Class of 2014 gaduation speech

As I have done in the past,  I am posting my graduation speech for your viewing for those of you who were not at our graduation ceremony last evening (June 5).  The ceremony was outstanding, as the gym at St. Francis was packed with relatives and friends.  The weather was exceptional, as were the student speakers.  Kudos to all administrators and staff who helped make this event special.  A special shout out to Mr. "Stush" Klezek, our assistant HS principal, who is retiring at the end of June.  "Stush" has been the driving force organizing and preparing for graduation.  His organization and leadership skills always came through in a thoughtful, calming manner.  His presence will be greatly missed.  Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.

2013 – 14 Graduation Speech

        Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 2014 Graduation Ceremony for Central Cambria High School Graduates.   Even though this evening really is all about you, you’ll have to bear with all of us telling your families how great you are. After that, it will be all about you.

 This group of graduating seniors has garnered some impressive numbers collectively.  Allow me to share some statistics about this group:

·      There are 130 graduating seniors this year – 71 males and 59 females.

·      Extracurricular activities -

o  40% of these seniors, or 52 students, were chorus members

o  8 were in the marching band

o  9 were in the concert band

o  7 were involved in the musical

o  24%, or 31 seniors met the criteria to be in the National Honor society

·      Athletics – 43% or 56 seniors involved in sports

o  41 boys and 15 girls

o  2 females involved in 4 sports

o  7 boys and 1 girls involved in 3 sports

o  14 boys and 6 girls involved in 2 sports

o  20 boys and 6 girls involved in one sport

·      As for post secondary plans:

o  69% of these seniors, or 88 students, are going on to post secondary education.

o  7% will attend a community college.

o  9% a career/technical school

o  4% serving our country in a branch of the military

o  13% in the workforce

o  5% undecided

·      Among this exceptional group, 56 seniors took a total of 170 college courses while CCHS students; they earned 562 college credits through dual enrollment.  That deserves a round of applause!!

·      And finally, this class of 2014 is receiving approximately $600,000 in scholarships. 

During the month of May, I always work with a staff member to sit down with a cross section of seniors, about 30%, to get their perspectives on their years at CCSD.  This year I added three other groups to my interviews: I met with a representative group of 5^th graders from Jackson and Cambria and heard their views on their elementary years. Then a group of 8^th graders from the Middle School gave me their views on their middle school years. Finally, I finished up with the high school groups.  This is an activity I always look forward to, as their perceptions and perspectives are so honest and enlightening—and I’m never quite sure what I will hear.

All of the 5^th graders I talked with loved their elementary years. They liked some teachers better than others, they seem to actually like homework but they’re not crazy about many cafeteria food menu items. All are looking forward to Middle School with nervous anticipation.  They also spoke highly of Mrs. Murin and Mrs. Mesoras.  One thing they wished could be changed was the emphasis on bullying programs.  They felt that bullying is not that big of an issue, and that too much time is spent on bullying awareness programs.

The 8^th graders, the first to have classes in the new Middle School three years ago, also appreciated their time at the Middle School. Some named particular teachers, as being their favorites while others did not have favorites. They felt that the amount of homework was reasonable, and they like Mr. Santini as principal.  They named an interesting element of the school that they’d like to see changed: In their words “The school is too grey, our school needs more color to make the school feel more alive.”

As expected, the seniors had a lot to say, both positive and negative, about their district and about their high school experiences. All those interviewed had plans to prepare for post-secondary education, the military, trade schools or private industry.

Some of their positive comments were:

·      Dual enrollment was a great experience

·      Vo-tech is a great opportunity

·      Lots of extracurricular opportunities

·      Strong sports programs

·      The Language Arts department is awesome

·      The policy of being allowed to bring and use your own technology is a great idea.

·      Homework is average with AP courses requiring more time

·      The majority of students I spoke with felt they were all prepared to leave CCSD and enter the next phase of life.

·      The students had a strong sense of pride and named many noteworthy teachers they felt contributed to their success at CCSD. 

Some of the areas in which seniors recommend improvements are: 

·      Making sure staff members are as accountable for their actions as the students are

·      Consistent consequences

·      Drug issues that still affect our schools

·      Continue to enhance existing technology

·      More respect for students as young adults

·      More French fries  

As in years past, I will be meeting with my admin team over the summer months to use these suggestions and others to work toward an improved curriculum and learning environment; many thanks to those of you who met with me.  (Quite a vocal, good group of seniors this year.)

I have spent many years as an educator and have seen and heard many strange and puzzling situations.  I like to share these stories when I have a captive audience. One of the stories that I still recall and chuckle about happened when I was a principal.  As I was walking through the hallways of my building, I saw a 5^th grade substitute teacher standing outside his classroom with his forehead against a locker.  I heard him mutter, “How did you get yourself into this?” Knowing he was subbing in a challenging class, I tried to offer moral support.  “Are you okay?” I asked.  “Can I help?”  He lifted his head and replied, “I’ll be fine as soon as I get this kid out of his locker.”

Education, as many of us know, is not an exact science; the biggest reason is the fact that we deal with people in education. People are as unique as their fingerprints.  For this reason, the “people factor” prevents educators from mapping out a clear-cut method of predicting whether students will be successful or not, or even what the definition of success is for each student. The ongoing work of educators is to fine-tune instruction so that success can be guaranteed to all. It hasn’t happened yet, and may never happen. Why? What is missing?

One educator at the University of Pennsylvania has been doing research on the key to student success.  He name is Angela Lee Duckworth.  Perhaps you have heard of her or read about her.  Having taught math in New York public schools to 7^th graders, she quickly realized that IQ was not the primary thing separating successful students from those who struggled. 

I would like to share with you a brief video clip of Dr. Duckworth speaking at last year’s TED conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design), where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less.

Key to success?  Not IQ. Not good looks. Not talent. Not social connections.  Its grit - the perseverance and passion it takes to reach long-term goals.  It’s the willingness to start over again, the determination to keep your eyes on what you really want to accomplish.

The direction your life takes after tonight’s ceremony will depend on how “gritty” you are as you continue your path to adulthood.  What will define you is the perseverance and passion you muster to reach your goals.  As you heard tonight, grit is a significant predictor of success: passion and perseverance for very long-term goals; it’s stamina.

But after all her research, Dr. Duckworth concedes that science knows little about how teachers or parents can build, or instill, grit.  Instead, she makes note of a “growth mindset,” in which the ability to learn is not fixed but can change with effort. In other words, to start over again as needed and using lessons learned. 

She also believes that educators need to get gritty about getting our kids “grittier” about building their own success stories.  Her research has shown that the brain changes and grows in response to a challenge, and that gritty people are much more likely to persevere when they fail because they don’t believe failure is a permanent condition. 

Some examples of people who persevered despite failure and succeeded:

·      Diana Nyad, who at age 64, completed a 100-mile swim from Cuba to Florida after failing 5 previous attempts.  Her advice “Find a way.”

·       J.K. Rawlings, author of the Harry Potter series.  Broke, and recently divorced, her first children’s book was rejected by publishers 10 times.  When it was finally published, the publisher told her to get a day job because there was no money in children’s books.  The first three Harry Potter books earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. That’s my kind of poverty….

·       Dr. Ted Geisel, whose first book was rejected by publishers 27 times. (You’ll recognize him when I tell you that his middle name is Seuss).

·       Michael Jordan who was cut from his HS basketball team

·       Or Walt Disney, who was fired as a news editor because he “lacked imagination.”

All of these successful people could have given up and moved on with their lives, but they didn’t.  Instead they persevered and became successful.

So while you sit here reflecting over the last 12 or 13 years, take time to think about your goals and how you will persevere to achieve them.  Show all of us your grit and stamina in the years to come.  It is my sincere hope that all of you are willing to follow your dreams and be successful. I’ll be excited to hear about your amazing accomplishments.

I wish you all a wonderful and productive career as you begin the next phase of life’s journey.  If you have not done so yet, take time to thank those responsible for this day: your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, administrators, school board members and any other significant people who had an impact on your educational career. 

As we bring this night to a close, I usually like to leave you with a quote from one of my favorite authors, Ted Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, but tonight I would like to read you a quote from another famous author, Mr. Frederick McFeely Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers; it is a response to a question written to him.  The question was “Dear Mr. Rogers, what is most worth knowing?”  Mr. Rogers’s reply was the following:

“Dear Neighbor,

What I believe is most worth knowing is that every human being has value.  This is the basis of all healthy relationships; and it’s through relationships that we grow and learn best.

I’ve learned what is most worth knowing through living each day as it is given to me.  It cannot be ‘taught’ but it can be ‘caught’ from those who live their lives right along with us.  What a privilege to be able to look for the good in our neighbor!

Thank you, good luck – and continue to live each day as it is given to you.

Rain, rain....

Rain, rain, go away….

Rain, rain, go away – come again another day; our sports teams want to play!  I know, I know, that you don’t have to shovel rain, and April showers bring May flowers, but it seems as if this spring has been one rainy day after another, wreaking havoc on our spring sports and the fields on which they are played.  Greg Shaffer, our maintenance supervisor, and his crew have worked feverishly between the showers to make the fields playable; kudos to Greg and his staff.  

At Central Cambria, May is replete with special activities, field trips, TESTING, preparing to move student data to new grade levels, and – of course – graduation.  Needless to say, the excitement of graduation tends to override all other May activities. Fortunately, all of these are not weather-dependent.

Speaking of graduation, here’s a hint about the theme of my message this year:

For graduation each year I try to use events of the school year as the basis for my message to graduates and their guests.  This year I am excited to speak about “the recipe for success.”  A famous teacher-turned-psychologist, Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth has been studying what goes into this recipe for many years.  Watching a video clip of Dr. Duckworth speak at last year’s TED conference (Technology, Entertainment and Design), at which the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes or less, she poses the question, “What is the key to success?”  She emphatically stated, “It’s not IQ. Not good looks. Not talent. Not social connections.” I am anxious to share her thoughts on this topic at graduation.  If you are unable to make graduation at St. Francis, I will post my speech on next month’s blog.

Congratulations to the 2014 graduates and to their parents, relatives, friends, and others who have offered encouragement, patience and a listening ear.  As you leave our district, remember Red Devil Pride never graduates!!

Good luck, seniors!

Now for my Dad Speech: As we approach the summer break, I encourage all students to make smart choices in the friends they hang out with, the events they attend, and even the ways in which they network on the Internet and social media sites. Please have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing summer. 

Allow me to extend my sincere appreciation to all students, staff, parents and Board members for the work they do for Central Cambria!  I am blessed to interact with such high-caliber people every day.

Finally, I need to get some sports talk off my chest.  Yes, the Pens had a great regular season; unfortunately, the playoffs didn’t follow suit.  For five years in a row, the Pens have made it to post season play, only to be beaten by a lower-seeded team.  I predict a major Pens shakeup after their abysmal playoff performance.

And how about the draft?  After this event I always banter with my brothers, sons, son-in-law, daughter Morgan, my nephew Travis, my dad and my uncle.  We agree that the Steelers got some very speedy players, some players to fill specific positions, and some players whose worth remains to be seen.  The Steelers also signed 20 undrafted players the day after the draft.  As I have said before we can only hope that Steelers management personnel have drafted well.  It is fun to speculate how they may perform.  Until they actually play a down, they are all heroes in my eyes. To sum it up, one of my favorite sports’ figures once said “You can observe a lot just by watching.” –Yogi Berra.

I can’t wait…

I can’t wait…

Enjoy your summer!  Dr. D.

Spring (and the budget) is in the air....

It is April and, even as spring is in the air at last, the state budget is in the air, i.e., “up in the air.”  There has been no movement or discussion regarding the budget at the legislative level.  It is interesting to note that all of the four candidates vying for the Democratic nod to run against the incumbent governor have a common campaign theme.  They agree that Pennsylvania spends too little on its children in public education and levies too few taxes on Marcellus shale drillers.  As seen in his latest round of ads on TV, Governor Corbett disagrees on both counts.  He claims that Pennsylvania is at “the highest it’s ever been for spending in education.”  Really? Let’s see… he claims that over $10 billion dollars have gone from the state to local school districts. He neglects to acknowledge that, to arrive at such a large figure, he includes pension payments in his “educational spending” discussion. Pension allocations are not related to the needs of students in public schools. This sleight of hand, an interesting way to doctor the numbers, helps Mr. Corbett to blur the truth about how much and to where “educational” money actually goes.

Terry Madonna, Director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College, has just released the results his statewide survey that measures public attitudes toward education, economic development and a need for change in state support for public schools. In his report, Dr. Madonna’s survey shows first that “large majorities of registered voters believe public schools have an effect on the economy.” The same voters believe that “the state’s investment in public schools should be larger” and that “a school funding formula should be used to ensure fair distribution of state funds to schools in all communities.”   For more information, following is the link to his full report: www.pasa-net.org/PressRelease4-22-14.pdf. 

Let’s move on to a much more positive topic: On April 17 Mrs. Kaschalk, our business manager, outlined for the public the district’s user-friendly budget; we are not recommending a tax increase.  Her presentation showed that almost 70% of our district’s budget is a fixed cost with zero “wiggle room.”  Each line item was scrutinized to see if a reduction or elimination was warranted.  Our district continues to do wonderful things for its students, even with less money.  This continues to be a source of satisfaction for board members, taxpayers, as well as for me, but no district can function indefinitely at a monetary deficit; it is inevitable that, unless circumstances change, districts will be forced to sink into deficit spending. The governor’s proposed budget includes a minimal increase for our district – but this amount does almost nothing to offset the costs we incur to pay for unfunded or underfunded mandates.  For this reason, I must report that the cuts in place for the current school year will continue next year as well. 

 As always, I urge you to contact the governor and/or your local legislators. Make your voice heard! Let officials know that public education is a critical investment in our children.  As costs continue to go up, and districts look to make ends meet, inadequate funding will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the youth of our society, on our own well-being and safety and, of course, on our purses.

As is usually the case, I like to close my blog with some sports banter.  While I’m happy that the Pens are in the playoffs, I’m nervous every time they play. So far they look lackluster against what I consider to be a lesser opponent.  Unless they are amazingly strategic and deliberately leading future opponents to think they’ll be easy to defeat, they will need to play at a much higher level if they hope to move on.  And of course, football is back in the news. For one thing, the NFL draft commences in the near future Additionally, PSU’s new coach seems to be having a positive impact on the Nittany Lion Football program; at this point, his recruiting class for 2015 is ranked #1.  I can’t wait...!

Enjoy the weather as we say good-bye to a long and cold winter.  Until next month, Dr. D.