T he L exington School Pinp oints 50 th A nniversary E dition 2009

6
Aoife Lyons: Caring Matters
The last time Dr. Aoife Lyons ’88
visited The Lexington School, she cared enough to fly
from Chicago for the day to talk to the faculty about adolescent
behavior during one of their professional development
days. This time she addressed the 2009 graduates,
and she talked about the importance of caring as they
moved from one stage to another in their lives.
As Mr. Baldecchi noted in his introductory remarks,
“The late, great class of ’88 named itself, but it also earned
its nickname because it was a great group of students. It
was this class that motivated teachers to write distinctive
words about each student at graduation time. Aoife Lyons
was a big reason why that class was so respected and loved.”
He further remarked that this “Irish lass with just the hint
of a brogue inherited from her parents was a strong student
with a heart of gold.” Throughout her years at TLS, Aoife
played her violin for events as wide ranging as the Holiday
PINPOINTS 50th Anniversary
Concert and the 9 th Grade Show. In
other words, Aoife evidenced a vein of
altruism from the time she was a young
child, and this was her message for her
soon-to-be fellow alums.
As she designed her own children’s
clinic, psychologist Dr. Lyons remembered
her Lexington School teachers and said
that she tried “to emulate their passion and
compassion for children.” She also said, “Our
TLS teachers are educators in the most wonderful
sense of the word. They truly care for both
academic and emotional development.” As a result,
Aoife gave the members of the class of ’09 an acronym
to remember six key components that she learned at
TLS. CARING for this graduation address added up
to Compassion, Academic Achievement, Responsibility,
Integrity, a Never-Give-Up attitude, and Generosity.
Aoife urged students to have compassion by looking
for strengths in others, even in those who appear to be
an unlikely source. She observed that many in this world
don’t have the same opportunities as others, and often
“the smallest kindnesses go the farthest way.” She also
reminded graduates that “When you stay positive and
compassionate, it’s harder for other people to be negative,”
adding that this “can only be a good thing.”
Dr. Lyons commended parents for making the best
investment they could in their children’s educations. As
she endorsed academic achievement, she said, “We can all
have material things in this world, but they can disappear
in an instant. Your education will always be yours.”
Responsibility and integrity combine forces to
build moral fiber. Dr. Lyons said, “Integrity means being
honest, even when you have made a mistake. It means