 2017 When I meet with prospective Roeper families for the very first time, I share with them that we will be visiting classrooms during their tour. I ask them to pay particular attention to the relationships that exist between teachers and students and between students with each other. That is what I will ask of you today. It is the power of these relationships that will become clear to you as you witness today’s unique graduation ceremony. Originally, George Roeper would stand here and tell a story about each graduate; over time that practice has transformed into graduates’ selecting adults in our community to speak on their behalf — testament to the deep and powerful relationships that we form over a student’s journey through our school. It is this total investment in the academic, social, emotional, and ethical development of our students that makes us so successful and so connected to celebrations like today. Whether you have been at Roeper for two years or you are a “lifer,” you know that our faculty provides the inspiring energy and deep dedication that makes for meaningful personal development and an incredibly rich academic program. As George Roeper told us, in this school “students find teachers who respect them as individuals, where they are able to make mistakes and learn from them, and where they search for the unknown and the unseen.” To my colleagues — thank you for your deep dedication, your love of teaching and learning, and your thoughtful commitment to our students. Family members, you are your child’s first teachers. You are there for the first steps, the first words, and the first day of school. A milestone like today is only possible because of the care and nurture you provide. Thank you for sharing your children with us, and for the opportunity to be a part of your child’s story. This day is a celebration for your whole family! A few weeks ago, our student newspaper — Tuna Talk — wrote a humorous piece in the April Fools (well, May) issue of our newspaper — in which they selected Hollywood actors to play the role of Roeper faculty and staff in a new film about our school. In a moment that I will take as kindness and generosity they chose the actor Tom Hanks to play me in the film.
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As I thought about the selection, I got to thinking about which Tom Hanks the paper had in mind as they selected my doppelganger — was it the boyish romantic hero — Tom Hanks chasing a mermaid in Splash; the young problem-solving heroic astronaut Tom Hanks of Apollo 13; the quickthinking, veteran crisis manager Tom Hanks in Sully, or the creepy privacyinvading Orwellian Tom Hanks of The Circle? There certainly have been more than a few moments in my time with this class when I have felt a little like the Forrest Gump Tom Hanks as I had the chance to be a witness to their history. One of the great joys of my role as Head of School is I get to be present for musical concerts, theatrical performances, athletic competitions, academic projects, collaborative school activities, and all of those life moments that happen throughout a student’s PreK-12 journey that make for an enriching school experience. I get to see you find your voice that first time you take on a musical solo, or that moment when you stretch yourself and step on stage as an actor after being in the crew for the prior three years, or when you share your first movie, recite the song you’ve been struggling to complete, or present a forensics piece to a full theater audience. I get to be present when you experience the joy of being accepted to your college of first choice, or the feeling of accomplishment when you complete a senior project and realize for the first time the next step you want to take. I’ve been present when you comforted each other through moments of grief and challenge and seen your growth as empathetic friends. I watch you stand against injustice and seek ways to extend your voice beyond the walls of Roeper. Like Gump, we have run the school year marathon together and grown by being part of each other’s life experience. While our setting may be a school campus, this has not been a journey of merely going through years of school, rather as Annemarie would remind you,
As George Roeper told us, in this school “students find teachers who respect them as individuals, where they are able to make mistakes and learn from them, and where they search for the unknown and the unseen.”