Convocation Address by Headmaster Drew Casertano
Like most teachers, Mrs. Casertano and I love the summer for all the joys and experiences of the season: the sunshine and warmth, the slower pace, the ocean, and all the outdoor activities. But having you back on campus brings its own joy and excitement. Like our faculty colleagues, we love school. This is our calling. And to our eyes, the campus looks, and sounds, exactly as it should now that you are here.
The start of a new school year is extraordinary. For teachers and students alike, it is a chance to start anew…to do better. It provides the opportunity to become more skilled and more knowledgeable; to become smarter and stronger; to be more creative; to be more caring. All this ends – abruptly – once school is over and you enter the so-called real world.
Next to the opportunity and ability to love and be loved, nothing is more important to your health and well-being now, and for the rest of your life, than the opportunity and ability to grow - to develop and advance – in good and meaningful ways.
So we begin…poised at a moment of remarkable potential and privilege for each of us and for our school community.
We celebrate this potential and privilege against the backdrop of the 10th anniversary of the attacks and suffering of 9/11. We remember those who died, we honor those who acted with courage, selflessness and grace, and we support the thousands who were hurt, both physically and emotionally. According to Tom Brokaw, the television journalist and author, as we mark this anniversary we should ask, “What have we learned” from this tragedy and in the decade that has passed? In the aftermath, we learned that Americans are remarkably caring and strong. In the days, weeks and months following the attacks, we pulled together to conquer our fears, to help those in need, and to move ahead while remembering and honoring those left behind. As individuals, as communities, and as a nation, we found and sustained what Chaplain Hardy likes to call “our better selves.”
Alas, ten years later, it looks to me as if our country, beginning with our political leaders, has misplaced that collaborative spirit and that we have allowed our “better selves” to recede. Instead, we find our government locked in a partisan and angry debate, apparently unwilling to work together to find solutions to serious problems and, therefore, abdicating the responsibility to lead.
If I was sitting among you, listening to these grownup words, I would ask, what does this have to do with me? Heck, I’m still trying to figure out the names of the buildings here. And find that stupid nametag so I can eat. I’ve got to get my schedule straight. Do I really want to stay in AP Calculus? Do you really expect me to think about solving national problems, even if I cared about them? I do.
By virtue of attending Millbrook, you are the privileged. In your Millbrook years, you will engage in, and experience, a truly excellent high school education; some might say the finest. So, yes, I do expect you to expect more of yourselves, to see yourselves as leaders and problem solvers. As I imagine your futures, I see leaders across many fields. I see actors, artists, athletes, CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and, yes, mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, and even a president among you. Most of all, I see you living Non Sibi Sed Cunctis as adults.
But first things first. You must engage fully in the opportunities before you this academic year. You must develop a keen intellect and a caring heart. You must learn to question fully, to analyze data and facts, to interpret literature and art, and to develop hypotheses and conclusions. You must struggle to gain the ability to express your thoughts clearly, concisely and persuasively, orally and in writing. And when challenged and presented with alternatives and inconsistencies, you must be willing to listen, to see things differently, to re-think. You must learn to disagree respectfully and to search for common ground without sacrificing your principles. In these challenges you must find resilience and optimism. And you must do all this on the foundation of Millbrook’s core values – respect, integrity, stewardship, service and curiosity. This year we will emphasize environmental stewardship. Nothing will be more important to your future than finding ways to reverse the destruction of our planet.
This is a tall order, these are substantial challenges, and they can feel overwhelming. But I make no apologies for putting them before you.
When he was no older than 20, Millbrook’s founder, Edward Pulling, fought in WWI. Following his freshman year at Princeton, Mr. Pulling returned to his homeland, England, to serve in His Majesty’s Navy. He fought for democracy and freedom. It is no surprise then that he founded a school to do more than ready its students for college. He aspired to prepare Millbrook graduates for lives as “productive and responsible citizens in a democratic society.” And he started his school, with this ambitious vision, at the age of 33 in the heart of the Depression.
I make no apologies because you will face these challenges guided and supported by exceptionally talented, demanding and caring teachers. They share Mr. Pulling’s aspiration, now embodied in Millbrook’s mission, and they will be with you on this journey.
I make no apologies because I am confident that you are up to the challenge. Individually and collectively, you have all you need – intellect, energy and creativity – to accept the privilege of a Millbrook education and to fulfill its potential. Embrace the challenge. Be worthy of the legacy that surrounds you
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