“Persistence is the most powerful force on earth, it can move mountains.”
— Albert Einstein
By Tracy F. Seelye, Express editor
editor@whitmanhansonexpress.com
Even Albert Einstein was not a good fit for a traditional education as a young scholar. While he excelled and loved math, he didn’t care much for other subjects and, as a result, a myth was born that he was a poor student who somehow became a genius.
But there’s always the backstory few delve into to learn more about him.
Perhaps the dozen students who graduated from Whitman-Hanson’s Community Evening School on Thursday, May 29 would understand Einstein better than anyone else – they, too, took a non-traditional route to their high school diploma, and their families were overjoyed with pride, just as much, if not a little bit more than parents attending the graduation for the main group of seniors on Friday, May 30.
And all of them are equally members of the Class of 2025.
“This evening’s ceremony not only celebrates the countless hours of hard work on the part of our graduates, but the dedication of those who have supported the students throughout their journey,” said CES co-director Joseph Chismar in welcoming the graduates and their families to the ceremony, “Everyone sitting in this auditorium has contributed to each students’ success.”
Chismar then encouraged the graduates’ loved ones to give themselves a round of applause.
Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak also celebrated the class’s educational journey, speaking on theme, “The Power of You,” and noting that when thinking about power, we often envision something big – something outside ourselves.
“Today, I want to talk about the power that is within you,” he said. “The power to choose your path, to rise again after setbacks, to defy expectations and to define success on your own terms.”
Szymaniak, who began his career in education teaching in alternative high school programs, spoke from experience.
“Each of you sitting here today, took a different route than most,” he said. “That doesn’t mean your path is less valuable – it makes it more remarkable, because it took courage to keep going when things got hard.”
He said their achievement took strength and vision to show up when giving up would seem easier and to believe in a future that wasn’t aways clearly marked. Success is not one-size-fits-all.
But, as with nearly every CES graduation, the speaker the Class of 2025 no doubt looked most forward to was co-director William Glynn, opening as per usual with several “if-you-know-you-know” references for the benefit of the graduates he had guided since their freshman English class and concluding with a short list of things to remember in life.
“RZA, the abbott of the Wu-Tang Clan, and author of the magnificent little book, “The Tao of Wu,” reminds us to be open to the echoes of Wisdom – it will reveal itself in time,” Glynn said, before offering his own thoughts which he hoped contained a little bit of wisdom, ans concluding with poet Carl Sandbur’s musings on hope [see opposite].
“I have been, or worked with, teenagers for more than two generations, so I won’t waste your time,” he said, listing three points to ponder as they walk off into their future – fear, courage and hope.
“I did steal some of this, also from the RZA, but don’t worry, I properly quoted and cited these words from the text,” he said. “I was afraid as a child – I’m afraid right now. Honestly, I’m afraid of ghosts, but at some point, I realized [that] a ghost is something you create yourself. … So much of what we fear is inside ourselves.”
He said his aim is to remind them that anytime they find their fears stopping them from persuing their goals remembering that one creates fear from their mind, can help them overcome it.
“Don’t let fear be your master,” Glynn said.
Leaning on his English teacher experience, he quoted Beowulf, “fortune may favor a person if their courage holds.”
“To put it, simply, if you try, you might succeed,” he said. “So, try. You might succeed. … Have the courage to take the chance. Life is often hard – it’s banal, it’s awkward, yes, it’s even tragic – but do the hard things, do the scary things. Do those different things. Do. Don’t let life pass you by.”
Leaning on Sandburg’s poem, “Hope is a Tattered Fag,” Glynn.
“Hope is always ephemeral,” he said. “It’s hard to quantify. It’s often delicate and small, needing constant attention, but hope is … also essential to living a meaningful and present life. … You can be grim, you can be serious, you can be pragmatic and hopeful at the same time.”