By Lauren Henry '99 - The Taft School

E N D N O T Eit is a great community. I believe it is acommunity where we still go out of ourway to do the right thing. When someonestumbles and makes a mistake, we reachout to help. When someone is in pain, wework to heal and not to hurt. We go outof our way to care for one another.The moral of the story of the rabbi’sgift is that community can be healed. In themidst of brokenness, a community thatcares for one another can become whole.The old monks were not so old. Theyrealized that as individuals they were alsopart of a greater whole. They changedbecause they saw each other in a totallydifferent way. The Messiah is one of you.They treated one another with respect.They constructed a good community.My prayer and my hope is that togetherthis year we can continue to makethis school a good community. Who isamong us? Perhaps the Messiah? Butwho else might be among us? The personwho will find a cure for cancer? forAIDS? The first person to walk on Mars?The first female president of the UnitedStates? A teacher who will make a differencein the life of a child? The mother ofa little boy? The father of a little girl?You are all out there. And the youthat is there is special. The you that isthere is unique. The you that is there ispart of a whole that is this school. And, asfar as I’m concerned, the you that is you isa creation of God: blessed, holy, and onthe way toward wholeness.Whether you are a senior striving toend your Taft career on a strong note, ora new student anxious to fit in, rememberthat this is your community. Mr. Oddenreminds us of Mr. Taft’s words, “School iswhat you make of it.” Don’t worry aboutyour reputation, but focus on cultivatingyour character. Because your character, toa large extent, defines the character of thisschool. It’s not how good you are but whoyou are that makes this place special.I want to leave you with a comparisonbetween reputation and character byWilliam Hersey Davis:The circumstances amid which you livedetermine your reputation;the truth you believe determines yourcharacter…Reputation is what you are supposed to be;character is what you are…Reputation is the photograph;character is the face…Reputation is what you have when youcome to a new community;character is what you have when yougo away.Reputation makes you rich or makesyou poor;character makes you happy or makesyou miserable…Reputation is what people say about youon your tombstone;character is what the angels say aboutyou before the throne of God.Focus on your character, and you willdo well for yourself, for others, and forthis school.Michael Spencer delivered these remarkson September 13, at his opening MorningMeeting talk in Bingham Auditorium.1This version of “The Rabbi’s Gift” has beenadapted from the rendition found in M. ScottPeck’s, The Different Drum, New York: TouchstoneBooks, 1987.2John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” inAmerican Sermons, (New York: Literary Classics ofthe United States, 1999), 28-43.The TaftEducationalCenterSummer Workshopsfor TeachersJuly 2000One- and Two-WeekWorkshops Featuring:All Advanced Placement SubjectsLibrary Science, Internet,Graphing Calculators, ComputerApplications, & Others.CEUs & graduate credit available.For a catalog,call (800) 274-7815 or (860) 945-7850E-mail: TaftEdCtr@TaftSchool.orghttp://www.taftschool.org/home/tec30 Fall 1999