COMMENCEMENT: JUNE 13, 2019 As the graduating class looks toward the future, here are some words of wisdom that were shared with the entire school community.
debates revolved around things like football, Legos, and, of course, the card game Magic. In the Upper School we moved on to more sophisticated topics such as politics, music, and basketball. Over the past year we have had heated debates on topics such as abortion, gun control, and immigration. More recently, and on a lighter note, those who attended our spring band concert heard Mr. Barrett explain the long debate that our class had trying to decide our eighth- grade song. The theme was world music. And at the end of our 30-minute band period, our group decided on the Russian National Anthem. I promise, there was no collusion. One of our finest qualities, the last I will share with you, is what I will remember most about our class: our sense of humor.
Even though we have many different personalities, we all share a common sense of humor. Our humor has been present in basically all aspects of our life at CSB: from funny classroom talks to random conversations at lunch and recess, also on lively bus rides to various sporting events. For those in attendance at the eighth-grade musical last week, you could see our humor on full display. I would love to share a few more of these stories with you, but they really are unique to our class. We take the phrase “it’s an inside joke” to the next level. My final words of advice to my fellow classmates are related to the three qualities that I shared earlier. First, cherish the bonds that we have formed here at CSB. These friendships will likely be some of the strongest we will form
in our lifetime. Next, keep debating. A good debate is not only fun, but is healthy because it allows you to see the other person’s point of view, even though you might not agree with it. Lastly, keep laughing. Having a good sense of humor makes good times better and life more enjoyable, even when times are tough. I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for my fellow eighth graders and me to be here this morning: the faculty for your commitment to our education, the administration for all your support and guidance, and our parents for all of your financial, emotional, and vehicular support during our time here. Guys, it has been a great nine years at Cathedral, and I look forward to many memories to come. Have a great summer. Go Hawks!
ARCHER GEMMILL, Class of 2019
Friendship and Memories Good morning. I would like to welcome the Clergy of Grace Cathedral, Cathedral School for Boys faculty and staff, my fellow students, parents, relatives, and guests. My name is Archer Gemmill, and I am speaking on behalf of the Class of 2019. I am honored to give this graduation speech and to share with you some of my favorite memories and bonds that have been formed over the past nine years, in addition to offering a few words of advice for my fellow classmates. Our class is a close group of friends, most of whom started together in kindergarten. Case joined the group in first grade, followed by Andrew in second. Abi, Adam, Alijah, Andrew, Ben, Connor, Drake, Walter, Will Gaddis, Will Narvaez, and Zuzu all joined the crew in the Upper School. Each time someone joined our class, they immediately fit right in and made us stronger. I started at Cathedral as a Kindergartner. I can remember sitting on the little carpet spots in Ms. J’s class, just like my little brother Levi did this past year in kindergarten. Over the years, I may not have always been known as the “ideal” student, having spent my fair share of time in Mr. B’s office during Lower School, and maybe a chat here and there while in Upper School. But along the way, the School has always been here to support me. On one occasion when I was having a particularly hard time in third grade, I remember Father Abidari sitting with me and sharing his wisdom.
MEHRDAD ABADARI, Chaplain
This experience had a big impact on me, and I remember telling my parents that I was ready to turn my behavior around. Though I have experienced bumps along the road during my journey at CSB, I have continued to grow and have become a better student and a better person. The opportunities I have been given here have helped me grow as an individual, and I will carry them with me forever. Enough about me. Now it is time to share with you some thoughts and stories about my class. Every graduation speech says that their class is special, but our class is very special. We will be remem- bered for many things, I hope, but to me, three qualities stick out the most. First, we are an extremely close group of friends. If you ask our teachers, maybe a little too close. One memory I have is in second grade when Jack Chung and Mac formed a company that all of us wanted to join. To be honest, I had no idea what the company actually did. But, what I do remember is being hired and
fired on five separate occasions. Despite my termination from the company, I have remained close friends with them for the past six years. As we have grown and gained a little more independence, a group of us started getting together on the weekends to hang out on Chestnut Street (a.k.a. “The Nut”). Most recently on our service trip to Puerto Rico, I strengthened my connections with some of my fellow classmates outside of my typical friend group and also with our chaperones, Mr. Corrigan and Ms. Munz. Though I will only be going to high school with three of my classmates, I know that our whole class will stay close over the next four years. We will keep our group chats going, and one of our larger plans is to reunite in college and join a fraternity together. Even if this plan does not come to pass, the bonds we have formed here have created lifelong friendships. Another defining quality of our class is our love of debate. We are constantly debating. In Lower School most of our
From Veggie Tales to Hegel If these terms are obscure to you, be patient, we’ll get to them. Graduates, since last week, when I learned that you’ve given me the honor of this address, I’ve racked my old brain about what words I could offer us which are not old hat or cliché. Then some wise person told me, “You know, graduation means taking steps; it comes from the word gradus which is a step, and every church has one. It’s the step from which in the middle ages the priest would chant the ‘gradual’ hymn before reading the Gospel.” And in fact, the gradus in Grace Cathedral may be the green marble final step where the God Squad stands to direct the Upper School Chapel. And so, when I heard that, I had a revelation. A picture came into my mind, a drawing of our school building; our concrete bunker on Nob Hill, with the two staircases on each side, one on the east and one on the west side. Newcomers to the building often get confused. I did, for about week. I was supposed to be introduced to the faculty as the new Chaplain. I went down the west stairwell, ended up in Gresham and looked around. The meeting was in what is now the eighth grade math classroom— back then Mr. Breen’s music room—and so I never got the introduction and was the anonymous Chaplain for months!
There are a lot of steps at CSB. If you go from Gresham to the Upper School, you’ve walked 88 steps, to Lower School is 98, and to the roof—the Promised Land of recess and PE—it’s 118 steps. Just think about the number of times you make that trip. This physicality is imposed on us by the building’s architecture. And I think it becomes a metaphor for the stairwell of success that we have to climb every day: the stairwell of grades (if you’re in Upper School), of performance, of advancement, of athletic success, of social success. In our minds, we are climbing these all the time.
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FALL 2019 • RED & GOLD | 35
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