GRADUATION CEREMONY – SATURDAY,  JUNE 13, 2009
REMARKS OF THE HEADMASTER, FREDERICK WEISSBACH

GREETINGS

Distinguished Guests, Colleagues, Parents, and Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles, Brothers and Sisters, Friends, Alumni, Former Colleagues, Students, and Seniors – it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2009 graduation exercises of Franklin Academy.

On this happy occasion, which marks the conclusion of Franklin Academy’s sixth anniversary year, we are delighted to see such a huge crowd that has turned out to honor our largest senior class – 24 strong (14 young men and 10 young women) – and to acknowledge the success of all of our students.

I want to thank each of you for joining us for this celebration of accomplishments and possibilities.  As you know, the mission of the school is to provide students with Nonverbal Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome the academic and social skills to become life-long learners, to pursue college and career goals, and to enjoy fulfilling lives.  Today’s graduation is an important milestone on the personal journey toward the realization of this inspiring vision.

At the same time, each of us is experiencing a bittersweet moment.  In a few short hours this version of the Franklin Academy family, which began nine months ago, will come to an end.  Looking back to September, we remember that many of us were strangers and we had yet to learn each other’s first name.  Now, we are close friends, having lived intensely together and having learned with each other many of those important lessons that will serve us well as we move off in many different directions after today. This is especially true of our oldest students.

Seniors, you have come through the crucible of experience to prepare mind, body, spirit and character in anticipation of the next set of challenges that loom large in your lives.  You have persevered and prospered during your time at Franklin Academy, and your positive impact on our young school has been immeasurable.  Now, as we savor with you this graduation day, the faculty and I urge you to pursue your passions.  Indeed, our greatest wish is that each of you will live a full and satisfying life, realizing your dreams and matching potential with achievement.

While you deserve most of the credit for your success, let us not forget your parents – there at every step to support and encourage you on your journey through childhood to this special moment – yes, the earning of a Franklin Academy diploma, but more importantly, the beginning of adulthood.  Truly, your education has been a partnership, and some of your most important collaborators have been those wonderful teachers in and out of the classroom who have helped to shape you as a student and as a cherished member of our school family.

FACULTY SPEECH

Let us now recognize a talented mentor who has been selected by the Franklin seniors to speak at their graduation. Ken Engard, please come to the podium to share a teacher’s perspective about our year together.  (Click on the link below for a copy of Ken’s speech.)

Ken’s Faculty Speech

BOOK AWARDS AND CERTIFICATES

It is time recognize able students throughout the school who have demonstrated significant academic achievement, exhibited tremendous personal growth, or contributed mightily to the life of the Franklin community.  Students, as I call out your names, please come forward to receive a book award and certificate from Dr. Tom Hays.   We will recognize both Upper Level students in grades 11 and 12 and Lower Level students in grades 9 and 10.
 

LITERATURE & ARTS

Our first award is named for the world’s first true historian – Thucydides – an Athenian of the fifth century BC – who fought in and wrote about the Peloponnesian War.  Unlike anyone before him, Thucydides gathered all available evidence about an event, decided what he thought was the truth, and then shaped his written presentation to emphasize that truth.

The Thucydides History Award is given to an upper and lower level student for best project on a non-fiction topic.  This project may be a written paper, presentation, or demonstration on a topic of historical importance that connects historical events to our current lives.

The next award is named for history’s quintessential renaissance man – Leonardo daVinci – artist, inventor, and scientist.  His desire to paint people and objects realistically was bold and fresh.  The range of topics that came under his inquiry was staggering.  He took the startling approach of actually observing and asking deceptively simple scientific questions.  And, he had the brains and bravado to break new ground, creating new machines for a new world.

The DaVinci Creativity Award is given to an upper and lower level student for demonstrations of creativity.  These demonstrations of creativity might include works of creative writing, drawing, sculpting, or acting and should incorporate elements of unusual combinations and imagination. 

The next award, new this year, is named for Maya Angelou, perhaps America's most visible black female writer and poet who is best known for her series of six autobiographies which focus on her childhood and early adulthood experiences. The first and most highly acclaimed of these autobiographies, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, was published in 1969, focuses on the first seventeen years of her life, brought her international recognition, and was nominated for a National Book Award.

At Franklin Academy, the Maya Angelou Literature Award is given to a student who has demonstrated a strong relationship to literature throughout his or her time at Franklin Academy.  This individual is clearly impacted by the books he or she reads, is able to compare one text to another, to read a work of fiction or non-fiction and to make connections to the larger community, to draw parallels to his or her own life, and to better understand the human condition as a result.  This student’s love of reading and of responding to literature on many levels is an inspiration to others, and clearly enriches the community in which he or she lives.

Philosophy & Science

Our next award is named for the most famous women of physics – Madam Marie Curie, winner of two Nobel prizes in Science.  She was responsible for opening up the science of radioactivity, and her radium was a key to a basic change in our understanding of matter and energy.

The Marie Curie Precision Award is given to an upper and lower level student for accuracy and rigor of measurement.  This award goes to the student who consistently and accurately follows laboratory and field protocols, presents valid and reliable data, and produces data that is easily explained and understood. 

Our second award in Science is named after Galileo.  As a professor of astronomy at the University of Pisa in Italy, Galileo was required to teach the accepted theory of his time that the sun and all the planets revolved around the Earth.  He was then exposed to a new theory, advanced by Copernicus, that the Earth and other planets revolved around the sun.  Galileo built his own telescope and discovered that Copernicus was right.  While the Church then convicted him of heresy, Galileo is rightly hailed as the father of modern mathematical and experimental physics.

The Galileo Science Award is given to upper or lower students for their advocacy of scientific issues.  In receiving this award, the student must demonstrate an excellent knowledge of science, the ability to present scientific findings, and to explain the relevance of those findings as they relate society.

Individual & Community

The first award under the category of Individual and Community is named in honor of this country’s 39th president – Jimmy Carter.  As president, he aspired to make Government “competent and compassionate.”  However, his greatest accomplishments have occurred since leaving office as he has invested decades of untiring effort in pursuit of peaceful solutions to international conflicts around the world.  Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

The Carter Mediation Award goes to an upper or lower level student who has best demonstrated both in and out of class the ability to address and solve conflict.  This student has learned the art of negotiation and is able to resolve disputes he has with others as well as to help others resolve their conflicts.

The Mandela Award is given to an upper or lower level student who has made the greatest personal strides in taking what they have learned in Individual & Community class and applying these lesson to their everyday life.  In receiving the Mandela award, this student has challenged his or her personal comfort zones in and outside the classroom.  The student has gained social confidence, respect, and improved social relationships.

Awarded to a Franklin Academy student who demonstrates a zeal for positively affecting the lives of others through service to our school and the surrounding community, the Roosevelt Service Award exemplifies a commitment to active citizenship, positive change, tolerance and understanding, improving the lives of others, and making our community a better place to live and learn.  Serving as an ambassador for Franklin Academy and a role model for peers, a Roosevelt winner embraces hard work to achieve a vision or meet a goal and truly understands the meaning of Roosevelt’s words: “It is not fair to ask others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”   Our first Eleanor Roosevelt Service Award goes to:

Mathematics

In the category of mathematics, we present the e award, named not for Albert Einstein, but for the mathematical constant e (occasionally called Euler’s (Oiler’s) number.   Simply stated, e is the base of the natural logarithm.

The e Award is given to upper and lower level students for their advanced mathematical abilities.  In receiving this award the student must demonstrate both a strong understanding of mathematical processes, but also the application of those math calculations.   

Our second mathematics award is the Pi Award, named for that mathematical constant and transcendental real number, approximately equal to 3.14159, which is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter in Euclidean geometry.  It is also known as Archimedes' constant but is not to be confused with an Archimedes number.
 
The Pi Award is given to an upper and lower level student for their advanced problem solving abilities in mathematics.  In receiving this award the student must demonstrate both a strong understanding of mathematical processes, but also the ability to apply those understandings to finding unique solutions to mathematical problems.

The next awards recognize outstanding seniors.

The first award is the Headmaster’s Citizenship Award.  It is given to that senior who conscientiously and reliably meets every commitment across campus each and every day and lives his or her life according to Franklin Academy’s Code of Conduct.  The Headmaster and administration acknowledge that Caitlin Dundas is the worthy recipient of this award.

The second award is the Headmaster’s Spirit Award.  It is given to that senior who has generously shared talents, enthusiasm, and good will with the entire Franklin family.  The Headmaster and administration acknowledge that Kaylee Tucker is the worthy recipient of this award.

The third award is the Headmaster’s Perseverance Award.  It is given to that senior who demonstrates persistence, determination, and resolve throughout his or her time at Franklin Academy.  The Headmaster and administration acknowledge that Jane Langner and Tori Smyth are worthy recipients of this award.

The Franklin Founders Award is given to those seniors who were either part of the school’s first year of operation or who have attended Franklin Academy through at least three years of high school.  Our 2009 recipients of the Franklin Founders Award are: Caitlin Dundas, Matthew Fishman, James Kennedy, Sarah Kentoffio, Jane Langner, Greg Noland, Kaylee Tucker, and Wil Swartzell.

Odysseus, also known as Ulysses in the Latin language, is the main hero in Homer's epic poem, the Odyssey, and plays a key role in Homer's Iliad.  Odysseus is renowned for his guile and resourcefulness, and is most famous for the ten eventful years it took him to return home after the Trojan War.  The Odyssey Award is given to that student, who, during an “Ulysses-like” journey through the years at Franklin Academy has been transformed – academically, socially, and emotionally, and has demonstrated the most growth among peers.  This year’s recipient of the Odyssey Award is

Franklin Academy’s highest recognition is the Phoenix Award, given to a student for his or her ability to learn about life and relate to the world.  Like the mythical sacred firebird that rises resurrected from its ashes, the recipient of this award has benefited from his or her mistakes, overcoming life’s obstacles and adversity by applying lessons learned to lead a thoughtful life.  In receiving this award the student must exemplify service to the community beyond the classroom, providing a role model for younger students, a friend to peers, and an inspiration to adults.  Franklin Academy’s sixth Phoenix Award goes to

SENIOR SPEECH

A highlight of any graduation is that moment when we hear from one member of the senior class who has been chosen by classmates to provide perspectives on the road that has been traveled together this year and the many different paths of life that beckon before us.  It is my distinct pleasure to invite Jane Langner to the podium for the Senior Speech.  (Click on the link below for a copy of Jane’s speech.)

Jane’s Senior Speech

DIPLOMAS

We are about to turn our attention to the real business of this Saturday morning – the awarding of diplomas to Franklin Academy’s sixth class of graduating seniors.  Before I begin, however, there are just a few announcements.  Following this ceremony, our seniors will stand in a receiving line at the top of the sidewalk outside of the dining hall to greet you and receive your best wishes.  Then, everyone is welcome to join us for a luncheon buffet.  If there are any questions about departure from campus this afternoon, please see team leadership, Tom Hays, or Mary Murphy.  Yearbooks will be available for sale in the dining hall during the luncheon.

I would also like to take a brief moment to say thank you and goodbye to colleagues who will be leaving Franklin Academy for exciting new opportunities.  Will the following faculty please stand and accept our applause for a job well done:  Bridget Corcoran, Tara Faldman, Tulani Gant, and Chris Jerome.

Next, I want to recognize our postgraduate student and award a certificate to Dylan Ansel Farrall.

Seniors, now we come to the big moment.  As I call out your names individually, please come forward to receive your diploma from Dr. Tom Hays.  Family and friends – you may applaud vigorously and take plenty of photographs as each senior comes forward.

GRADUATING SENIORS

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to present to you the 24 graduates and postgraduates of Franklin Academy, class of 2009!!!!

* click on any image above for a larger view       

College Acceptances 2004 - 09