LENOX, Mass. — The Lenox Millionaires were rich in good wishes and nostalgia during the class of 2023 commencement on Sunday.
Sixty-three graduates received diplomas under sunny skies at Tanglewood's Koussevitzky Music Shed.
Lenox's new Superintendent William Collins gave the graduates seven life lessons that he learned on a year-long sailing adventure with his family that recently concluded.
He advised the students that things don't always go as planned, that everyone makes mistakes, serendipity is real, the vast majority of people are decent, to take the road less traveled, to not give up, and that the best things in life aren't material.
"For much of our time afloat, we were required to be self-sufficient. We had to find our own solutions to problems. Problems that if we were on land, likely we would have given up and turned over to someone else or at least looked up a fix on YouTube," Collins said.
"Without those resources at hand, we had to figure things out for ourselves. Most of the time, if we stuck to it we were rewarded with finding solutions. The best learning takes place in what in educational parlance refers to as a productive struggle. It's the spot where we are challenged but not challenged beyond a point of frustration. So what's the message? Be persistent enough to persevere. Welcome the productive struggle as a learning opportunity. Solve difficult problems and self-reliance, it's a wonderful feeling."
Valedictorian Maxell Adam spoke of the "boron staircase" on the periodic table that separates metals from nonmetals in the Periodic Table of Elements.
"However, I won't be talking about the metals that make up this microphone rather metals that we strive to win, metals that symbolize success and achievement," he said.
"Like the boron staircase, some of us categorize our lives into those times filled with metals or non-metals, successes, and areas where we fall short. I used to have a very traditional view of metal and non-metal living. To metal, I would need to get excellent grades in school, excel at any sport that I tried, and eventually go to a very competitive college. Success for me meant achievement but now I'm coming to understand that there's a lot more to success than achievement."
Thanks to years with classmates and teachers in Lenox, he has gained a multidimensional view of success, learning about it is more about moments than metals.
"What's meaningful to you defines your success, what your metals are. Work towards your definition and start to recognize and honor that those around you are after different metals," Adam said.
"We need to each build our own boron staircases, basing our metals and nonmetals on what matters to us in our lives. Taking the same staircase can only lead to so many rooms and taking someone else's will never get you where you need to be. Go back down and find your own."
Salutatorian Jack O'Brien has never been a fan of fire drills but recently realized that they can have a bigger meaning.
About two weeks ago, there was a fire drill on the last normal day of high school for the seniors and he couldn't help but to think about how high school is a drill for the real world.
"I am not saying that life is a long emergency, but it is unpredictable and full of unknowns and high school helps make those unknowns a little less unknown," O'Brien said.
He and his peers have followed drills all the way through school and though the seemed monotonous at times, he said they prepared them and got them to rely on each other in the shared experience.
"But even if everyone follows instructions and relies on each other, another important point of having a drill is to expose weaknesses in the system to be even better prepared in high school," O'Brien added.
"Weaknesses in the system have led us to adapt and grow. Our class in particular has had to do a fair share of adapting during our time at Lenox. We faced a global pandemic, a shrinking school building, an asbestos remediation, and a number of administrators that exceeds the amount that I can count on one hand. Clearly, things have not always gone as planned but the modifications made have taught us something about how to adjust how to make things better and how to be better in the future."
During their time at Lenox schools, graduate Ely Hochfelder learned that making room for everyone's perspective and experience is essential to creating a successful community.
"It wasn't until I learned that I am trans feminine and started taking feminizing hormones that I began to realize what it actually means to put yourself into somebody else's shoes. Understanding the perspective of those around you helps you learn so much more about yourself," they explained.
"During my senior year, I've made plenty of mistakes. I failed to acknowledge the perspective of peers and that hurt people. With honest work and tough conversations, I've been able to learn from those with whom I've not been able to see eye to eye. It's not simple or easy to shift perspective but the broader social horizons gained from doing so are priceless."
Hochfelder encouraged attendees to look at the people on either side of them who possess incredibly rich, beautiful, and unique experiences that make them the person they are today.
"Under these positive moments, however, are also negative experiences or some darkness that they have had to navigate," they pointed out.
"Now ask yourself: What makes you you? What makes you have your signature flair? Why are you the way that you are?"
They explained the importance of others' experiences and urged the class to take their compassion for all community members into their next endeavors.
"We've all been molded by society to be the people as whom we present. Our community, tightly knit and resilient, has been challenged in multiple ways over the years. Whether it be implicit bias, outright hate, or just another nor'easter, we have always found a way to stick together," Hochfelder said.
"As we move forward into bigger, better, and brighter futures, we will be able to maintain the same resilience in our lives as long as we continue to express empathy, question our prejudice, and learn from our mistakes and the perspectives of others."
"The Star-Spangled Banner" was performed by Peter Fiegel. There were also musical performances by Cecilia Carry and Teagan Demler during the ceremony.
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