Good morning and welcome to the 2020 Hillbrook school graduation ceremony, our first ever Virtual Graduation. While I wish we could all be together in person, I know that this morning promises to be a spirited and joyful celebration of the fabulous Class of 2020. As we have done throughout the past three months, we are finding a new way to celebrate while honoring our traditions and our community. We have a full program this morning, including a number of speeches by members of the Class of 2020, a speech by Olivia French, graduate from the Class of 2016, and some celebratory videos. We will also have the traditional reading of the names, and you will have an opportunity to see each student highlighted on the screen as they open their diploma. As a reminder to all graduates, make sure you have your “Do not open until June 2” envelope with you!
Even before the emergence of COVID-19 turned the world upside down and ensured that we would never forget the final few months of this school year, the Class of 2020 had left a mark on the school and community. 49 students strong, 23 of these students – almost half! – have been with us since JK or Kindergarten. One student joined in 1st, four in 3rd, three in 4th, and five in 5th. Then, three years ago, we added 12 students to the 6th grade as part of the first cohort of our expanding Middle School. This group of 12 represented the culmination of nearly five years of effort to modify our CUP and grow the school. The positive impact of this group, and the seamless way in which they integrated into the class, provided powerful affirmation for the benefits of that endless CUP battle. The addition of one more student in 7th grade rounded out this group and left us with the magical number of 49, a number, I should note, that has special resonance here in California (remember Coloma?) and, of course, represents a local football team that I know is beloved by many in our community.
Last night, we had an opportunity to hear each student’s recognition speech. And oh what a set of speeches we heard. For more than 2 hours we were regaled with stories about these amazing students. What did we learn? We have poets, artists, scientists, mathematicians, computer scientists, classicists, polyglots (people who know and use several different languages), and even a few published authors. We have a whole range of talented athletes, in team sports like soccer, basketball, football, hockey, volleyball and softball, and individual sports including ballet, tennis, swimming, fencing, and horseback riding. We have singers, musicians of all varieties, photographers, stand-up comics, a magician, a chess champion, gamers, and even a purveyor of slime. We also have activists, changemakers, social entrepreneurs, and tireless volunteers who have fully committed to our vision to reach beyond and make a difference in the world. We have, in a nutshell, 49 phenomenal young people who are impressive both as individuals and as a group.
The Class of 2020 has sought to remain strong, optimistic, and resolute as they have managed to finish their 8th grade year, amidst a period of unprecedented uncertainty. They are the class that has turned proverbial lemons into lemonade. And, yet, they head into a summer and a future that is less clear than ever before. The class of 2020, the class that I’ve always thought of as the class with 20/20 or “perfect vision,” is living through a moment where it has never been harder to see. Not only is COVID-19 creating an unprecedented level of uncertainty, but we are living in a society where racism and privilege continue to create inequity and injustice and lead to moments like the ones we have seen this past few weeks and months with racist and unjust murders of African American men and women. The protests and riots in San Jose and across our country this past week speak to the pain and anger of people of color across our country, and call upon all of us, particularly those of us who are white, to reflect on how we as individuals and as a community can stand up and embrace anti-racist actions to help move our country forward.
Amidst this moment of pain, confusion, and unrest, I think about these 49 young people in the Class of 2020. And, without hesitation, I am filled with confidence for these students and the future.
Time and again we heard through the Recognition speeches about how these students live out our core values – be kind, be curious, take risks, be your best. The examples were endless – students who look out for those around them, who “choose kind” in a world in which the alternative is often easier; students who are so drawn to topics and passions that they publish their own books, create their own businesses, design their own social impact campaigns; students who take risks and do things they did not think possible; students who, day in and day out, push themselves to be their best.
What was most striking to me as I listened to each of the speeches was not only the consistency in which students embraced these core values, but how each person did it in their own unique way. In a world in which so many people embrace sameness, so many of these students recognized that their greatest strength can only be found by understanding and embracing who they are.
It reminded me of a story I read a few years ago in a book, The End of Average, by Harvard Education professor and writer Todd Rose. Rose shared that in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the United States Air Force was having a great deal of difficulty with their airplanes. Pilots were struggling to control the planes, resulting in a number of unexpected crashes. The Air Force ruled out pilot error and mechanical problems, but couldn’t pinpoint what was happening. They turned their attention to the setup of the cockpit. The cockpit at that time was designed for the dimensions of an average man in 1926 (yes, women were not allowed to be pilots at that time). The Air Force wondered if, more than 20 years later, the average size of a pilot had changed. They measured 4000 pilots on a wide range of dimensions of size, including height, chest circumference, and thumb length. They then took the average of what they believed were the ten most important dimensions – height and weight, for example – and prepared to design the cockpit for the average pilot. As part of the analysis, one of the researchers asked – how many of the 4000 pilots fit into the average on these 10 critical dimensions? They expected most pilots to fit into the average, of course, given that they had all been selected with the basic dimensions in mind. The answer? Zero. That’s right, not a single pilot fit into the average dimensions on all ten critical criteria. Even if you narrowed it down to three of the ten criteria less than 3.5 percent would be average on those three criteria. In other words, as Rose writes, “If you’ve designed a cockpit to fit the average pilot, you’ve actually designed it to fit no one.” There is no average person. The research turned the Air Force team’s thinking on its head and they made the decision to design the cockpit to fit the individual, not the other way around. A series of adjustable controls became standard, allowing each person to fit the cockpit controls to themselves. The results were dramatic. The unexpected crashes and bad outcomes dropped overnight.
The point? You are each your own person, with an extraordinary set of strengths and gifts. As you head off to different high schools, don’t listen to those who want you to fit into a certain box or be like everyone else. Recognize and embrace who you are. Stay strong and hold true to the values we have taught you here at Hillbrook. Remind yourself that how you treat other people matters, that asking questions and seeking to understand is the only way to keep learning and growing, and that being brave is hard but essential if you want to be your best and reach beyond to make the world a better place.
There are a number of complicated and challenging problems in our world today, and solving them will require people who are committed to seeing the world as it is and imagining what it can become. I have no doubt that the 49 members of the Class of 2020 – each of you different and amazing in your own right – are beautifully positioned to do just that. I can’t wait to see how you change the world. You’ve already changed ours.
It now gives me great pleasure to introduce Olivia French, winner of the Hillbrook Award in 2016 and soon-to-be graduate of Castilleja this coming Saturday. The Hillbrook Award is given each year to a student who best exemplifies our vision – to inspire students to achieve their dreams and reach beyond themselves to make a difference in the world. In addition to being honored in the moment, the Hillbrook Award winner returns four years later to address our graduates.
When asked about her time at Castilleja, Olivia shared that she embraced the opportunity to engage in a broad range of disciplines, relishing the opportunity to learn and grow as a student and person. In addition to her work in the classroom, Olivia was a four-year water polo player and part of the newspaper. She is headed to Georgetown University in the Fall.
In closing, I want to thank everyone for joining us this morning. I also wanted to mention that while the Class of 2020 has now graduated, we look forward to a future event with this group where we can meet in person and celebrate their accomplishments. A piece of that future event will be the sharing of the time capsule items that all students shared with us last week as part of their personal graduation ceremony. And speaking of the time capsule, one of the items put into it was a football signed by the team. For those who do not know, the team won the championship in an epic last second play. It was not lost on me when I discovered that there were 49 students in this class, that perhaps that number was not accidental. Maybe we have future 49ers in our midst?
Congratulations again to the Class of 2020 and I hope everyone has a fabulous summer. We will miss all of you, but we know you will return often to share the many ways in which you are changing the world!