Seizing a Future of Happiness, Truth and Excellence
Good afternoon parents, family and friends, Crescent teachers and administrators and fellow brothers of the Crescent graduating class of 2016. I am honoured to be your Valedictorian.
Today is a day to formally say goodbye to Crescent School, to look back on all our friendships and experiences and to look forward to the many future adventures that await us.
Today is a day to formally say goodbye to Crescent School, to look back on all our friendships and experiences and to look forward to the many future adventures that await us.
When the 86 boys beside me and myself entered Crescent’s walls we had no idea what we were in for. Our stomachs were not prepared for the cafeterias oodles of noodles nor were our backpacks and sprouting facial hair ready for Mr. Costanzo’s reign of the hallways. But most of all we had no idea we were about to become a part of the greatest family in the world…
An unbreakable bond has been formed between the 87 graduates of the class of 2016.
There have been certain events during our years that have stood out that I would like to recognize today. Events that portray the brotherhood we share and exemplify the character traits that combine to mold our class’s identity.
The first moment I would like to highlight regards our Senior Rugby Team. Two years in a row the rugby boys have gone to compete in OFSAA as a rag tag team of understaffed players. Two years in a row we have been seeded in practically last place. Time and time again Crescent is underestimated. Maybe it is because we are a small school, maybe because Crescent athletes have busy schedules and rigorous academics to keep up with. But there is a difference between expectations and performance. Expectations are projections created by others as limits on our own lives. Performance is authentic. Performance is what matters at the end of the day. And at the end of the day, our rugby team performed, winning upset victories and battling our way to the consolation finals both years. They showed that against the strong and skilled, the hungry will always prevail. Against the cocky and overestimated, the humble will always triumph.
Unlike the rugby team that was underestimated, Crescent School’s robotics team travelled to the world championships this year as a tournament favourite. After defeating numerous formidable opponents the team suffered a heart-breaking upset defeat. Feeling crushed and defeated Team 610 was out of the tournament. But I would like to point your attention to what the Robotics team did in the face of defeat, because although the performance on the robotics field wasn’t there that day, it was certainly present off the field. Instead of sulking in defeat, the experienced and skilled team leaders took initiative to help other robotics teams from around the world coach and repair their robots. They put aside their egos and embodied the humbleness we value so highly among our Crescent men. Although the robotics team lost the tournament that day, they won the respect and admiration of hundreds of fellow competitors.
The final moment I would like to share is from September of this year when our class took a trip to Onondaga Camp. There was one moment that I am sure we would all agree on as the most special moment of our trip, and maybe even our entire Crescent careers. On our final night at Onondaga, we walked up to a beautiful secluded hill by the lake.When the sun set over the lake we sat around the fire and began a conversation that I will never forget. The details of what was spoken about are not so important as was the feeling we all shared. It was a genuine moment as members of our grade took a courageous step in trusting their fellow classmates and sharing stories of their experiences at Crescent. Boys, take a second to reminisce in our campfire discussion. Remember the feeling of the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. This was a moment where we showed our true colours as a grade, as men of character. It was a moment of authenticity, trust, compassion and family.
Crescent has given us graduates the tools and knowledge to be among the most scholarly high school graduates on earth. I have no doubt that many of us will go on to high degrees of success in our chosen career paths. Among us are future doctors, lawyers, engineers, forensic scientists…
But 5, 10, 50 years from now when I see you all at our class reunions…, , it will not be your careers, your salaries or your houses that I look forward to the most. To me, the measure of a man is not something immediately quantifiable as these things are. Instead I hope to engage in authentic conversations about our lives like we shared at BEAR week. I hope to see the fire in your eyes that goes hand in hand with the hunger the rugby team showed at OFSAA. And I hope to see in you the humbleness embodied by team 610 at the World Robotics Championships. Above all, I hope to see that you have found happiness.
As we look to the future, I cannot help but think of a comment I am sure many have you have heard. It goes something like, “Sure, life here at Crescent is great, but wait until you get into the real world.” This comment infers that the real world is cold and hard and that in order for us to be successful we too, must be cold and hard. But I don’t buy that. Having experienced this idyllic Crescent environment, we also have the option of bringing a piece of it with us as we journey out into the world. In fact, it is more than just a choice; it is our duty to bring our love, compassion and authenticity with us into the world in our own pursuits of excellence.
To the faculty and staff that make Crescent go round, thank you. Thank you to administrators for keeping us in line. Thank you to the teachers for sparking a light in our curious minds in the classroom and always being there for us outside of it. Thank you to the custodial team here at Crescent for all of your hard work and for welcoming us into the parking lot every morning and saying goodbye after every school day. And thank you to everyone in between.
To the Moms, Dads and siblings who now sit before us. Leaving high school and our homes is a scary reality, often maybe more so for the parents than for the kids. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for giving us the invaluable opportunity to attend this school and most importantly thank you for being there for us over the past 18 years of our lives. Thank you for asking us how our days went, for supporting us at our sporting events and for staying up late at night waiting to make sure we get in the door alright, even if it is a little bit past our curfews. It is sometimes tough for us boys to say it, but we really do love you.
To the Class of 2016, my brothers.
When I look back on my time with you guys, there are moments when I have wondered to myself, “Has this been a dream? Have I been dreaming?” My memories with you guys are something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you for being by my side on this extraordinary journey and being there for each other through highs and lows.
Today we sit here as an extended group of brothers, all of us in the Class of 2016, that share a special bond based on our shared experiences and respect for our differences. We have unique interests and personalities, but we've learned to celebrate and appreciate each other, free of the petty disputes and separate cliques that often characterize one's high school experience.
If there's one message I can leave you with, it's this. We are the lucky ones. Lucky for where we were born, who our parents are and what opportunities have been granted to us, through no initial merit or work of our own, but simply because of the luck of the draw.
But this good fortune we've been granted comes with a price tag. We live in a world that has major human-made problems and that require major human-made solutions. Climate change, terrorism, poverty, hate crimes, discrimination based on race, colour, religion and sexual orientation.
The world is crying out for better leadership and it needs to come from young men like us.
Warren Buffett recently told the world, "If you're in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think of the other 99 per cent".
The message is simple. We’ve been born into good fortune. We’ve been provided a great formal education and a strong moral foundation. And now, we’ve been passed the torch that lights our future paths to happiness, truth and excellence. Let’s seize that torch and run with it boys!
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An unbreakable bond has been formed between the 87 graduates of the class of 2016.
There have been certain events during our years that have stood out that I would like to recognize today. Events that portray the brotherhood we share and exemplify the character traits that combine to mold our class’s identity.
The first moment I would like to highlight regards our Senior Rugby Team. Two years in a row the rugby boys have gone to compete in OFSAA as a rag tag team of understaffed players. Two years in a row we have been seeded in practically last place. Time and time again Crescent is underestimated. Maybe it is because we are a small school, maybe because Crescent athletes have busy schedules and rigorous academics to keep up with. But there is a difference between expectations and performance. Expectations are projections created by others as limits on our own lives. Performance is authentic. Performance is what matters at the end of the day. And at the end of the day, our rugby team performed, winning upset victories and battling our way to the consolation finals both years. They showed that against the strong and skilled, the hungry will always prevail. Against the cocky and overestimated, the humble will always triumph.
Unlike the rugby team that was underestimated, Crescent School’s robotics team travelled to the world championships this year as a tournament favourite. After defeating numerous formidable opponents the team suffered a heart-breaking upset defeat. Feeling crushed and defeated Team 610 was out of the tournament. But I would like to point your attention to what the Robotics team did in the face of defeat, because although the performance on the robotics field wasn’t there that day, it was certainly present off the field. Instead of sulking in defeat, the experienced and skilled team leaders took initiative to help other robotics teams from around the world coach and repair their robots. They put aside their egos and embodied the humbleness we value so highly among our Crescent men. Although the robotics team lost the tournament that day, they won the respect and admiration of hundreds of fellow competitors.
The final moment I would like to share is from September of this year when our class took a trip to Onondaga Camp. There was one moment that I am sure we would all agree on as the most special moment of our trip, and maybe even our entire Crescent careers. On our final night at Onondaga, we walked up to a beautiful secluded hill by the lake.When the sun set over the lake we sat around the fire and began a conversation that I will never forget. The details of what was spoken about are not so important as was the feeling we all shared. It was a genuine moment as members of our grade took a courageous step in trusting their fellow classmates and sharing stories of their experiences at Crescent. Boys, take a second to reminisce in our campfire discussion. Remember the feeling of the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. This was a moment where we showed our true colours as a grade, as men of character. It was a moment of authenticity, trust, compassion and family.
Crescent has given us graduates the tools and knowledge to be among the most scholarly high school graduates on earth. I have no doubt that many of us will go on to high degrees of success in our chosen career paths. Among us are future doctors, lawyers, engineers, forensic scientists…
But 5, 10, 50 years from now when I see you all at our class reunions…, , it will not be your careers, your salaries or your houses that I look forward to the most. To me, the measure of a man is not something immediately quantifiable as these things are. Instead I hope to engage in authentic conversations about our lives like we shared at BEAR week. I hope to see the fire in your eyes that goes hand in hand with the hunger the rugby team showed at OFSAA. And I hope to see in you the humbleness embodied by team 610 at the World Robotics Championships. Above all, I hope to see that you have found happiness.
As we look to the future, I cannot help but think of a comment I am sure many have you have heard. It goes something like, “Sure, life here at Crescent is great, but wait until you get into the real world.” This comment infers that the real world is cold and hard and that in order for us to be successful we too, must be cold and hard. But I don’t buy that. Having experienced this idyllic Crescent environment, we also have the option of bringing a piece of it with us as we journey out into the world. In fact, it is more than just a choice; it is our duty to bring our love, compassion and authenticity with us into the world in our own pursuits of excellence.
To the faculty and staff that make Crescent go round, thank you. Thank you to administrators for keeping us in line. Thank you to the teachers for sparking a light in our curious minds in the classroom and always being there for us outside of it. Thank you to the custodial team here at Crescent for all of your hard work and for welcoming us into the parking lot every morning and saying goodbye after every school day. And thank you to everyone in between.
To the Moms, Dads and siblings who now sit before us. Leaving high school and our homes is a scary reality, often maybe more so for the parents than for the kids. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for giving us the invaluable opportunity to attend this school and most importantly thank you for being there for us over the past 18 years of our lives. Thank you for asking us how our days went, for supporting us at our sporting events and for staying up late at night waiting to make sure we get in the door alright, even if it is a little bit past our curfews. It is sometimes tough for us boys to say it, but we really do love you.
To the Class of 2016, my brothers.
When I look back on my time with you guys, there are moments when I have wondered to myself, “Has this been a dream? Have I been dreaming?” My memories with you guys are something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you for being by my side on this extraordinary journey and being there for each other through highs and lows.
Today we sit here as an extended group of brothers, all of us in the Class of 2016, that share a special bond based on our shared experiences and respect for our differences. We have unique interests and personalities, but we've learned to celebrate and appreciate each other, free of the petty disputes and separate cliques that often characterize one's high school experience.
If there's one message I can leave you with, it's this. We are the lucky ones. Lucky for where we were born, who our parents are and what opportunities have been granted to us, through no initial merit or work of our own, but simply because of the luck of the draw.
But this good fortune we've been granted comes with a price tag. We live in a world that has major human-made problems and that require major human-made solutions. Climate change, terrorism, poverty, hate crimes, discrimination based on race, colour, religion and sexual orientation.
The world is crying out for better leadership and it needs to come from young men like us.
Warren Buffett recently told the world, "If you're in the luckiest one per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think of the other 99 per cent".
The message is simple. We’ve been born into good fortune. We’ve been provided a great formal education and a strong moral foundation. And now, we’ve been passed the torch that lights our future paths to happiness, truth and excellence. Let’s seize that torch and run with it boys!
Read more Crescent Voices posts
