Class of 2011: Lake Forest Academy

By Kiran Chilamkurti, All School President

This speech was given at Lake Forest Academy's Move Up Day on May 27. Move Up Day is a ceremony where students formally "move-up" to their next class year.

Good afternoon faculty and staff of Lake Forest Academy, our friends, family, my fellow students ...and soon to be alumni. Today is a special day for all of us. Some of us have been looking forward to it as the end of the school year, or even the end of high school. However, being the end, some of us are also sad to see this day come. Yet today’s special event, full of anticipation, lasts only a few hours. In a few hours, you could easily have sat through a boring double period or watched a movie that you may never remember.

Yes, this moment is significant, but it is also inherently transient. This culminating moment that we have all anticipated will be over before we know it. Tomorrow you will wake up and today’s ceremonies will have passed; but more importantly, so will have another year.

So in reflecting on the passing of time, I want to convey that the end is important. It is important to celebrate the end of the year, but we shouldn’t forget to also value the process. The fact that we are here today is less important than the experiences that brought us to this point.

Tomorrow, the class of 2011 will receive their diplomas, but it is not the piece of paper and seal that matters, it is the journey that the diploma represents. The diploma represents the process by which we achieved our goals. Graduation, and in a similar sense, moving up, encompasses the struggles, the hardships, the good times and the bad. It honors the process that shapes our character, and it celebrates the process that makes us who we are. Value this process.

As we all move up, I need not advise what you already know. Rising freshman already know that high school is a completely new experience, rising sophomores already know how to navigate LFA, rising juniors already know it’s a tough year ahead, and the seniors can already smell those college apps. However, one lesson I’ve learned can serve members of every class.

Approach school without the end in mind. Of course you need to do well in school, you need to put in effort and you probably will want to graduate on time and with a bright future. But I urge you to look beyond these goals and take time to enjoy the winding, at times confusing, but overall enjoyable journey of high school.

• Try out for that sport you’ve only played once.
• Join a club that seems like it has no purpose.
• Volunteer in the community and play soccer with some kindergarteners.
• Enjoy the daily laughter with your friends in the hallway.

Even if these activities may seem to have no established purpose, they will make high school fun, memorable, and ultimately, fulfilling.

At the same time, push yourself in that challenging class, really try to grasp the material without worrying about your GPA, go outside of your comfort zone and take that art class that isn’t in your four year plan, these experiences will help you more than any A in a class will.

Don’t be discouraged if you don’t make the team, or just miss the grade you wanted in that hard class. In fact, I would argue that you should embrace these times. If you fail to reach your goals, fail forward and build upon the experience. After all, it is your successes and your failures that make you who you are. All these experiences may not be represented when you graduate.

You won’t get an award saying you enjoyed the tryouts even if you didn’t make the team, or that you were just shy of a perfect GPA because you took one more AP class in the subject you really had a passion for. But then again, the presentation of an award is just a passing moment; the memories of your journey, however, will last a lifetime.

This process of experimenting, taking risks, building relationships and pursuing inquiry is at least as important as your diploma and your future. Value the process.

While we are here and we are reflecting on our journeys, let us also consider life outside of LFA, for although we may sometimes forget, we seldom journey alone. In 2011, the UN projects that our planet will reach a human population exceeding seven billion inhabitants. There are a lot of people we share our journey with.

In this past year we have seen rising gas prices, massive earthquakes, killer tornadoes and historic revolutions. Between disaster and triumph our human family needs solutions and leaders. As we move through and at some point, beyond LFA, will our diplomas serve us in this “real-world”? When it comes down to it, it will be our experiences that we rely on to guide us, not our diplomas. Our journey will empower us. Value the process.

Before I end, on behalf of all the students, I would like to thank those who make this journey possible. To the amazing faculty and staff of Lake Forest Academy thank you for the chance to truly explore all the opportunities that high school brings.

Your tireless work in and outside of the classroom promotes our growth and discovery, academic and otherwise. Your guidance and support influences us on a daily basis. We truly appreciate the role you have played in our lives over the past year.

And of course, to our families, as our high school years are about much more than just school, I extend our gratitude to you as well. Thank you for paving the road that we have journeyed, providing the “fuel” to keep going, and so often being the guide that keeps us on track better than any GPS.

In closing, we have explored the value of the process of high school, and indeed, it is great. Do not forget it, and don’t forget to enjoy it. And, as today is the ending of the year, it is also part of a greater journey, so we should enjoy today too, and celebrate all our journeys thus far.