— Class of 2009 — GRADUATION 2009 8 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Park</strong> Bulletin | Fall 2009
Each year, an alumnus/a with six years of post-<strong>Park</strong> experience addresses the graduating class. Although Andrew Ostroff came to <strong>Park</strong> somewhat reluctantly as a sixth grader, he was eager to return as the graduation speaker this June. Andrew received <strong>The</strong> Ellen Fowler Award for his good citizenship at his graduation in 2003 and continued to stand out at Phillips Academy, Andover. Now a double major in Spanish and economics at Middlebury College, he spent the spring semester in Madrid as part of the college’s study abroad program, and he looks forward to returning to Vermont in the fall. 2009 GRADUATION ADDRESS by Andrew Ostroff, Class of 2003 Good morning, everyone: members of the Board, Mr. Katz, faculty, staff, students, alums, current and former families, friends, and especially to the Class of 2009. Congratulations! You have successfully survived the most difficult years of adolescence, and that in itself is worth celebrating. I promise that the hard work is over. . . until, of course, you get to college applications. When Mr. Katz invited me to speak at this year’s graduation ceremony, I breathed a sigh of relief. Many people dread public speaking, but the truth of the matter is that I have been secretly hoping to give this speech for nearly six years. Why, you may ask Because <strong>The</strong> <strong>Park</strong> <strong>School</strong> instilled in me certain values that are central to my core beliefs, values that shape the person I am today and how I view the world. I am a firm believer in paying homage to those that have helped me along the way, and although my remarks and advice are directed primarily towards the Class of 2009 this morning, I must admit that I approached this speech with a second agenda: to thank the <strong>Park</strong> <strong>School</strong> family for welcoming me with open arms nearly ten years ago, for embracing my curious intellect, and most importantly, for helping me to find my moral compass. I am certain that my life would be quite different had I not attended <strong>Park</strong>, and in considering this reality, I hope to use these next few minutes to share with you how my <strong>Park</strong> education continues to help me tackle the most difficult of hurdles even today, but more importantly, to articulate how your experiences here have prepared you for the years ahead and the responsibilities you must, therefore, undertake. My <strong>Park</strong> <strong>School</strong> career began in the fall of 1999 – a timid, redheaded boy with a face full of freckles and an oversized backpack unhappily trudged up the steps to the Upper Division. Don’t get me wrong; I was excited and ready to begin a new chapter in my life, but I desperately wanted to follow in the footsteps of my family by attending a school not too far from here that had welcomed my sister four years prior, both of my parents in the 1970s, and each of my grandmothers nearly sixty years ago. Little did I know at that time that the educational path I would choose was unique and truly my own – something I am grateful for today because one attaches a certain degree of pride to his school mascot, and after four years as an oak tree, I much prefer being a panther today than a camel, like my father was thirty years ago. I eventually got over the oak tree situation, and although I did not understand my parents’ sound reasoning for choosing <strong>Park</strong> for me ten years ago, I have long been able to appreciate the benefits of a <strong>Park</strong> education. Life after <strong>Park</strong> is a gift: students leave this school with an appreciation for the world far more advanced than others their age. I know this is a big statement, but my experiences in high school and college have allowed me to view different cultures, to be a member of various communities, and to meet a fascinating cross-section of our world, all opportunities that warrant my arriving at such a conclusion. One of the cornerstones of a <strong>Park</strong> <strong>School</strong> education is, undoubtedly, a respect of, and appreciation for, diversity. Students here learn to make friends regardless of our differences, which are known to divide us later in life. That said, the ease with which we coexist at <strong>Park</strong> is something I took for granted in my four years at this school. ➢ <strong>The</strong> <strong>Park</strong> Bulletin | Fall 2009 9
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