Commencement 2010 - Reality...

Now that long forgotten lunches and gym clothes have been purged from the lockers, the last exams have been scored and posted, the last graduate has crossed the stage and the dust has settled, there is time to reflect on another successful school year. The Class of 2010 has completed their matriculation through the hallowed halls of Grosse Pointe North, and are sure to venture forth into great successes and adventures. For those of you without the good fortune to attend our commencement exercises, it was a beautiful night. My address to the Class of 2010 is captioned below. This class has been responsible for many great moments in our school's history, and certainly has left its mark. Best wishes to all of this year's graduates.

Commencement Class of 2010

Good Evening Parents, Staff, Community, Members of the Board of Education, Dr. Klein, and most importantly, the Grosse Pointe North Graduating Class of 2010. I know what you’re thinking right now – yeah the musical performances were good, the speakers were articulate and moving, but Yes – now is my time - My time to finally.... get to hear Mr. Bearden speak. If we’d have let our graduates bring their phones in, Twitter and Facebook would be buzzing with the news – gtg, brb our Principal is finally speaking. He’ll be awesome LOL (For the social network shorthand challenged, That’s Got to Go, Be Right Back, our Principal is awesome – Laughing Out Loud....).
Commencement is about you, but I was taught that public speaking is about establishing trust with the audience, so in the spirit of establishing trust, I’ve used this platform to confess some secrets in the past. Once I unveiled my closet appreciation for both country and rap music. Once I confessed my secret lifelong desire to be a movie director. Last year I shared advice from my 6th grade gym teacher (ask me about that later), and tonight I have another embarrassing confession – I watch reality television. I watch American Idol, The Bachelor, Celebrity Apprentice, the occasional Dancing with the Stars and used to follow Survivor. Hope you don’t think less of me…In fact, this isn’t even a new thing – for those of you in my generation and older, you’ll remember early reality television shows I used to watch like Candid Camera, the Dating Game, the Newlywed Game, the Gong Show, and the $1.98 Beauty Show. All of them mind numbingly dumb, but strangely addictive.
A lot of people criticize these shows as not being reality at all because they are often scripted or fake. I don’t view that as detracting from the shows – in fact I think that’s what makes them real. The “real world” isn’t that at all – it’s nutty. Some people are fake all the time, some are real. Some situations are deceiving; sometimes you have to trust your gut instinct. As you’ve already learned in high school, a lot of times people (even your friends) turn out to be something different than you thought they were. Over and over the adage that truth is stranger than fiction will prove true in your lives. Your reality will shift and morph in ways you can’t yet imagine. On this day, we hope that the tools we’ve given you, and the lessons you’ve learned here at North will help you navigate the “Real” world.
If I were casting the Class of 2010 as a reality show, there would be a lot of great options. I’d call my show “Be the Change” using the mission our school adopted several years ago, and we’d track members of the Class of 2010 as they head into the world to make their mark and work to effect the change they would like to be in the world. First we need a host someone with a big personality who can think on his feet – I’ll go with Louie Michael. We need talent - I’d cast Tim Lupo and Justin Wrubel as singing minstrels who sing through every episode making the world better through song. I’d cast Dean Butts, Adam Evanski, Mark Haas, Mark Palazzolo and Kyle Moore as the Bachelors just because they’re all the kind of good guys you’d want your daughter to bring home. I’d cast AJ Brooks, Brandon Williams, Sara Bigham and Rahmed Gulley as Survivors because they’ve come a long way in four years here, been through a lot, and I want to see what they do in the world. I’d cast Bryan Brown and Ariel Braker as my version of successful Hoop Dreams and every week, like a crazy Groundhog Day movie, I’d have Bryan hit a half court buzzer beater to beat South again and again. I’d cast Nick Howard as a Trump type in an Apprentice show because you’ve got to have some wild hair somewhere and no one rocks an afro like Nick. The Class of 2010 has made us proud at North, and the Class of 2010 Be The Change show will be a reality show that will make us proud for years to come.
In closing, three pieces of advice for you that I’ve garnered from my years of living, loving, losing and winning, and watching the occasional television reality show – the video equivalent of junk food:
1. On Reality shows, people who go by one name – Puck, Omarosa, the Situation – are almost inevitably jerks. This is a good rule for real life. Elvis pulled it off, but he had to wear sequined jumpsuits to do it which Coach Sumbera tells me is not a good look for most people. Use the names your parents gave you, and represent them well.
2. I’m not entirely sure why, but there are usually three judges – one nice one, one hyper-critical one, and one middle of the road judge. This break-down will be pretty much followed in the population you encounter in real life, and as on the shows, often the most critical judges will know the least but incessantly blow their own horns to make you believe they know the most. Take the criticism constructively and the praise humbly and you’ll do well.
3. Sometimes the nicest and hardest working people don’t win. This one is a tough one to swallow because we’re taught that if we work hard we can achieve anything. It seems unfair, but it’s not. The reward for working hard and being nice is internal. You will feel great about yourself. Also, frequently the “nice guy” runner-up gets a spin-off show that’s better than the main one – this is also true in real life. As the song says, “Sometimes God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers”. Working hard and being nice gets rewarded one way or another.
In On the Road, Jack Kerouac wrote “The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous Roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” LIVE – be present in your lives. Hold on to the people you love, and be open to everything – make your reality what you want it to be. It’s your reality show in the “real world”, and you can write the script.
Class of 2010 – your accomplishments have already changed North forever. The list of achievements, honors and awards for the members of this class is staggering. Thanks for your amazing representation of North High School. I’m confident that this class is ready to burn across the sky lighting the world with your dreams, desires and abilities. Finally, in a play on a popular reality show catch phrase, maybe someday you’ll even hear the words that will thrill every parent who wants to turn your bedroom into that home office or Jacuzzi room they’ve always wanted – Class of 2010….you’re hired. Congratulations and best wishes.

Where Next and How Do We Get There?

For the past two years, Grosse Pointe North High School has adopted the slogan and mission "Be the Change". This adopted slogan lifted from a Gandhi quote has taken on many different meanings in our building.

Three years ago we hosted our first Challenge Day event. Challenge Day is an activity that teaches students to look beyond the surface and realize that we all share similar issues, dreams, and are ultimately more alike than we are different. Our building has embraced this philosophy as a way to foster a positive atmosphere. Over the past three years approximately 600 North students and dozens of staff members have attended this life-changing event. As an outgrowth, we have had numerous "Be the Change" activities, a "Be the Change" tutorial classroom, and a variety of activities designed to bring students and staff closer.

Beyond the philosophies we've adopted from the Challenge Day experiences, "Be the Change" has taken on other meanings. We've created and implemented a plan called High Schools 2.0 designed to change the way we deliver instruction. We've opened our school's access to social networking sites, digital media, online delivery systems, and encouraged teachers and students to embrace technology. The integration of hardware and software tools in our classrooms has included Smart Boards in virtually every classroom, document cameras, clicker response systems, various content specific technologies, and many other innovations. We've instituted systematic support systems for struggling learners, including the building's Freshman Academic SuccessTeam, and Sophomore Academic Team. We've successfully "changed" the way we deliver and support instruction in meaningful ways.

The question of what's next dovetails nicely with the graduation of our class 0f 2010. After all, this is the question faced by every graduating senior each year. The answer is really pretty simple - it's not what destination is next so much as it is what journey is next. Change in the way we view each other as people, change in the way we view each other as learners and educators, and change in our learning environment cannot be represented as a destination. We've never "made it". The journey is the thing.

Next on our journey I envision that we will develop even more digitally and connected students and educators. We will expand our use of digital media, social networks and online delivery systems. Most importantly, we will adapt to more project based learning so that students are in situations that teach them how to think and problem solve. In today's fluid, organic world of change there is still a need for specific content knowledge, but that need is couched in a necessity that we all have a knowledge base from which to problem solve. Our task as educators is to create a generation of creative thinkers who, when faced with the new and ever-changing issues that will arise, will be able to create solutions.

Beyond, yet connected to, the ability to problem solve comes a necessity to understand and relate to people and societies across the globe. Our ever expanding digital connectivity, and corresponding flattening globe, makes it more critical than ever that we all relate to and understand one another as people. We have to embrace and understand different cultures, and the responsibility on schools to expand to partnerships with classrooms across our country and the world will grow exponentially as a result.

The next stop is never a stop - it's part of the journey. "Be the Change" isn't just a slogan or a mission or vision on a laminated poster - it's a way of life. Those who don't embrace change in the future will be run over by it. Our task as educators is to help shape a new generation of change agents. A generation with the ability, force and desire to make change happen and enjoy the journey along the way.