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(July 6, 2013) - Rosalind Wiseman issued a challenge to the Potomac Falls High School Class of 2013 during its graduation ceremony on Thursday, June 6th.
“You are at a crossroads where hypocrisy and integrity are fighting… There are extraordinary things going on right now.
“But you have the ability to demand a civil discourse from the people around you, including adults… You are living in a world where there is tremendous hypocrisy and a tremendous lack of civility, where we attack each other... where if someone does something wrong to us, we have the right to do whatever to get back at that person.
“You are at a crossroads where you can say as a generation ‘Absolutely not. I will not participate in that.’ I believe we are at this crossroads where we have never been before. And I believe it is you all who will help us figure this out.
“So I lay that onto you as an expectation and also as a request, because we need it. We need your solution to this. It matters. What you do and how you embrace the needs of our general community matters.
“I want you to remember that your voice and every voice is important.”
Wiseman said wherever the graduates see someone not being treated with dignity, whether it was at a graduation party later that night or a college dorm, they not allow it to happen. “You don’t have to go around the world like a plaque that says ‘I am Social Justice Champion.’ What I’m asking you to do is see that (behavior) for what it is and step in. Be somebody who says ‘You may not strip me or anyone of dignity. You may not strip people of the right to be who they are whoever they are.’ ”
Wiseman said taking such a stand would be a transformative act.
“When it matters is when it’s hard to do; when you don’t want to do it; when you’re angry; when it feels uncomfortable. That’s when I’m asking you to step in. When you do this, you honor, of course, your parents, (the) learning institution that you come from, but you truly honor yourselves.”
Wiseman is an internationally recognized expert on children, teens, parenting, bullying, social justice and ethical leadership. She is the author of “Queen Bees and Wannabes.” Twice a New York Times Bestseller, “Queen Bees & Wannabes” was the basis for the 2004 movie “Mean Girls.” Her latest book “Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World” is based in part on research she conducted at Potomac Falls.
Wiseman spoke to a packed gym of graduates and their families (the ceremony was driven inside by rain).
The Potomac Falls Class of 2013 had 394 graduates who earned $3,503,852 in scholarships and grants.
Principal Janice Koslowski, who was presiding over her final graduation at Potomac Falls, spoke to the graduates about the power of their decisions; a theme she has spoken about often during their high school career.
“For the last four years, and for many before that, you have made one decision after another that has either opened a door for you today, or closed an opportunity for you. We all make them, and what we hope is that when we reach a pinnacle – like you have today via your high school graduation – your decisions have opened more doors then they have closed. And you are not done; because now you begin again, you begin anew. You get to start over with a fresh slate. And, again, I will say that every decision you make, every single day going forward will either create an opportunity for you or will take one away. Make your decisions wisely. I believe that if you follow this school of thought, you will accomplish your goals. I believe that if you remain steadfast in chasing your dreams, you will make them come true. You have the ability, you have the skills; you have the passion – now go start chasing those dreams.”
Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Superintendent Edgar B. Hatrick III spoke about how far Potomac Falls has come during its 16-year history.
“I sat here tonight looking back at that corner, where it says the Panther athletic championships include 85 district titles, 23 regional titles, seven state team titles and 20 state individual titles; and that’s just in the field of athletics. I know you have an equal record in the fields of music and the arts and academics, science, mathematics, all the things that make up high school life.
“Now, I’m really remembering back to a time when you were 2 years old, and I’m guessing most of you don’t remember when you were two years old… When you were 2 years old, Potomac Falls High School opened… the first new high school in 21 years in our county…
“It was auspicious, it was exciting, it was electric; a sense for the potential of what this place would become… I remember thinking at the time that this was going to become a place where nothing is impossible.”
Senior Class President Priya Brito remarked on the significance of the ceremony she and her classmates were going through. “Without a doubt, tonight is a time of celebration. We’re celebrating where we’ve been and where we’re going.”
As to where the graduates are going, Brito asked them to remember this: “We must remember that our actions will not only reflect on ourselves, but will reflect on those who gave our values to us.”
Valedictorian Bailie Neary thanked the adults in the graduates’ life, both in and out of school. “Because we had such a supportive faculty, we were able…to grow as students and become responsible young adults. They are the people that taught us we had to be passionate about what we do…
“We also need to thank another group of adults. The people who stay – even when we tell them to leave… who aggravate us almost as much as we aggravate them and never doubted our ability to do great things and who we are lucky enough to call our parents.”
The salutatorian of the Class of 2013 was Lamiya Zaveri.
The top 10 students academically in the Class of 2013 were:
- Bailie Neary
- Lamiya Zaveri
- Kavita Sthanumurthy
- Priya Brito
- Sofia Shalotenko
- Ravi Srinivasan
- Emma Grecco
- Megan Oliva
- Maria Gibney
- Casey Neary
School Board members Debbie Rose (Algonkian District) and Brenda Sheridan (Sterling District) attended the Potomac Falls graduation ceremony.
Viva Loudoun Graduation 2013 Series
Today: Potomac Falls
Tomorrow: Stone Bridge
July 5: Park View
July 4: Loudoun Valley
July 3: Loudoun County
July 2 : Heritage
July 1: Freedom
June 30: Dominion
June 29: Broad Run
June 28: Briar Woods
Article and photo courtesy Loudoun County Public Schools
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