VIDEO: New Canaan High School Class of 2015 Graduates

New Canaan High School Class of 2015 Graduation

Uploaded by Michael Dinan on 2015-06-19.

After graduating from Princeton with a bachelor’s degree in English, and with honors from NYU School of Law, Stephen Vehslage worked his way toward a successful law practice, working primarily in civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense.

All seemed to be going well to those who surrounded him, but inside, Vehslage had serious doubts the path he’d charted for himself was the right one. After some intense soul-searching, Vehslage decided that it was time to change course and go back to school, to become a teacher.

Vehslage is now a 15-year veteran of New Canaan High School but his first year was anything but smooth, he told hundreds of Class of 2015 seniors and their families and friends on Thursday, in a keynote address during graduation ceremonies.

“I had responsibility for inspiring 125 young minds,”Vehslage said from the middle of Dunning Field on a cool, gray evening. “I was responsible for teaching Global History I, Global History II, and U.S. History—effectively the entire history of humankind from the dawn of civilization to the present. I was working late most nights. After putting my kids to bed, I’d be down in my office surrounded by books, incomplete lesson plans, desperately trying to stay afloat and get things right. It wasn’t easy. And I was no stranger to hard work.”

Fifteen years later, Veshlage has seen how the world has changed with this graduating class’ journey (a class that he will dearly miss) through their formative years.

“I was looking at the yearbook recently and was struck by the photos of you all as toddlers,” Vehslage told the students.

“When I look back at those toddler years, it’s like an entire different era, and in many ways it was. So as you close this chapter in your lives I’d like to talk a little about how the world has changed – how your world has changed – since you were a toddler who started going to school. Back then Lady Gaga was known as Stefani Germanotta; Taylor Swift was a seventh grader in Wyomissing, PA; the United States was running a budget surplus; our presidents had all been white men and gay marriage was barely even on the radar. People still went to video stores; the twin towers were still gracing the New York skyline, no one had ever heard of Facebook, and there were a billion fewer people on the planet. Since then there have been countless changes, large and small, and a few seismic ones.”

What followed were immeasurably influential events, books, TV shows, discoveries, Internet usage, and the creation of apps that have provided “a profound tectonic shift, one that’s changed the way we learn, how we buy things, how we socialize, and how we define ourselves,” to these graduates’ lives.

They were highlighted by Vehslage’s talk of the Internet. “When you were in kindergarten, the king of social networking sites was Friendster with what was a then staggering three million users,” Vehslage quipped.

“At the time it took twelve-and-a-half minutes to download a song on a 56k modem. Internet Explorer had a 95 percent market share – it was a different world. Now fast-forward 13 years, the number of global internet users has mushroomed from under 600 million to almost three billion. Facebook alone has 1.4 billion users. The total number of websites jumped from less than four million to over a billion, and a new website is created every second of every day. The iPhone was introduced in 2007 and the word ‘app’ quickly became part of the modern lexicon, along with so many other words and phrases that just didn’t seem to exist when we were toddlers. Texting, sexting, selfies, cybercrime, Google Docs, Google Earth, Google Drive, Google Maps; match.com, eHarmony, JDate, Tinder; GPS, LOL, OMG, BFF; Hulu, Skype, MySpace, Facetime, FourSquare, Snapchat, YinYak, Words with Friends, Angry Birds. And of course there’s today big five: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Netflix. I can’t even begin to weigh the implications of all this.”

At the end of all of that, Vehslage asked the audience, “So where does all this leave us?”

“A lot has changed, to put it mildly, and there’s more to come. But with all the transitions and transformations, refinements and remodeling, there are important constants. Human nature hasn’t changed. What it means to be a good person, to carry yourself with dignity, integrity and kindness hasn’t changed. The basic prescription for a fulfilling life hasn’t changed: stay curious; listen; work hard; don’t cut corners; be kind; look out for one another; be yourself. Life is complicated and sometimes turbulent, but the big stuff, the stuff that really anchors us, is actually pretty simple. And whether they were written today or one hundred years ago, the best guidelines for a life well lived, the ones that really resonate tend to be pretty simple. So, here are some examples; tips for the directions written by people wiser and more eloquent than me: Don’t be reckless with people’s hearts. You have two ears and one mouth, use them in that proportion and you’ll be fine. You can’t always get what you want; remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. Wear sunscreen. Choose your friends wisely. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable; be honest and frank anyway. Play nice; play with abandon. Being preapproved for a credit card doesn’t mean you have to apply for it [credit to Stephen Colbert]. Everyone you will ever meet knows something you don’t. Live as if this all there is. And when you go out in to the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

“It’s good advice, timeless in spite of our changing times.”

Several more people addressed the hundreds of families and friends of the graduates, members of the community and their fellow students both. Here’s a sampling of what they said:

• Class President Veronica Ma: We will leave the familiar and trade it for the unknown and we will try our best not to look back. But regardless of what is held by the future, we can strive into it fearlessly for the incredible graduates here today have instilled in each other awe and courage. It’s hard to fathom the number of best friends and life lessons we’ve come to know, and the amount of brilliance and bravery I’ve witnessed here is truly humbling…Each stage we enter can be confronted with the certain confidence that we have earned from our shared experiences here with each other with this incredible Class of 2015.
• First Selectman Rob Mallozzi: Sure we’ve attended the awards ceremonies where we’ve been overwhelmed by the accomplishments of these young students. We’ve been to the sporting events, the drama and dance performances and productions that fill us with pride. We’ve marveled at the languages, the music tech, the science, the engineering skills these young adults will take with them. But the most important takeaway you’ll experience is this: over the coming months, you may worry about your child’s dorm location on campus; you may be concerned over roommate compatibility; you may go to your iPhone and check your weather forecast every morning, I do for their campus; you may be thinking about how good or bad the food service is at their school. But you will never, ever worry about your sons or daughters being prepared for college or life once they leave here tonight. Think about it. How many leaving their high school graduation are sure of this? We are so very fortunate.

• Principal Dr. Veronica LeDuc: At a time in your life when it is common to want everything to be homogenized – to live in a world where you don’t stand out. You learned to acknowledge, embrace, and indeed celebrate your differences. Quoting Phil Jackson, “The strength of a team is each individual member; the strength of each member is the team.” Day after day, performance after performance, contest after contest, you demonstrated your understanding of the importance and veracity of Mr. Jackson’s words.  Each of you has grown and matured at your own pace. But indeed you are all wiser, stronger, and more caring after these four years that you have shared together.
• Senior Corinne Vietorisz: I think a lot of us just want to scream, “Hold on! We’re still kids. What are we doing right now? What have we been doing?” A ‘kid thing’ is looking out for others. If someone needs help in a class or simply doesn’t get that concept, there will be a classmate to help. At any given time, someone will drop what they’re doing to share their knowledge and help another understand a problem or lesson. That’s just what kids do, help each other through the tough parts, because everyone both needs and can give help. This class of kids being kids is incredibly brilliant in probably every aspect you can think of. Doing what we know and love has seemed pretty simple. I’d say we’ve done a pretty good job for a bunch of kids.
• Senior Matthew DeMattia: Certainly a graduation speech must include both the good times and the bad, for it would be truly tragic to gather here on this occasion and ignore that one member of this community is missing. Seven years ago our community lost Mikey Czech. And while the whole town felt this loss, as his classmates the void was even more evident. While Mikey is not here with us today to walk up on stage and receive his diploma, he’s with us in spirit. And I know that I speak for my classmates and I when I say that I can only hope to carry out throughout my life the same passion, enthusiasm, curiosity and kindness that Mikey did. The pursuit or journey to the answer of what goes into a graduation speech is more significant than the answer itself. Each and every one of these moments that’s led me to today is far more significant than a few minutes in front of a podium. Thank you to everyone who’s made these past four years as unforgettable as they were.
• Senior Shaan Appel: High school can be remembered in the friendships we made. From that guy you see every time walking into math class, to your best friend that you hang out with every day. This is something I hope you carry forward. Knowing how to connect with others and just relax. Since as successful as any of us may be, it’s only worth as much as we can share with a couple friends. High school can also be measured in our growth, our building confidence. This high school, through the teachers, the students, and the parents, has brought us to this point and left us with the confidence to take on the “real world”. As you are packing your things soon, I ask that you take the time to find out what high school has left you.
• 

  Class of 2015 senior Sean Davidson speaks during “Moments of Reflection” at New Canaan High School graduation on June 18, 2015. Credit: Michael Dinan

  Senior Sean Davidson: For me, I’ve always recognized the strength of our community with gratitude. The culture of New Canaan is one that has lofty expectations but is proactively supportive of us. When I started my educational career here, I was lost as a student. I misbehaved, was socially oblivious and definitely un-athletic. Struggle is inherit to humanity, however resilience is not. When I think of resilience I’m reminded of hope, which has come to each of you in different ways and forms. We need hope because we are imperfect as humans and make mistakes as students, athletes, and as friends. Here we are surrounded by a supportive community which fosters resilient individuals. Above all, we are blessed with families who love us and believe in us, unconditionally.

• Superintendent Dr. Bryan Luizzi: Congratulations Class of 2015 for distinguishing yourselves in so many meaningful and impressive ways. And congratulations and thank you, parents, families, and friends who generously helped you make this day possible. As we experience this transitional milestone in your lives together, I hope you’re able to enjoy it tonight and to remember it forever.
• Board of Education Chair Hazel Hobbs: The nature of graduation is that you’re going to give a lot of suggestions for the future. And I hope that when opportunity presents itself to you to, figuratively, plant a tree or dig a well, that you will keep a vision of paying it forward. Do not let perfect be the enemy of good. Start with your best effort in that moment and that place and see what happens. You will be a stronger person and the world will be a better place. I can’t wait to see your trees and wells.

Going back to that time when Vehslage was in the beginning of his first year as a teacher, he recalled that his sister-in-law was changing jobs as well at that time — going from being a nurse practitioner attending to patients every day to a managerial role. She too was having difficulty with the transition.

“So once in a while we would talk and commiserate,” Vehslage said. “And about six months in, she sent me a letter, an actual letter, snail mail, with a simple note of encouragement on a separate piece of paper containing a quote by George Bernard Shaw. I’ve had that piece of paper in my wallet ever since. Fifteen years. And there’s a copy of it taped to the wall next to my desk for when I lose sight of what’s really important.”

And it reads: “This is the true joy in life. Be used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; be thoroughly worn out before you’re thrown on the scrap heap; being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me. It is sort of a splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it over to future generations.”