Fall - Stanstead College

Baccalaureate 2009Allen Chastanet ’79 speaks at BaccalaureateOne of the largest graduating classes – 49 Grade 11s and 47Grade 12s – filled Centenary United Church June 20 as StansteadCollege marked its annual Baccalaureate and Prize-GivingService.Guest speaker at this year’s service was Allen Chastanet, Classof ’79, currently the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation in St.Lucia. He was introduced by his former teacher and coach andnow lifelong friend Brian Denney – a fact that Brian pointed outto the gathered student body.“My personal connections with our guest involved coachingand staying on his case academically,” he said. “But Chaz alsocame into my life as a member of my family, especially as he usedto babysit my son and daughter… and helping us to name a newpuppy that we got. We named the puppy “Rebound” in recognitionof the one thing our basketball team had lacked and whatChaz so effectively gave us. And our friendship continues to thisday, 30 years later, where he and his family thankfully invite meeach year to visit St. Lucia in the middle of our winter and welcomeme into their home.”Brian listed Allen’s many accomplishments since leavingStanstead, from his graduate andpost-graduate degrees at Bishop’sUniversity and AmericanUniversity inWashington, DC,to hisstellar4work in St. Lucia’s hotel and tourism industry, to his appointmentin 2006 to his current ministerial position.Following his introduction, Allen removed his academic gownto reveal his original Major S sweater, earning great cheers fromthe audience.Back after 20 yearsAllen began by mentioning that he was very touched to be backat Stanstead College for the first time in about 20 years and havethe opportunity to show his old stomping grounds to his wifeRaquel and their two children, daughter Rhyan and son Braden.He went on to say that he considered sharing some of his oldStanstead stories with the students but realized that they alreadyknow them – that what happened 30 years ago isn’t so differentfrom what happens today. These stories, like the friendships, therelationships with teachers, will remain, he said.“Stanstead will be a sanctuary, the place you will always be ableto revert back to when life starts going crazy, things becomeunpredictable, and you’re in unknown territories,” he said.“Coming back to Stanstead for a day or weekend gives you thatpeace of mind, something you know, something you can trust.”As for advice for the students, he told the graduates to not justset goals but to write them down. “It keeps you focused,” he said.“Don’t be afraid to adjust, but always adjust up.”Allen also warned the graduating students that their lives wereabout to change. “All of a sudden, you’ll be left by yourself todetermine who you are. University can be a defining period. Athigh school you learn, but there’s not a lot of interpretation. Atuniversity, you’ll develop a mind of your own and foster yourown ideas. Don’t be scared to experiment.”Allen reminded the students of how fortunate they are to havean education, something they should appreciate and cherish. Henoted that because of the privilege of their Stanstead Collegeeducation, a lot more is expected of them.“The world needs to be redefined. It’s not working. You havean opportunity to develop new ideas, new philosophies,” he said,adding that they should focus their energy on what they canchange, not worrying about what they can’t change.Allen’s full speech is available on YouTube. Search for “AllenChastanet Stanstead.”Take advice with a grain of saltHeadmaster Wolfe’s address to the graduates also focused onadvice, namely on when you should take it and when you shouldquestion it.“Information that is presented or freely given should not beaccepted at face value,” he said. “To do so would be naïve andcomplacent, and these are values that are not promoted here at thisschool. These are values that shouldn’t be promoted anywhere.”