Graduation Speech for the St. Ann Class of 2019

St. Ann 8th grade graduation took place last Wednesday. I was asked by a number of people for a copy of my graduation speech. Figured the easiest thing to do would be to post the speech as my blog, and share it with everyone. So, here it is. Hope you enjoy it.

In the name of our pastor, Fr. Ernie DeBlasio, our associate pastor, Fr. Bill Parham, and the staff of St. Ann Catholic School, I would like to welcome you to the graduation ceremony for the St. Ann Class of 2019.

Thank you Fr. Bill for the wonderful invocation and your participation is this evening’s celebration.

I have a number of thank yous to start off this evening, with the first thank you going out to the parents and grandparents of these 8^th graders for choosing Catholic education at St. Ann. I’ve been told about how many families left St. Ann in the past for what they considered to be greener pastures. You stayed true to the course and made the decision to keep your child at St. Ann. Thank you for entrusting us to educate your children. Thank you for making the financial sacrifices you have made in doing the best you can for your children.

Thank you to the St. Ann faculty and staff. I can tell you this about the wonderful individuals I get to work with every day; they are some of the best people I have ever worked with. As a faculty and staff, this is the best group I have ever worked with; hands down the best. To me, each and every member of the St. Ann faculty and staff hung the moon. To the faculty and staff of St. Ann Catholic School, I thank you and applaud you.

Thank you to Mr. John Baum and the band minus the 8^th graders for your participation in the graduation ceremony.

Thank you to everyone who helped to make yesterday’s baccalaureate and today’s graduation possible.

A special thank you to Mrs. Angela de Jong and Mrs. Stacey Griffith for their work in organizing the 8^th grade trip to Washington DC. That was a fantastic adventure and I was glad to be a part of the trip.

When I was a high school student at CBHS, most of my classmates were St. Ann Colts. My classmates took a lot of pride in being Colts. Back then, St. Ann was the biggest of the Catholic Schools. Times and numbers have changed but the honor of being a Colt has not.

Even though times have changed, the importance of receiving a Catholic Education hasn’t changed. Just like then, families today still have to work hard and sacrifice to be able to afford a Catholic Education for their children. This is one man’s opinion from having put my children through Catholic Schools from PK through college; the hard work and sacrifice are well worth it. And, I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Well eighth graders, tonight is it. In a very short time, you will all be graduates of St. Ann Catholic School. For the rest of your lives, you will be a St. Ann Colt.  Congratulations! That is quite an honor.

Just an FYI, I am the new guy. I have nine more days of being the new guy.  I didn’t know much about St. Ann last June when I started working here. About the only time I had any interaction with most of you 8^th graders was in the cafeteria and hallways unless one of you was sent to the office for doing something wrong or because of drama. And, there was definitely no shortage of drama.

I’m thankful for being a part of the 8^th grade trip because it gave me the opportunity to get to know you. And, I had a lot of fun on that trip.

Having been a high school educator for twenty years, I have some advice for you as you prepare for your first year of high school.

The first thing is don’t stand on the sidelines watching the world go by. Get in the game! What I mean by that is don’t be an 8am to 3pm student. Join clubs, try out for teams, participate, get involved, risk. I had a student one time tell me that they never tried out for anything because they were afraid they might not make the team. That student never got in the game because of the fear of failure. Don’t be afraid to fail.

The second thing is that lessons are learned when you fail. The first thing you learn when you fail is that it doesn’t feel good, but failing is a necessary occurrence in order for you to grow. If you never fail, it is probably because you never stepped outside of your comfort zone. If you never step out of your comfort zone, you will never change. If you never change, you will never grow. Change is how you improve on who you are, what you do, and how you can make a positive change in the world. “Be the change you want to see in the world.”

Another lesson you learn when you fail, is how to get up, dust yourself off, and stand on your own two feet. And, every time you get up, you become better and stronger. If you want to succeed, plan to fail. Success takes place when you get up and keep moving forward despite failure.

Once again, get involved and your high school years will be much more enjoyable and something you will always treasure. Don’t be the 8 to 3 student. Get involved and make a difference.

As the great American philosopher Dennis Myers once said, “Do not deny the world the gift of you.” Give to the world the gift of you. God made you for a purpose, and I do not believe that purpose is for you to sit back and watch.

Now for some advice for life:

The dean of students at Helias Catholic High School in Jefferson City, Missouri would pass along to the seniors what he called “Advice for Life.” I decided to do the same but to create and share my own list of Advice for Life.

Dream Big for God created you to do His work.

Wherever you go, leave it better than you found it.

When something goes wrong, look for a solution instead of looking to blame.

Be the first one to greet the new person in the room or the new kid at school.

Smile! For no reason just smile. And, be the reason for someone else’s smile.

No matter how bad a dancer you are, be the first one on the dance floor.

What you think of yourself is much more important than what people think of you.

You have to love yourself first before you can love others.

The more you love yourself, the less nonsense you will tolerate.

Respect the person you see in the mirror.

Don’t play the victim! Stand up and deal with it.

Also, don’t create the victim. People have enough problems without you creating more for them.

Be the leader and lead in a positive light.

Enthusiasm is the key to happiness; stay excited about everything you do.

Learn to tell clean jokes.

Don’t watch too much TV.

Write thank you notes.

Turn your cell phone off and enjoy the people you are with.

Talk to God every day, even if it is only long enough to say “thank you.”  In other words: Pray!

Volunteer to help.

Saying I love you to your parents is actually pretty cool.

The word “Please” is magical.  Use it.

When you aren’t sure what to wear, remember that it is better to be overdressed than underdressed.

Sing in church.

Make your bed every morning.

Avoid tobacco.

Tell the truth. Be trustworthy. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Don’t miss a chance to sincerely pay someone a compliment.

Understand that in today’s world nearly anything you do can be Googled years from now by a prospective employer or a potential mother-in-law.

Before you do anything you know is wrong, think about the possible consequences and be prepared to accept them.

Don’t make excuses. And, when it is your fault, admit it. I’m sorry heals a lot of wounds.

Travel. When you have an opportunity to go on vacation, take it.

Learn to laugh at yourself.

If you would not want your parents to read it, don’t post it and don’t text it.

Act goofy every once in a while! Life is too short to be serious all the time.

Stay in touch with your classmates. If not, there are some classmates you will never see again after this graduation ceremony. Sad but true.

Never get a tattoo on the same day the idea strikes you.

You are a have and not a have not. You have a responsibility to help those most in need. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

8^th graders, this is a big day for you.  The best years of your lives are ahead of you.  In the next four years of high school, enjoy, work hard, participate, make friends, avoid drama, learn, fail, succeed, change, grow, be happy, and most importantly remember that God loves you.

With that being said, let’s move forward with this graduate.  Thank you.

God bless you,

Didier Aur, Principal

Annual Giving

Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference. And, the best way to make a difference in the life of a child is through education. Education is the best way to help reduce poverty. Education expands economic development. Education will help boost individual income. Education increases our chances of living a healthy lifestyle. Education promotes gender equality. Education promotes peace. Education helps to eliminate crime. Education promotes the development of life skills. Education leads to a lifetime of learning. Education bolsters abstract thinking. Education is one of the most important investments we can make in our children and their future.

Investing in quality education brings the highest returns from individuals, societies and countries. Children who have access to quality educational programs do better in primary school and will have better education outcomes later. It is vital that we invest more in our children's education.

At St. Ann, it is vital that all of us invest more in early childhood, elementary, and middle school education. Providing families a quality education is the reason the St. Ann Annual Giving drive is so important to the future of our children. Our mission statement tells our story. "Our mission is to provide a Catholic education through faith, service, and love." If we want to continue to fulfill our mission, annual giving has to be successful.

We have many families who are able to pay full tuition, but not as many as you would think. We have many who struggle, stretch their budget, and sacrifice to be able to give their children a Catholic education. And, we have many who no matter how much they stretch their budget, cannot afford to pay full tuition. That's why we do everything in our power not to increase tuition. That is why we are leading the charge to find a way to make Catholic education affordable to all. And, that is why the annual giving campaign is important to St. Ann.

Here is a break down for overall giving to St. Ann for last year and this year. Last year's goal was a very modest goal of $30,000. Knowing that we need to work hard to keep tuition steady, we set a very high goal for St. Ann in overall giving for this year. We are nearing our goal but are behind in St. Ann families participating as well as in alumni giving. As I've mentioned before, without alumni support, private schools will not survive. We will not survive because tuition will have to increase to the point that only a handful of families will be able to afford to pay.

You will also notice on our giving spreadsheet that in-kind donations are over half of the giving. The in-kind donations come from supporters to pay for school improvements and enhancements. The in-kind donations go to support a particular ask such as speakers, chess boards, tripods, security cameras..... We have asked and you have responded in kindness. Thank you.

The donation spreadsheet does not cover Vision money, Home & School fundraisers, and Fall Fest.

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We are still in need of a few more donations to help with the purchase of the knowledge bowl team buzzer system. Contact our school office if you are willing and able to help with this purchase. If we do not budget for an item, we may not purchase it. It can only be purchased through in-kind donations. After working in non-profit for thirty years, I have learned to be very frugal with other people's money.

Some of the donations are earmarked for specific items or even departments such as band or physical education. We honor the donor's designation of gifts. If the donor does not designated the recipient of a gift, we earmark that towards annual giving. That's our favorite donation because we use those donations to help us balance the budget. Just like any business, we have to balance our budget.

A friend of mine in Dallas taught me a lot about fundraising and business. He would tell me that as a non-profit, every time I send out any type of communiqué, an ask should be included. Without raising funds, non-profits would not exist. Much like a for-profit business, if you don't make the sale, you'll soon be closing your doors.

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Support St. Ann

With that being said, here's my ask for this week's blog. If you have not participated in our annual fund drive, please consider a gift of $100 to St. Ann Catholic School. Without support from our families, friends, and community, the affordability of an education at St. Ann will continue to exclude families wanting a Catholic education for their children. Being a Catholic School, we need to be inclusive and not exclusive.

I do want to clarify a misconception about scholarships. Please think of scholarships as financial assistance. We do not give scholarships in the form of merit (scholastic or athletic). All scholarships are awarded on the basis of need. The average family receiving aid this year is headed by a single parent with two children in school, and have a yearly income of approximately $35,000. In the past, scholarships were awarded for other reasons. We want to be accountable and transparent to our donors who give to help families in need. If we award financial aid to families who can afford to send their children to St. Ann, we would be doing an injustice to the donors' wishes.

Student Update:

Dominic Podesta has been training with Bartlett ATA since he was five years old, starting in the the Tiger program. At the age of seven, he aged out of that class and had to test for his next belt. Normally, you get either an orange or yellow belt and then go into the lower rank class. He tested out of the lower rank class and earned his camo belt, which only two other children had  earned in the last twelve years. For the past two years, Dominic has been in the higher rank class earning his belts. He started competing in tournaments for one and a half years. This year, he finished the tournament season earning 1st and 3rd places at nationals in Orlando, five state titles, and will be going to districts in Atlanta to compete in eight events. He also recently earned his 1st black belt!

Cassie Harmon has had a big year as a dancer. On April 6th, she competed at Revolution Talent Competition West Memphis Regionals to qualify for Nationals. Her seven groups did very well with several high awards and top 5 ranking. Cassie's solo took home 3rd place overall in intermediate junior soloist age 9-11, 1st place in contemporary category intermediate age 10, and a platinum score award winner. On the weekend of the 27th, Cassie represented Dance Dynamics Memphis. Seven of her eight dances earned platinum scores and placed in the top five rankings in their individual overall line ups, multiple category winners, and a special outstanding choreography award. She won several first place honors for her age group in junior soloist and contemporary category. She place first out of thirty-one entries in her solo division. Next up for Cassie are two shows at her end of the year recital for Dance Dynamics Memphis taking place at Briarcrest High School on Saturday, June 8th, at 1 and 6 pm. The performance is free and all are welcomed to attend. She finishes the 2019 competitive season at Revolution Talent Competition Nationals in Pensacola, FL, June 24th-28th, Good luck Cassie and keep us updated on your progress.

God bless you,
Didier Aur, Principal
St. Ann Catholic School