Principal's Address at
Summit's 2003 Graduation

Dear 8th grade graduates, members of Summit's Board of Directors, faculty and staff; Ms. Angelika Schroeder, from the Boulder Valley Board of Education; parents, family members, honored guests, 6th grade students (who are about to leave pixiehood behind) and 7th grade students (who are about to become our next graduating class):

It is my pleasure to welcome you to our 8th grade graduation. It is traditional for the Principal to give a charge to the graduating class and, no, this does not mean you get to use my credit card or my jumper cables. Rather it means I get to give you a little principal-like advice before you head out the door to greet the summer vacation which is calling out to you at this very moment.

You have heard and read many stories during your time at Summit. Allow me to tell you one last story before you leave. This is a story about a desert planet called Araknis, a planet with almost no water, no atmosphere to contain moisture. No plants or trees grow on Araknis, no flowers bloom. The day time temperatures range in 120 - 125 degree Fahrenheit range. At night it drops down to below freezing. Mountain ranges three times the size of Everest tower over this world. There are canyons that could swallow a city the size of New York. It is a world of awesome beauty and power, but it is also a world which is desolate and in which it can be difficult to survive.

On this planet live a people called "The Freemen." Their homes are the mountains of this desert planet and they follow the teachings of a man who died centuries before. This man was a scientist who proved mathematically that if 3% of the surface of the planet could be covered with water it would create a permanent change in the climate of Araknis.

There would be enough moisture exchanged back into the air that for the first time in the history of the planet, clouds would begin forming. Rain would begin falling. Eventually an atmosphere would be created and Araknis would slowly, over many tens of thousands of years, be transformed in a lush and verdant garden planet.

And so these people, the Freemen, dedicate their lives to the simple task of collecting water. They collect the moisture from dew in the air, from the few underground springs that bubble forth into dark, hidden caves in the mountains. Even their own body fluids are collected after they die. In huge pools they have hewn out of stone in the mountains they collect and store this moisture, and they have done so since their leader gave them the vision of how they could transform their planet into something beautiful.

Slowly, each generation covers a little bit more of the surface of the planet with its precious water. Generation after generation this goes on. In the pursuit of this quest there are many challenges to overcome, many battles that must be waged. They know it will take tens of thousands of years to complete this goal. But they are committed to adding their small share to this noble task and to see it through to the end, no matter how long it takes.

Some of you may recognize this story as being from the science fiction classic Dune by Frank Herbert. I love this story because I think in many ways it describes so well the world in which we live -- a world of great beauty and promise but also one which is in great need of repair.

You begin to enter the world as young adults at a time when there are enormous challenges facing humanity: What are these challenges? War, prejudice, fanaticism, cruelty, violence, sickness, hunger, environmental destruction and great ignorance. And you know what? It has always been this way.

But, of course, there is also great beauty and much that is good in our world: love, kindness, compassion, wisdom, creativity, altruism, honor, courage and great hope. And you know what? It has always been this way, too.

What keeps our world from completely falling apart is the balance in which these different aspects of reality exist at any given time. As long as what is true and beautiful outweighs what is destructive and cruel, our world goes on. But it is a delicate balance which is maintained by upholding certain truths.

And therefore we have tried to teach you some of these truths during your time at Summit. What have we tried to teach you? I would mention 10 things:

  • We have tried to teach you the power of words, for words can create or destroy. Therefore you have hopefully learned to choose your words with care.
  • We have tried to teach you the satisfaction and enjoyment that comes when you apply your minds to a worthy task in creative ways. Therefore you have hopefully learned to approach each new endeavor with a sense of excitement and with an open mind.
  • We have tried to teach you to strive for excellence in all you do. Not perfection, but excellence. Therefore you have hopefully learned to always do work of which you can be proud.
  • We have tried to teach you how to treasure good friends and how to be a good friend, for friendship is a gift that should always be treasured. Therefore you have hopefully learned to treasure the friendships you have made at Summit.
  • We have tried to teach you the importance of acquiring knowledge in diverse areas of study: mathematics, science, history, geography, technology, international relations, foreign language, English; for it is this knowledge that will enable you to continue shaping your lives and making sense of our world. Therefore you have hopefully learned to never stop learning.
  • We have tried to teach you that the creative impulse -- as expressed in art, music and literature -- is an essential part of what it means to be human. Therefore you have hopefully learned to the importance of the arts as an expression of the human spirit.
  • We have tried to teach you that you are each special and unique and of infinite worth. Therefore you have hopefully learned to respect and value yourself and all people.
  • We have tried to teach you the necessity of being vigilant regarding your rights and the rights of others; to "stand up" for yourself and to "stand up" for other people. Therefore you have hopefully learned a sense of greater responsibility.
  • We have tried to teach you that you are part of a larger world community to which you have responsibilities and to which you are integrally connected. Therefore you have hopefully learned to get involved.
  • And finally, we have tried to teach you to never compromise the integrity of your own mind or of your own spirit. Therefore you have hopefully learned to always be true to yourselves.

Above all else, I hope it is these truths, these lessons that you will take with you and that will constitute the legacy of your time at Summit.

So you have been taught some important truths. And my charge to you, as you graduate, is to use these truths to add your measure of good to our world. I believe that the choices we make, the kindnesses we extend, the ways we apply our minds and our hearts, do make a difference in our world. We may not always see it, but each drop is added to a larger pool and its impact, while not always apparent, is real nonetheless. As James Baldwin once wrote: "Though we do not wholly believe it yet, the interior life is a very real life, and the intangible dreams of people have a tangible effect on the world."

My charge to you is to make your dreams have a tangible effect on our world. If you do, eventually our world will be covered by enough kindness and enough wisdom that we will see a transformation. We have a vision of what this world will look like. We know where we want to go. It is up to you to help get us there. We live in a world in need of repair. My charge to you is to do your part to help repair it. As it says in "Ethics of the Fathers": "You are not obligated to complete this task, but neither are you free to refrain from beginning it."

One of last year's 8th grade Exemplars, Eve Aquilar, ended her talk at graduation by saying this: "We must impart the same patience, enthusiasm, and inspiration that were given to us during these three amazing years at Summit. Get involved. Help others. Change the world, one person at a time."

To effect positive change in our world you will use your minds and your hearts -- and you are fortunate to have fertile minds and caring hearts. Hopefully your time at Summit has made you brighter people and also better people. I believe it has. And with your hearts and your minds I know you will make a difference. Your teachers and I feel blessed to have known you during your time at Summit. You are a special group of young men and women.

Take the legacy of what you have learned at Summit, carry with you into the future, and help to transform our world!

-- David B. Finell, June 6, 2003