8th GRADE GRADUATION SPEECH 2012 - Tandem Friends School

8th GRADE GRADUATION SPEECH 2012
Welcome friends, families, colleagues and all you shiny, beautiful people behind me. I’m
honored to stand here tonight to say a few words about this impressive bunch. Putting pen
to paper doesn’t come naturally to me, but as the 8th graduating class of 2012 knows,
telling a story does. Don’t worry guys, I won’t recount the tales about the trailer, the
Indian cook, mean Josephine, monkeys chasing me down a mountain, the dishonest high
school boyfriend or even the romantic tale of how I met my husband – (popular with girls
and boys alike!).
I was brought up on the oral tradition of storytelling, listening to my grandfather, father
and mother relay tales from their childhoods – some funny, some horrifying, some
slightly inappropriate - but always worth listening to. What’s important about telling and
hearing a story, I think, is that it unmasks us in a way and defines us as human beings.
Sharing a story about ourselves helps us understand who we are and helps those listening
navigate their own lives as well. Sharing a story teaches it’s okay to let people in, to be
generous, to show our imperfect selves. And as listeners, we relish a story - it’s magic
that draws us in – hearing about the good, the bad, the funny, the devastating – the things
that make us all human. Why else does Jack Pates lean in to hear every word I’m saying
as I reveal the trials and tribulations of my childhood? Why else does an entire gaggle of
middle schoolers gather around Mark Drexel at the mention of his Ax story? It may
just be a fascination with finding out the dirt on teachers, but as someone who has made a
life dramatizing stories on stage, I know it’s more than that…
So, here’s a story…once upon a time, when I was pretty darned old, I had the daunting
task of writing a graduation speech. I took some notes, I tossed and turned several nights
imagining expounding on Shakespeare or Sondheim (as a good Drama teacher should
do). I thought about your connections to each other, to me and to everyone at Tandem. I
thought about why I teach drama and what YOU’VE taught ME and your other teachers
by creating and living your own interesting stories…
You’ve certainly taught us about drama…after all, this is middle school, where drama
runs rampant like a baby monkey riding backwards on a pig (footnote – Youtube video –
thank you Emma Kane!). But seriously, you’ve taught us more than you can know and
the proof is in “The tale WITHIN the tale.” (This where I tell tales on you!)
Once upon a time there was a group of 8th graders with separate stories who all came
together to make one giant story:
We’ll begin with the story of creative Coley who did not let the NO SKATEBOARDING
sign in Washington Square Park deter him from following his passion in NY …not to
mention the charisma it took to convince me to buy a do-rag for his pineapple, which
many of us devoured on the train ride home (the pineapple – not the do-rag.)
There’s the story of warm-hearted William with his didgeridoo in NYC – and his big
moment of glory as an audience participant during Godspell on Broadway. His story is

also about how he brought a sense of humor and history to our production by
impersonating a sixties stoner.
There’s the tale of top-hatted and terrific Tobias, who lurked by a rained-on tree just so
he could shake the branches and drench passersby on campus. (Thanks for that Tobias!)
And how he learned (along with Eli, Ben, Carson and Alec) Google Sketch Up to make a
3D model of his house design in Christine’s class. No easy task!
How about the poem of jovial Jack, who despite his sometimes seemingly ornery
exterior, happily reached nirvana in the Indian restaurant in NY – unable to leave the
table, still stuffing his mouth full of spicy food, an Indian grandmother lovingly heaping
free rice pudding upon him while everyone else waited patiently on the sidewalk.
And there’s the story of kind-hearted Kai, who will belly laugh any time I mention two
words from one of my childhood stories as I impersonate an Indian cook, and who was
kind enough to include me in her Anime world as a character by the name of India.
There’s the saga of enigmatic Ethan and talented Tommy who devised a way of telling
one of Jesus’ parables in Godspell that I’m pretty sure has never been done before – the
infamous interpretive dance of the Rich Man’s parable complete with leaps, twirls and
pelvic thrusts. This dance was also enthusiastically re-enacted in front of a Broadway star
in NYC. I was so proud…and as a precursor to this, who can forget Tommy’s song of the
unitard in the Black Box?
There’s the fable of fabulous Phoebe (whose name means bright and shining – I looked it
up) whose daring deeds this year include mastering the Spelling Bee at school and Mad
Libs on the train and bringing a voice to the song Beautiful City that she didn’t even
know she had – bright and shining!
There’s the story of groovy Gwen, who generated one of the most heart-wrenching
theatrical moments of the year as she hugged our Jesus goodbye in Godspell and how she
playfully portrayed one of my “babies” in our ongoing improv at the zoo in DC.
There’s the story of sweet and surprising Savannah, saavy with filmmaking and acting
and friendships and who can make me laugh with just a grin, like we’re sharing a funny
joke that has no punch line but doesn’t need one. And how at the start the of the 7th grade
tree unit, Christine remembers being taught some new things by Savannah (along with
Kai and Saunder) who had gone to nature camp earlier that summer. They looked at the
trees on campus and shared all sorts of interesting stories about how different plants can
be used as food or medicine.
There’s the tale of boisterous and burgeoning Ben and that terrible Halloween night –
when he and Ethan believed in God and ghosts at the same time and how I empathized
with the fear, wonder and anger when an upper school girl revealed herself neither as god
nor ghost. And how in Christine’s class they both built a mousetrap car out of two LP's
and she didn't think they could do it but they did. It didn't work at first and she thought

they might hurt themselves. But they persevered and made a car that went across the gym
floor and almost out the door.
There’s the story of awesome, approachable Alec and how as a new 8 th grader he
courageously sang a solo in Godspell with a voice pure and soulful and danced with
abandon and how he became a campus movie star in the film Epic Alec. And how he
formed an alliance in that show with…
Extraordinary Eli, whose story is about his bright, benevolent leadership in the process
and performance of Godpsell as well his leadership all over our community. And how
Eli’s thirst for knowing the human experience could somehow always get me to tell
another story in Advisory.
There’s the tale of imaginative Ila, kind and open with a radiant smile and a heartfelt
sense of community…It’s the story of how she made a serious film with a serious
message for the film festival, working hard on both the artistic angles of the camera and
on the editing of the footage to create a powerful piece.
There’s the story of impressive Ivan, moving like a fierce warrior on the soccer field and
yet on the stage portraying a sweet clown with a heart three sizes too big for his costume
and making the audience say, AWWWW…(do you know how special that is?).
There’s the song of super Saunder, with unrelenting energy and passion for projects and
posters and filmmaking and school and sports and more school and more projects and
teaching her tech-stupid drama teacher editing tricks and basically running Film Club and
singing like a bird in Quaker Notes and basically being my non-paid assistant for all of
8th grade and still having a sense of humor with it all.
There’s the tale of effervescent Emma, creating really neat things like her sweet drawings
for the animated movie called Poor Pin, styling out in her own individual way, starting
off Day By Day with a compassion and generosity that set the tone for the whole song.
There’s the story of kind and kipper Kacy, athlete exraordinaire, so nimble and energetic
on the field….but also on the stage and in film - with hidden and extraordinary talents
that appear magically in front of an audience like in Bugsy, Godspell and the BFF film,
The Cheater, and with a presence so striking she should continue to find joy on the stage.
There’s the novel of magnificent Matthew, playing Story Cubes and laughing on the train
with his peers and his teacher and helping to coin the phrase “sufficiently weird” as a way
to describe our behavior, of Matthew passionately buying theatrical scores of music in
NY and showing French films at school, expanding all our horizons.
There’s the song of generous Gita, quiet yet strong. Prompted by the film, Miss
Representation, she and several other girls accompanied Christine in a women’s rally in
Richmond, finding a voice in fighting the war against women.

There’s the story of zoetic Zoe whose name means “life” in Greek (looked that one up
too), whose quiet, centered nature breathes life into everything she does almost in a
spiritual way. Her open face and movement in her characterization in Godspell could
teach us all to slow down and enjoy the moment.
There’s the tale of convivial Carson learning to ride a unicycle for the first time in
NYC…open and determined. It’s the story of how he courageously and happily struggled
through tons of text in Godspell – how he brought strength, grace and some Big
Lebowski humor to his role as Jesus. And how he patiently and regularly had to teach
Heidi how to use her own computer.
There’s the story of jazzy Jo, a force to be reckoned with in musical theatre, serious of
purpose about her passions and life, reaching out to the world around her, enjoying
friendships with peers and adults alike, making us feel the depth of her character through
the music she makes.
There’s the rhyme of caring Caroline, super human in many ways, able to leap tall
buildings, move heavy furniture and take on any 8th grade boy with one hand tied behind
her back. It’s the story of the joy she gets from animals and Black Box pillows and
listening to stories and that it’s in her heart and soul to help clean and organize.
There’s the story of knowledgeable Katie, book in hand, soaking up a story like a kitchen
sponge, bubbly, entering a space with arms outstretched for a hug, with her own stories
flowing trippingly off the tongue, enjoying words, images – all things that paint a picture
and connect her to the world.
There’s the story of energetic Eliza, making a place for herself on stage in Godspell with
a new-found confidence and voice. And of how she went to Richmond to fight for
women’s rights, creating fabulous t-shirts for the event, one of the youngest girls to ride
the bus to the rally.
And finally there’s the tale of jolly and just Jonathan, fancifully portraying what he loves
most as Chicken Boy in Godspell. It’s the story of how he (along with Caroline, Katie,
Eliza and Kai) were totally into the chicks housed in the science room, teaching Christine
about the deep drive we all have to nurture. With Jonathan at the helm, every day during
lunch the group sat with the chicks, held them in their hands, cuddled and fed them like a
bunch of mother hens. Jonathan’s story is also about inviting his entire class to play in his
tree house and roast marshmallows in his tee pee, generous beyond belief and bringing
the 8th grade community together.
And so, the individual stories come together and the epic tale of your class begins – of
how you learned from each other how to create community. Not just any community, but
a pretty darned special one. In choosing Godspell as your final show, I saw the potential
in you to bring parables (more stories!) to life in a truthful and communal way. You
transcended my expectations – working together to build not only a Beautiful City in the
story, but to build a beautiful play for our community. The emotional depths to which

you went were far beyond your years – Carson and Tommy with Judas’s betrayal of Jesus
and the rest of the cast in your heartfelt goodbyes and other honest moments. You
collectively knew how to make these moments special. And in the end each and every
one of you understood the importance of story and the purpose, power and pleasure of
community far beyond the reaches of the stage.
All of your teachers have felt your connection to community. Christine notes that during
the Green Cup Challenge, you begged her to keep the lights turned off. You knew that
little things add up to make a big difference. Carolena remembers how passionate you
were about your passion projects, and how you nurtured Louie during your fifth grade
year. Tom has felt your sense of community on the soccer field. This year, during the
Love Feast, a large group of you worked so hard to serve coffee, cider and desserts to the
audience. You served with energy and joy as you have on many service trips.
On the NY Arts trip we were so impressed by how you all got along so well. Groups
were constantly morphing - joyful and laughing no matter who was with whom. The
stories from other teachers go on and on. Mark Drexel stated eloquently about you, “Like
little kids they run for the swings in Central Park in NYC. Like compassionate adults they
listen to the homeless before serving dinner in DC. They are on the road to growing up
and doing it well.” So well put…thank you, Mark.
You ARE on the road to growing up well and I’m thankful and honored that you have
shared your stories with us here in the Tandem Middle School. I’ve loved being a part of
your stories – singing with you at the Love Feast, dancing with you at Fuerza Bruta,
playing with you at Jonathan’s house, staging a variety of stories with you on stage for
the past four years. As you move on to your next phase (whether it’s here at Tandem or
elsewhere), keep listening to tales, and keep making and telling your own stories. Your
children, grandchildren and perhaps your students will thank you someday. Oh, and by
the way, I’m NOT going to say something cheesy at the end of my speech like – “You
Are the Light of the World” or “You Are the Salt of the Earth.” And I do have another
riveting story to tell you about my childhood that you’ve never heard before (if you’re
interested…).
Congratulations, 8th grade class of 2012! Let’s hit Kings Dominion!