Sandy Spring Friends School 58th Commencement, June 6, 2020 Welcome Remarks Jonathan Oglesbee, Head of Upper School

Let us begin with a Moment of Silence. _____

Good morning. I’m Jonathan Oglesbee, Head of the Upper School.

Welcome to Sandy Spring Friends School and welcome to the graduation and commencement celebration of the Class of 2020!

It seems absurd to mention that this is an unusual circumstance in which we find ourselves. Right? For the first time in our School’s history, we are unable to celebrate a graduating class in person, on-campus, with all of the traditions that make an event like this so special. And yet, to not mention it…to somehow try to pretend that us gathering by video is just a given, seems wrong as well.

So instead of either trying to pretend this isn’t real or being consumed with what this moment is not, let us chart a way forward. Graduates, that is, in fact, what we hope you have learned during your years with us. When faced with obstacles to your worldview, challenges to your perspective, we have worked to support you in growing, exploring, wondering, reflecting, and taking action.

Today, let us not give in to the temptation to be naive, and let us not be lured into despair that somehow because we cannot do everything we must therefore do nothing. Instead, let us seize this moment for what it is, an opportunity to celebrate you, your accomplishments, and this occasion in the ways we can. Let’s come together literally across the globe, from Burkina Faso, from Ukraine, Vietnam, Mexico and Olney…from Bhutan, South Korea, Washington and Bowie, from Ethiopia, China, Ghana, and Potomac and Silver Spring…from Honduras, Spain, Mexico City, and Montreal. Though we are separated by time and space, we are all here together in this moment to celebrate you, Class of 2020.

To be sure, while we are gathered here virtually, we know that there are those who join with us in spirit. For some, a parent, grandparent, or loved one had hoped to see this moment for you, but they have passed on. Many of us also feel acutely both the absence and presence of Ben Uzzell. If he were here among us physically, he would no doubt have already given us a smile, a laugh, and some joy from his limitless supply. We are truly, “stronger together.”

In so many ways, arriving at this occasion through all of the disruption and disappointment that Covid-19 has sought to wreak upon us, you—the Class of 2020—have not allowed unutterably challenging circumstances to have the last word. From the very first meeting of the newly formed Senior Celebrations Committee—when we were all coming to terms with this new reality—you demonstrated your resilience. You showed up. And you kept showing up. And then you started to do more than just show up. You started to act… to express… to emote… to imagine… to shape and create.

While some of you were thinking about how we would reimagine SSFS’s traditional end-of-year events, others were creating a T-shirt to honor Ben and raising more money for the scholarship fund in his name. Yet other members of the Class of 2020 were helping to organize a community-wide Meeting for Worship, while seniors who committed to a newly formed Senior Project program went back to the drawing board and re-imagined how you could still carry forward your passion project. And you accomplished all these marvelous things—these experiences that made our ENTIRE SSFS community stronger—all while honoring your academic commitments.

My friends, there is much to celebrate today. May we do so confidently... confident in the knowledge that though we are isolated, we are not alone, that though we are separated, we are still one community. And let us commit ourselves to this moment today. Let us embrace this occasion. Let us celebrate you.

Sandy Spring Friends School 58th Commencement, June 6, 2020 Welcome Remarks Kip Imlay ’71, Clerk of the Board of Trustees

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I am pleased to bring you the heartiest of congratulations on your graduation from Sandy Spring Friends School. The Board is exceptionally proud of each of you, and we are just as proud of your families who had the foresight to provide you with the benefits of a Quaker education. It is my firm belief that a Quaker education is uniformly good for young people, and that Sandy Spring Friends School does a great job at Quaker education.

A lot has been asked of each of you this year in particular, but I am going to make a fearless prediction now, in the depths of our shared isolation, which is that you will look back on your experience at SSFS, from beginning to end, with joy, warmth, and an appreciation for what you experienced here: the wisdom of your teachers, the preparation for the challenges of modern society and events that are thrown at you, a comfort with the obligation that each of you has to speak truth to power, and—most of all—the friends that you came to know. I have some basis for this prediction, because I was a student at SSFS from the Fall of 1968 to the Spring of 1971. I often describe my three years at the School as the best institutional experience of my life. I met teachers that were, collectively, far more creative and inspiring than those I came to know in any other educational setting, including college and law school. And those teachers were allowed the flexibility to challenge me to think, reflect, and express myself well. They became mentors and remained so long after I left the School. I still get together at least once a year with one of my favorite SSFS former teachers and I still ask him for advice, which he is happy to give. I made friends here that I have kept close for the nearly fifty years since I graduated. And our two children, both SSFS alumni, had the same positive experience. I firmly believe and trust that you will have the same reflections in the years to come.

I don’t remember much about my SSFS graduation ceremony in 1971. Years from now you might not remember much about this event today, other than that it wasn’t the kind of ceremony you imagined at the beginning of the school year. But what will remain in your reflections about your graduation from SSFS is much more important: the knowledge that you have experienced something very, very special here. I felt that and I didn’t want the experience to end. Some years ago, I mentioned to my son Ashton that he had a longer tenure as a student at SSFS than any of the rest of our family, having started in the Middle School. His response: “It still wasn’t long enough.”

The Sandy Spring Friends School Board of Trustees is laser-focused on the sustainability of the School. We want future generations of students to have the same experience you have had. And we want to keep sending people into the world well-prepared to deal with whatever bumps in the road lie ahead for any of them. We want, in short, to be graduating people like you far, far into the future.

Whatever bumps arise in your paths, know that the way will open for you, and that you will be welcomed back at Sandy Spring Friends School. We will support you, reflect with you, and hold you in the Light through all your days. We wish you all the best. Sandy Spring Friends School 58th Commencement, June 6, 2020 Graduation Remarks Congressman John Lewis

Hello. I am Congressman John Lewis. I am delighted and very pleased and happy to be with you.

Sandy Spring Friends School is a heaven of education. Sandy Spring Friends School is that Quaker institution which has always gifted our society with the best minds, the best athletes, the best leaders, and the best activists—the best of everything. The School has helped blossom the inner beauty of every student.

At this critical hour of world pandemic, when the situation has bound us to organize this online convocation, I should feel worried about our society, intense about our future. But on the contrary, I feel excited and overwhelmed that Sandy Spring Friends School has made it possible, that you—our young, energetic graduates—are going to serve the community with the brilliance and motivation that they have earned from this great institution.

Sandy Spring Friends School: First, I thank the School leadership from my heart, and secondly, I express my gratitude to the young graduates, to our respected guests, venerated teachers, faculty, and our always loving parents and guardians. I welcome you all in at this promising moment of the lives of our beloved graduates. This is the moment of our achievements, the moment of our transition to bigger duties and responsibilities. It is a great privilege to have you all here.

Our skies are different today, but our minds are synced. We are apart from each other, but we are all connected. Deep inside, I’m feeling delighted to see you all with the brilliant faces over this internet. I especially thank our parents. I understand they have worked really hard to support their loving kids. Thank you. We love you a lot.

From the past to now, students of this great institution are learning. They have created impact all over the nation. And very consciously, the School has made them believe that they can do anything. We won’t fail until we try, and we won’t stop trying until we’ve won.

I think the motivation from school inspires all of us to be activists of positivity, which inspires us to be the forerunner to change. I know all of the faculty and teachers are kind and generous. Your teachers have enlightened you, brushed your thoughts, and cleared your hazy visions of the future. At the darkest hour, when you were lost, they came like a friend, guided you as if they were your parents. They motivated you to carry on through every pain and struggle. They led you to your very own success.

Sandy Spring Friends School has been the essence of moral and spiritual standing. This beautiful institution is your pride. School life has been a steppingstone to the future. I still remember my schooling days and it gives me strength. It strengthens us mentally, morally, and spiritually.

Sandy Spring Friends School has given all the graduates the vision to work for peace, positivity, and for our posterity. I bow down to all the teachers and faculty. You are the roadmap to making our country better.

Thank you so much for having me here today. I grew up in rural Alabama. When I was a little boy growing up on a farm, I wanted to be a minister. We raised chickens. Along with the help of my brothers and sisters and cousins, we would gather all of our chickens together in the chicken yard, and I would preach to the chickens. These chickens would shake their heads, some of the chickens would bow their heads. They never quite said “Amen,” but they tended to listen to me—much better than some of my friends and some of my playmates. They inspired me to do better, to be better.

I saw segregation and racial discrimination and I wanted to change that. So when I was 16 years old I wrote a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He wrote me back and sent me a roundtrip Greyhound bus ticket and invited me to come to Montgomery to meet with him. I will never forget that meeting.

I say to you today, young people, you can be what you want to be. Go for it.

To my graduating students, I shall recall one thing. Your future days shall be tougher, shall be harder, but like always, you will keep in your mind Let Your Lives Speak. Let us fight. The storm out there will cause turmoil. You may fall, but you have all of the courage to stand again, and again. No arms are greater than your courage and faith.

May God bless each and every one of you. And thank you for this wonderful opportunity. I wish you well. Michel Ruiz Fuentes Graduation Speech

Thank you, John Lewis, for your honorable presence. Thank you for your wisdom, strength, passion, service, and the list could honestly go on forever. But frankly, as I stand here with the prime responsibility to celebrate the class of 2020, thank you for capturing the attention of our audience. Now I'll do my best to keep up that energy.

Good Morning Sandy Spring family.

I'm Michel Esmeralda Ruiz Fuentes, and it's my pleasure to join you in the celebration of Sandy Spring's illustrious Class of 2020!

Today represents so much more than our completion of high school. Our graduation is the embodiment of our blood, sweat, and tears for the past, not only four but the last fourteen years of our life in school.

Sandy Spring has taught me that this high school journey was for a reward more substantial than a diploma. We leave today with a copious mind because of our teachers. Our bonds are inseparable because our connection is not confined to classroom walls. You are our educators, mentors and best friends. You challenged our class to analyze change, seek answers, listen and then act. You taught us that it is essential to feed the mind knowledge, and overlap subjects to build cultural and global awareness. Regardless of the class, I know we’ve all had thought-provoking dialogue that was interesting but felt inapplicable to the subject. Today I realize that those conversations were imperative for our minds. We must continue this lesson and look at the world for its multiple disciplines because we overlap to create one family.

We were taught to let our lives speak and defend our beliefs despite the consequences. As Malala once said, "We realized the importance of our voices only when we were silenced." For those who may not recognize this name, Malala Yousafzai is a 22-year-old Pakistani activist whose unabated efforts helped education prevail for women all around the world. Unfortunately, fifteen-year old Malala was shot by the Taliban, and yet she leads this movement with grace, unapologetic, humble and poised.

Like Malala, we let our lives speak despite hardship. We used our mixed emotions as fuel to be the trailblazers and groundbreakers we are. We stood in solidarity with our international student body when their presence was shaken. We traveled to D.C to March for Your Lives and held a strike on Norwood Road to protest gun violence.

Ben, our beloved brother, passed away, and we made it our mission to celebrate his life and let our lives speak, as he did with his.

We are the class that reached 100% participation from the Middle and Upper school students and faculty, in our senior gift, the Ben Uzzell Scholarship.

I want to begin today with gratitude because if there's one word that encapsulates my time at SSFS, it's appreciation.

Thank you to our resilient and selfless parents and guardians. PAUSE

Thank you to the Sandy Spring community--you have blessed our lives with unconditional love and steadfast support. PAUSE

Thank you ALL for joining us as we attest to the relentless and innovative spirits that populate our class--the class of 2020! PAUSE

We are eager and determined international students from Lebanon, Canada, Honduras, Vietnam, Korea, Spain, Burkina Faso, Mexico, The Gambia, Bhutan, Ukraine, Ghana, Ethiopia, and China.

We are innovators and entrepreneurs taking charge of our passions and chasing our dreams through the mediums of art, fashion, music and more.

We are goofy souls, with infectious smiles and infinite hugs. We excel in cherishing our blessings and growing from our misfortunes.

We are language masters seeking to bring justice to the world and break language barriers.

We are purposeful humanitarians and radiant animal lovers.

We are STEM and robotics students who challenge the systems and discover innovative ways to improve our world. (A COVID19 vaccine from y'all would be greatly appreciated!)

We are athletes grounded in peaceful principles and devoted to our practice.

We are Benjamin Alexander Uzzell's brothers, sisters, and non-binary siblings. The luminosity of Ben's life leads us. Ben taught us how to love, how to live, and how to become generous with our hearts. Chris, Shawn and the entire Uzzell ménage, we are your family, today and forever.

As Malala said, "We were scared, but our fears were not as strong as our courage." This year was full of an immense number of challenges, but our class has learned resilience in real-time. There is nothing like a loss to reframe our priorities. Our hearts have become stronger and more expansive because we suffer and heal together.

We are the epitome of the motto, Stronger Together.

This community got me here and will take me forward--you've raised a powerful force.

To my family and in particular, my mother, through light and darkness, you've never failed to show integrity and selflessness. You've taught me that, si se puede, yes you can, and I will move forward with that motto. To the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, thank you for believing in timid twelve-year-old Michel and for your continuous support as I embark on a new journey at Smith College.

Class of 2020, I know these past four years have been a rollercoaster, so you know better than anyone else that you've earned this diploma. This diploma is for our families, our ancestors, fallen soldiers, protective angels, and all the villages that raised us.

To Sandy Spring, thank you for always being the number one supporter to the Class of 2020 through rain and sunshine. I love you, and may God bless all of your souls. I am holding you all in the light as we battle COVID19.

Thank you.

Sandy Spring Friends School 58th Commencement, June 6, 2020 Kwame Darko, Upper School Math Teacher

First, congratulations Class of 2020. I want to thank you for honoring me by asking me to speak at your graduation. As I was coming up with what I was going to say, I realized how special and unique this situation is for you and I really wanted to express how special and amazing each of you are. There are just about 80 of you graduating today and if I spend a few seconds on each of you and your accomplishments...but I only have about 5 minutes and would need approximately 7 minutes to just say your names. Also your names would be read out later so on we go.

So I thought… well there are a lot of famous people who have been making graduation speeches and thought it would be great for you all to hear from them. Here are a few messages that I took from their speeches. Please note the following are some of the best lines from President Obama and Oprah - two folks that I believe to have worked hard to be successful in life.

Obama: “You’re going to have to grow up faster than some generations. This is your generation’s world to shape.”

Oprah: “What will your essential service be? What really matters to you? The fact that you’re alive means you’ve been given a reprieve to think deeply about that question. How will you use what matters in service to yourself, your community, and the world?”

As I thought about what I was going to say to you as you begin your journey, I wondered what about Sandy Spring Friends School will you carry with you. So what’s more Sandy Spring than the SPICES and Bryan Seith trying to get us to sing the George Fox song. Those of you that don’t know about the SPICES, our seniors know all about it. They have been educated in the ways of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship. Now these seniors going out into the world are well versed in these Quaker SPICES, some of them have been living and breathing it since they were in the lower school. Then I thought we are all special and come with our own spices that we add to what we have learned. You see we all take the things we learn and add a little bit to it and make it our own. So as you leave here I want to add a little bit more to your SPICES. I will add some Ghanaian SPICES to it.

In Ghana, we have Adinkra symbols that we carve in our homes, weave in our clothes, and carry with us in many different art forms. In the next few moments I am going to make you a verbal adinkra cloth to carry with you on this your special day. One in particular kept coming back to me over and over again as I think about you. SANKOFA. I will save the best for last. But for now here are some Adinkra symbols that make me think of the 2020 graduating class of Sandy Spring.

Adinkrahene “chief of adinkra symbols” This represents greatness and leadership and is considered the chief of all adinkra symbols. You have led the student body in ways that make me so proud to have been a part of your education here at Sandy Spring. You are leaders on the athletic teams, the robotics teams. You have led the way in our new senior projects. You have led the way in our pandemic scramble to do school. I am confident that you will continue to lead the way in the future. Boa Me NA ME MMOA WO “help me and let me help you This is interdependence. The way you guys supported each other this last year has been the greatest example to how a loving and supporting community works. Countless times you have been there for each other. Each of you has someone here that you have supported or someone who has supported you. Whether it was reminding you that it’s actually a class period to speaking on a passionate topic during Meeting for Worship, you have all been there for each other and this community.

Hye Wonhye “that which cannot be burnt” We describe this as imperishability or endurance. Your class has endured a lot and it is without a doubt that you have had major blows to your senior year plans. But with everything that is going on you have continued on. You have gone on to your zoom classes despite being in different time zones. You have taken all your AP exams at home with stresses that no student before you has known before. Through all this you have endured. So that gives us three Adinkra symbols that you have. Here is the final one I share with you, my favorite.

Sankofa “Go back and get it” Now I am going to ask you to do something with me for the next few moments. Remember! Remember! Remember! Remember the first time you stepped onto campus, remember your favourite lunch (butter chicken, Meatless Monday, simple meal). Remember your favourite hangout spot, Beest cafe, outside under the tree in front of westview. Remember your favorite class. Remember your first friend. Remember your best friend. Remember Ben.

Remember and never forget that you have gone through great times and remember that you have gone through some amazing struggles. Sankofa is a symbol of a bird with its head craned back towards its tail as its body faces forward. I am sure many of you have seen this image in nature. Much like the bird I want you to continue on. You class of 2020 have led us, helped us and endured with us. I know that you are going to be successful going forward. Why? Because you have done it in these last year. You have shown us and yourself that you can do it. I want you to remember that and move forward knowing that you are supported and loved not just by your family but by your peers, your teachers, and the entire Sandy Spring community. Go do good and walk in the light. In peace, Class of 2020. Let Your Life Speak (A Graduation Speech) by Stephen Randall

June 6, 2020

Good morning to the Sandy Spring Friends School community. If you don't know me, my name is Stephen Randall, and I'm a part of this beautiful class of 2020. Although not in the most conventional means, I'm still very excited to share this momentous occasion with you!

Just like any other senior here today, I've had the chance to think over my days spent here in the Springs, and what mark it has made upon my life. I can't help but think ​ ​ back to the start of my journey here. My first perception of the school was our motto, "Let ​ Your Life Speak," and, well, I won't lie to you, I had no clue what it meant... I was eleven. ​ Our motto didn't fully resonate until last spring following the passing of our beloved Ben. I sat outside of the Meeting House a couple of hours after hearing the unfortunate news and among other thoughts and feelings, wondered how our class would find the strength to go on. But with each passing day, I saw us lean on each other and grow in strength. Because of this shared experience, I feel I know my fellow seniors understand what it means to truly

"Let Your Life Speak," as I realize that they have taught me the true meaning of the ​ ​ expression! But for those joining our community for the first time today, or for those who simply want to hear our class’s interpretation of our school’s motto, allow me to further explain.

To begin with, the first lesson I learned from the Class of 2020 was “Balance”.

Everything in this life requires balance to thrive, and our class truly exemplifies this. Our class includes: leaders, activists, gamers, designers, dancers, athletes, and so much more, but what makes us unique is the intersection between these labels. In our class, we have ​ ​ athletes who are leaders, gamers who are actors and singers, dancers who are coders, and the list goes on. What I love about us is that we transcend traditional labels unapologetically and even unbeknownst to ourselves, because we're simply being ourselves. ​ ​ To my class, I encourage you to take this “Balance” that you've found in this community and continue to apply it to your future endeavors.

Next up, you all taught me ”Passion”—the second lesson. As defined in the dictionary, passion is a “strong and barely controllable emotion”. When I reflect personally, ​ ​ I can't think of another group of people who exemplifies Passion more than the class of

2020. We are driven towards our goals and our callings. We let our deep desire for our ​ ​ passions drive our work and work ethic and do so without fear of failure. We don't settle ​ ​ for mediocrity, but that being said, we also aren't afraid to adapt and find the next best ​ ​ solution. We are a class who fights gender norms, advocates for the misfortunate, creates for the sake of entertainment and expresses for the mere sake of expression. My message to you all is to never change that about yourself, never lose sight of your passion—that force ​ ​ in your life that gets you up each morning with a sense of burning motivation and makes you quake with anger when someone tries to threaten it.

This leads me to the third and final lesson that you all taught me. I would say it's a culmination of both of the previous lessons—I would call it a variant of “humility”. We all recognize we are singular amongst billions. Every single one of us is one human being, and together we make up a global population of about 7.8 billion humans, which makes up one planet in our universe and who knows what other life forms may be hiding out there. But what adds to our class’s uniqueness is that this colossal realization isn't even daunting to ​ ​ us. Instead, we are humbled by and embrace our global challenges. This gives us our individuality and our modesty, and fortifies our understanding of the importance of our togetherness. We understand that every single one of us is unique and smart and capable of bringing different perspectives to solving every problem that we encounter, but we also ​ ​ understand the importance of leaning on each other, as we did after Ben’s passing.

My last message and ask of you guys, the class of 2020, is this. I'm not ready to lose this great team, and I hope you aren't either. Please let's keep in touch and let’s continue leaning on each other throughout—regardless of whatever hardships we may face in the future, and let’s celebrate together future accomplishments and achievements that we will surely attain. I'll start this off by giving all of you, who don’t already have it, my phone number, as I do genuinely mean it when I say text me, talk to me, because I have no intention of letting us go. In the great words of my favorite artist, Chance the Rapper:

"I ain't change my number since the seventh grade.

This for my day one, ten years, seven days".

So, thank you, class of 2020, for “Letting your lives speak” and impacting my life ​ ​ beyond measure. Thank you for not only being my best friends, but for being my

“educators”. Thank you to my teachers for teaching me everything from how to” identify a ​ ​ wildflower” to explaining the principle of reciprocals in mathematics through handstands

(shout out to Kwame and his Algebra 2 class). Thank you also to the school’s administrators and to the Board who set the right tone—embodying the Quaker principles of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and stewardship—and helped create the ideal setting for our individual and communal growth.

Thank you, Sandy Spring,!! I love you and will cherish my personal growth and the contribution that you have made to my life.

Frank Sheffield

NEITHER DEFINED NOR DEFEATED

To quote Drake, “Look alive, look alive.” Good morning, my beloved Sandy Spring community. It’s so great to have us all together again, even if only virtually. I guess that’s one benefit of using zoom -- there's no possible way to mix up the location of graduation. I made that mistake this year when I thought the Championship soccer game was held on our own Sandy Spring field. For anybody wondering it was not and I sat alone looking at an empty field.

I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of my fellow graduates and their families. The Class of 2020. We’ve said those words for 4 years and now the moment is finally here. Although these circumstances weren’t ideal, we found new and creative ways to celebrate: honking horns down the street and sending well wishes through video messages to our friends.

One thing I can say for sure is that I am truly excited to be sitting here on a Zoom call with you all. “Zoom” and “excited” in the same sentence are very oxymoronic, just like talking and listening, my mom always said you can’t do both. Or even scrumptious and cafeteria food, those words don’t usually go together. I’ll tell you what was scrumptious though, that clear lemonade we had every day: boy do I miss it.

When looking back on my 3 years at Sandy Spring, one phrase sums up this class perfectly. I know you're expecting one of the phrases we hear every day: “let your lives speak,” “walk in the light” or “you can’t kill the devil with a gun or a sword” -- ok maybe that last one was just me. But, in my eyes, the phrase to sum up this class perfectly is “We will never be defined nor defeated.” I truly believe “We will never be defined nor defeated” is the core character of the Sandy Spring class of 2020. It is what makes us definitively remarkable, brilliant, and extraordinary. I say those words without a doubt in my mind because as a class, we proved this statement nearly every day.

You guys proved it to me my very first day on campus. I was at D block right before lunch, desperately looking for Moore Hall. I heard the bell ring and I felt the vibrations through my body. I didn’t want to be late so I ran across the grass and tragically slipped in the mud. But I made it to class on time because as it turns out the bell I heard was the first bell. I still had five minutes to get to class. None of you probably remember this day but I do because at my most vulnerable, my classmates didn’t humiliate the “new kid” who arrived to class covered in dirt. Your kindness insured that I was neither defined nor defeated by that moment.

Each one you has similar stories about your introduction to the Sandy Spring Community. For many of you that was the freshman year camping trip. You were confronted with a situation that at first was uncomfortable and unfamiliar. As a class you all had no clue what to expect; feeling lost and clueless, spending time with people you didn’t know. But through flipping over canoes, long nights in bunk beds, and not washing for several days you guys grew closer than ever.

Upon arriving at Sandy Spring, we all initially felt so ignorant yet at the same time excited and curious. We questioned whether to believe in the stereotypes of the classic high school movies or to summon our belief in all things positive as we blindly took the next steps in

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Frank Sheffield our journey. The uncertainty didn’t last for long. The SSFS community that surrounded us forced us to let our guard down and find ways to love each other.

We danced with flowers around our neck like no one was watching, but let me tell you, the teachers definitely were. We took the high road during the Sophomore Olympics and allowed the 2018 seniors to win the tug of peace. We survived that strange spring by dipping and dodging when the bees attacked us while walking across campus. Personally, I chose to run and scream every time I saw one. We embraced each other in victory during the PVAC basketball championship -- the entire community screaming and stomping in unison as we stormed the court in exuberant joy!! What a surreal experience, right?!! In all these moments fear and questioning were no longer factors. We were Sandy Springers growing closer each day, beginning to solidify the friendships that will last a lifetime. We did not let the fear of the unknown define or establish our Sandy Spring experience or who we would be while we were here. Instead, we let them develop naturally over time. We chose neither to be defined nor defeated.

We continued to grow after we formed this connection, our eyes were opened to all this community has to offer us. Similar to my experience when I realized junior year, that we had a farm. The connections we formed brought good times filled with laughter and jokes, but most importantly, we became truly invested in the Sandy Spring culture.

Then came that period where we needed to step up again. Suddenly, the teachers made it clear that their goal was to enhance our minds and perfect the work we produced. Seemingly, nothing we did was adequate. We struggled to excel at the level where previously we had prevailed. I can remember the moment a teacher handed me back an assignment and I felt my heart stop and the tears form in my eyes.

Eventually, we had the pleasure of once again experiencing exhilaration when we saw our late nights, stress, and hard work pay off. What’s special about those experiences was not the final result, but what we learned about ourselves. No matter how long it took, we never doubted that the hard work would pay off. We never doubted that we could and would finally grasp the concept we struggled with all year. We were simply determined. Determined not to let one grade or academic struggle represent us as students. We refused to be defined or defeated.

And our perseverance paid off. We found a balance between stress and expression. We figured out how to excel academically, and develop socially. We embraced one another as we shared and discovered our passions. That passion manifested itself throughout the community as we danced, acted, ran, jumped, climbed, designed, and taught. We taught each other through engaging in deep discussions about culture, politics, and race. We didn’t stray from speaking our minds and allowed ourselves to understand and respect who we are as people. We expressed ourselves unapologetically and challenged those around us to think in new ways. We refused to be confined to a box or to deny who we are. We refused to be defined or defeated.

We became accustomed year after year to traveling around the world to learn and give back. This definitely gave me the unique chance to check some things off my bucket list; setting off a fire alarm at 5 am; attempting to sing acapella; and building a house without putting a nail

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Frank Sheffield in my hand, just to list a few. But when this opportunity was taken from us our compassion shined through in other ways such as raising money to give gloves and face masks to those in need in Wuhan, China. We made the choice to neither be defined nor defeated.

Our shared kindness and resiliency were most prevalent at the end of our junior year when we lost a valued member of our Class and Sandy Spring community, my dearest friend Benjamin Uzzell. As a class, we leaned on each other for support and made the decision to celebrate his name. We became inspired as a community to embody the positivity, determination, and liveliness he brought to campus. As a class, we joined hands in one accord and our connection became imperishable. We made the choice to neither be defined nor defeated but to bring honor to Ben’s name in any and all ways possible.

Today we face a challenge that has seemingly ruined our senior year. We are faced with a global pandemic that is threatening the lives of millions. We have been forced to adapt to a new way of learning and missed out on so many cherished senior traditions. For example, the spring concert, the end of year assembly, all spring sports seasons, and our beloved senior meeting for worships. Not to mention the irreplaceable memories that we would have made with each other. Today we question whether the world will return to normal and if the class of 2020 will be hindered from being prosperous.

The answer is no. We have been nurtured toward success by our parents, and each member of the faculty and staff in our Sandy Spring community. The Sandy Spring class of 2020 will continue to be exceptional. We will continue to adapt to difficult situations while simultaneously creating better options and opportunities. The Sandy Spring Class of 2020 will neither be defined nor defeated.

But it is not enough for me just to say it. Class of 2020 unmute your mics and say it with me. Neither defined nor defeated. Neither defined nor defeated. Neither defined nor defeated.

Come on Sandy Spring class of 2020 let your lives speak!

Thank you!

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Sandy Spring Friends School 58th Commencement, June 6, 2020 Graduation Reflections Tom Gibian, Head of School

Welcome everyone to our graduation ceremony honoring the Sandy Spring Friends School Class of 2020. I want to recognize the parents and family members, the grandfriends and neighbors, the brothers and sisters and, of course, the incredible faculty who have zoomed today to celebrate these young people who have earned not just a diploma from Sandy Spring Friends School but our respect and gratitude. Each of you, all members of the Class of 2020, have argued with us, debated us, irritated us, made us laugh, pointed out our mistakes, given us pause, amazed us, improved our minds—and now, you carry our hopes.

For the Class of 2020, our time together at Sandy Spring Friends School (as is true of all graduating classes) continues until—it doesn’t. This year was different, though. We have been transitioning through a series of phases, physically separated and virtually together, roller coastering through ups and downs that have left us breathless, hopeful, disappointed, resigned, grateful, confused, belligerent, contemplative, angry, amazed, lonely, bored, innovative, exasperated, focused, and wondering when the hell can we go outside.

And you made it. Intact, in one piece, beaming, anxious to move on, more sure about where to go then when you will go there, wondering what your folks will do when you are no longer living with them and looking forward to when we can get as many of us together as possible to hold a proper graduation ceremony with all of the trappings because while the virtual variety is better than nothing it is not what you signed up for.

Our promise to you is that we will have that ceremony. It will be physical, analogue, on campus, special. We can sign each other’s yearbooks and have a strawberry cowbake. It will be the ceremony that you, your families, and all those who care about you want and deserve.

In exchange, I would like to extract a promise from you—a big one. Change the world. Sounds like a lot? Fair enough.

Ok, I will offer you two clues to help you get started. The first one is easy and, as they say on Sesame Street, is brought to you by the letter “S.” “S” stands for science.

The world is finite. That’s it. That’s the clue. We can change it only so much, pollute it only so much, populate it only so much, extract from it only so much before it changes in unpredictable and consequential ways. We can observe these things, measure these things, analyze these things, generate and interpret the data, replicate it, peer review it, reflect on it and then we must act.

Let’s hope that your children will find it hard to believe that for 100 years people drove cars that were powered by combusting fossil derived fuels that choked our cities with smog, sparked violent conflict in the countries where it was sourced, spurred massive corruption among incumbent rulers elected or not, and materially contributed to climate disruption. Just like we find it hard to believe that for the 100 years before that, much of the world was powered by whale oil.

Yes, “S” is for science, which is a beautiful thing because while the world is finite our capacity to deepen our understanding of it is infinite—or at least bottomless. I am not advocating that we all be employed as scientists; largely because I would never want to deprive the world of poets, artists, saxophone players, and other essential workers. So I am only asking that we all leave room to understand science.

The example in front of us today: a particular and unique bug. In fact it isn’t even a bug. It’s a virus that we (humanity) can opt to protect ourselves from through the scientific method. By choosing science we see in real time how our understanding of the world deepens because tomorrow we will know more than today, not because we are unknowing or unwise today but because we will build on the knowledge we have acquired. When we do this, we are brought closer together.

I said that I would offer two clues. Sandy Spring Friends School prepared you to think. I have asked you to change the world and given you a clue that the world is finite. Now, I am asking you to redefine the meaning of success—another “S.” I am asking you to question what success— real, meaningful, soul satisfying success—means for you and for society. I am not going to be prescriptive. My generation has not earned that right. It is just that this class, all of you, has already questioned, persisted, experienced loss, come together, cried, laughed, and loved in a way and to a degree that allows me to think that you can do anything.

So do this. Live lives of meaning that contribute to making the world a world you want to live in. Live lives of meaning that allow you to be known far and wide as having a reputation for integrity and truthfulness, that involve offering and being offered uncountable kindnesses, that recognize that every human being is part of your family. Live lives of meaning that accumulate wisdom and that reflect a delicious humility because you have remained aware that the learning and growing, the lifelong deepening of understanding, is only possible because before today our understanding was less complete then it will be tomorrow.

In this way, we learn the folly of shaming someone for where they are on their journey. Including ourselves. This is what I mean by humility. Keeping this thought in mind, I am not asking you to change the world when it is convenient or when you have a little more bandwidth. A sense of urgency is in order and we can begin today to be more keenly aware, more altruistic, more embracing of Dr. Martin Luther King’s words smuggled out of the Birmingham Jail: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

So to review, my ask is that you change the world; the first clue is that the world is finite and the second is that you must redefine the meaning of success. Since you are all Sandy Spring Friends School graduates, please rely on your Quaker powers of knowing that while the world is finite your capacity for understanding it is not; and that by defining success expansively you will be bringing healing light into the world.

Now, as is my wont, I am going to turn my remarks back to your parents and to your younger siblings and the others who are here today and who love you and, therefore, are anticipating the day in the not too distant future when you will leave them and you will be excited and a little sad and they will be excited and inconsolably sad. This is good and as it should be, biologically speaking. These are our young. It is imperative that they separate. It can no longer be postponed. Sandy Spring graduates, please show some compassion; it is not easy for your families to let you go and, truth be told, it is not easy for me either.

Parents, you have done well. You have had opportunities to watch as your children have walked their paths and you have, mostly, resisted the urge to clear the way of obstacles and challenges. Now, because you did not prepare the path for your child but, instead, prepared your child for the path, the Class of 2020 is ready for the future.

Robert Frost described home as “the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Seniors, I mean graduates, the Sandy Spring Friends School community is also your home. We will miss you, we will think of you often, and you will always be welcomed. We will keep the porch light on for you.

Thank you.

The Allman Brothers Band - Ramblin' Man - YouTube