Graduation Remarks
June 1, 2007
Scott R. Chapman, Chairman
Hampden Wilbraham Regional School Committee

On behalf of the very proud members of the Hampden Wilbraham Regional School Committee and especially Marianne Desmond and Bill Bickley, I am pleased to be here today and to congratulate you on your graduation from Minnechaug Regional High School.

I would like to speak with you today about the next chapter of your life which starts today, and how that next chapter is built on the chapter you just completed: your formal public school education.

You are entering a changed world that does not look at all like the world did when you began your formal education in the 1990’s. At that time our country was at peace, technology was an ancillary to our lives, and life seemed less busy, calmer, and more serene. During your time with us here in the District we all experienced monumental changes in our world. You are entering a world with our country at war and a continuing target for aggression. You are entering a world where advances in technology occur at lightning speed, and their impact on our daily lives is almost overwhelming. In the last year we have seen a historic change in the statehouse and on Capitol Hill, where those who were once termed “minorities” are now persons of influence. Still and unfortunately, you are entering a world where decade long struggles of poverty, disease, crime and intolerance remain.

These are but a few of the challenges of your time. You and your fellow graduates are part of the future generation that will meet these challenges just as many generations of graduates before you have met the challenges that they received.

In order to meet these challenges you will have to continue the work becoming who you are and who you want to be. That person is the one that we sometimes see in our dreams of ourselves. Our dreams about who we are and who we envision becoming are the touchstones of our character. The person of our dreams reflects the best in us. Dare to become that person in your dreams.

Dare to take on the challenges that are ahead of you. Dare to make a difference in the world you are entering, the next chapter in your life.

Martin Luther King, Jr. reminded us that too frequently “we are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity.” Do not get caught up in the morass of competition at the expense of community; personal fame at the expense of family; or insolence at the expense of civility.

Make a pact with yourself as you move into the next chapter of your life you will leave an imprint on the lives of others and your portion of the world. Strive for excellence in whatever path you choose in life. Celebrate and embrace others around you, those who helped you to reach today, and those you will encounter in the future who may hold differing values or lifestyles, but can become a positive part of your life. Take with you the experiences you obtained here in the District and build on them, build on your education, your values, and your dreams, and make a difference in each and every life you encounter from here forward.

We all have the ability to do great things. We all have the character to be strong, the character reflected in our dreams. Follow those dreams and do great things!

Congratulations and best wishes to the class of 2007!