119th Commencement - Nichols School

Clotilde Perez-Bode Dedecker delivers her address as the guestspeaker; David Zakalik ’11 (right) shares a proverb in Mandarin.Mr. Bryan shakes hands with An Jiang ’11.so much more than simply doing schoolwork every day. Nicholsstudents are educated on an entirely different level than basicacademics. That’s why we refer to it as an ‘experience.’ Theschool promotes a culture of personal growth and developmentthat is invaluable down the road. It educates students bothacademically and as responsible citizens of the world.”Joe talked about his lessons learned over the years, how Nicholshelped him develop as a student and become a person with integrityof character, and inspired him in ways he did not anticipate, butwholeheartedly appreciates today. He shared how he grew fromdoing the minimum to get by in his freshman and sophomoreyears to truly enjoying the challenge of assignments and lookingforward to diving into rigorous work in his junior and senior years.“Nichols is a second home for many students, and the facultyrecognizes that by allowing students to pursue their passions throughclubs, research and other extracurricular activities,” Joe said.“Like every other graduating class, Nichols has given the Classof 2011 an opportunity to excel and succeed in life,” he concluded.“But if you take one thing from this speech, take this. Nichols hasgiven us a lengthy head start in life. Please do not waste it. It is nolonger anyone’s responsibility to create opportunity but your own.”President/CEO of the Community Foundation for GreaterBuffalo, former Trustee and past Nichols parent, ClotildePerez-Bode Dedecker, served as the guest speaker. She enlistedgraduating senior, David Zakalik ’11, to read a famous Chineseproverb in Mandarin: “Tell me and I might forget; showme and I may remember; engage me and I will learn.”“Over the past four years, Nichols has engaged youin a learning process that has lead to new insights andknowledge,” Mrs. Dedecker said. “The School has startedyou down the path which turns information into knowledgefor the purpose of applying that knowledge to everyday lifeand, in doing so, build your store of personal wisdom.”Prior to that day, Mrs. Dedecker surveyed the members ofthe Class of 2011, seeking answers about what they value, whatmotivates them and moves them. She learned that family, friendsand education were very important to all. Their answers indicatedthat relationships and learning were among the core values ofthe class. When asked what they wanted in the world, Mrs.Dedecker heard ideals of peace, justice and equity repeatedly.“Many of you shared dreams that spoke to a more peacefulworld with less hunger, less pain and less prejudice,” she said.“Some of you noted that the challenges before us areriddled with complexities that can seem insurmountable,”she continued. “Where and how to begin? Is it realisticto try? Can one person make a difference?”Her response to them was inspiring: this world is yoursto create. She agreed that there are great challengesbefore us as a society, but she stressed that individualsand strong leaders can and do make a difference.Mrs. Dedecker told the story of Jerry Sternin, a humanitariantasked with solving the colossal problem of improvingchildhood malnutrition in Vietnam. When he arrived inthe unfamiliar country without speaking the language andminimal resources, he approached the problem in a grassrootsmanner that got to the heart of what was working for somefamilies, and then devised a plan to introduce it to the rest.Jerry spoke with mothers in a village who were yielding betterresults – healthier, well nourished children. He found that mostmalnourished children were fed twice a day, with larger mealsconsisting of mostly rice, but the healthiest children were fedsmaller meals several times a day. The latter mothers were addingshrimp, crabs and sweet potato greens to the rice. Althoughthese were typically unconventional food for children, theyadded sorely needed protein and vitamins to the children’sdiet. This insight changed the lives of 2.2 million childrenfor the better. Jerry’s story is a powerful example of how oneperson can make a huge difference when driven to do so.If given a magic wand, members of the Class of 2011 saidthey would do everything from find cures for cancer andAIDS to strengthen our economy to end discrimination. Mrs.Dedecker told the students they can write their history becausethey have the ability to change and better the world.“Whether you touch one or countless lives…each of you willcommand a sphere of influence in which to wave your personalmagic. Use it wisely and use it generously. I wish you each a lifewith meaning, an existence with purpose, and days filled withactions that engage others in finding solutions,” she ended.The morning culminated with the awarding of diplomasby Dr. Aranya Maritime, Head of Upper School.Congratulations to the Class of 2011! We wish you allthe best as you enter this new chapter of your lives!4 Nichols School