Convocation Address August 24, 2016 Susan Sadler, Senior Associate Head of School/Director of Upper School Good morning, Blazers! Happy New Year. I really think the first day of school should be a national holiday. I love the pomp and ceremony that characterizes our upper school first day of classes, and sincerely welcome you back to the Hath. First I want to echo our student leaders in welcoming Dr. Bisselle to HB, and especially to the Upper School. It s a division with abundant talent, energy, spirit and support. With 394 unique individuals making up our student body, the Upper School is a vibrant and busy place. I join the class presidents in expressing our joy in beginning the next chapter with Dr. Bisselle leading the way. Dr. Bisselle isn t the only one who s new to HB this fall. I want to warmly welcome our 6 new faculty members. I am going to ask them to wave as I call their names. Ms. Ashley Beyer will teach PE and swimming this fall, Mme. Arete Calabrese will be teaching French, Mr. T Paul Lowry will teach Technical Theater, Ms. Modarai will be our new Upper School Librarian, Ms. Yarmesch will teach Computer Science, and Mr. Zeleny is our new digital arts teacher. They have come from as close as University Hts. and as far as China, and they are very excited about starting the new year with you. We also welcome a total of 40 students who are new to HB in grades 9 through 11, some who have just moved to the Cleveland area this week! With HB s global outlook, it s nice to know that we have become a global destination, and we welcome a new junior from Saudi Arabia and two international students from Spain. I know you will help them at feel at home in a very short time. Aussi, nous souhaitons la bienvenue aux élèves françaises de Paris et à Mme Jourdie, leur professeur qui seront parmi nous cette semaine.
(Translation: We also wish to welcome our French students from Paris and their teacher, Mme Jourdie, who will be with us this week.) Joining us for the first time up in the balcony is the Class of 2020. The future is here! 2020 actually started school two days ahead of the rest of you, so they are ready to GO! But brace yourselves, 2020. You are about to embark on an exciting journey. There is a lot to take in in this Upper School. You will have plenty of help from the rest of the student body and faculty in getting started. To our sophomores, Class of 2019, I extend my annual welcome to the first floor! Sophomore year is the year of moving into the driver s seat, both literally and metaphorically. You will take charge of your academic path and steer your own course. Last year you were brand new to high school, but this year I can say without doubt, you ve got this. I think you ll feel a new sense of confidence and ownership as the year unfolds. Juniors! 2018! The largest class to date at Hathaway Brown. You are now officially Upperclasswomen! And yes the stakes are a little higher, but with your resilience and confidence, guess what? You are ready for it. As I have said to many previous junior classes, don t believe all the negative hype. A positive attitude and an optimistic approach will help you take the increased rigor of the junior year in stride. Seniors- Class of 2017- welcome to your last first day at Hathaway Brown. Today you begin your final year at HB- I was so impressed at your retreat with your hopes for the year ahead and I look forward to helping you make your last year at HB memorable. Steady and true blue, you will leave an indelible mark on this school. Annually at Convocation, I have a chance to make a few remarks about the school theme, and what it means to me. This year s theme, Rising Boldly: Embracing Challenges and Seizing Opportunities, comes straight from Hathaway Brown s mission statement. It reads, At this moment in history, there is great need for women of vision and courage who are empowered for leadership in a multicultural and globalized society. We seek to answer
that need by inspiring our students to achieve their utmost potential, and to rise boldly to the challenges of our times. And our timing for this theme is excellent! After all, we live in a city that is Rising Boldly! Cleveland has been at the center of national attention this summer. Between the Cavaliers victory in the NBA championship and our selection as the site of the Republican National Convention, Cleveland has been in the limelight over the last few months. The urban renewal that s happening in Cleveland is, of course, news worthy, but what s been even more impressive to me is the city s ability to come together in times of both joy and sorrow. This has been a tumultuous time in American history, with strong opinions on various sides of tricky issues. Many cities have erupted in violence, causing more suffering and injustice in the end. Yet Cleveland has set a strong positive example of civil discourse in action. And we ve had a front row seat. As our mission challenges us to do, we try to prepare you to be productive citizens of the world, and engaging in the messy process that is democracy is an important part of that preparation. The United State ranks 72nd in the world with regard to the percentage of women in office. Fewer than 24% of the country s elected officials are women, and women of color are even further behind. With 23 million women NOT registered to vote, and women sending 2 million fewer letters to Congress than men, we clearly have work to do to encourage more women to be actively engaged in politics. We need more women on both sides of the aisle. Studies have found strong correlations between increased numbers of women legislators and more progressive policy on the environment, economy and support for families. In addition, women legislators are credited with higher crosspartisan consensus on issues. As a School, we have always challenged roadblocks in women s paths, so whether it s running for elected office, or just fierce engagement in the society we live in, we want you to see yourself as an vital part of the system.
Civic engagement is the precursor to civic leadership, so this year we ll be offering you many opportunities to become part of the dialogue. We are really fortunate that Dan Moulthrop will kick of this Dialogue in a Democracy series on September 1 in our first assembly. Mr. Moulthrop is the moderator for the City Club of Cleveland, the longest continuously running forum for free speech in America. He ll be talking about the privilege, responsibility and importance of free speech. 32 nd president of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt said, Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. We look forward to helping you move beyond the current polarized state of civic debate that we often see in the media to a more thoughtful, informed dialogue around values, opinions and beliefs. Questions we hope you will consider and explore include: What does it mean to be part of a democracy? How do we create a culture of engaged citizenship? What is civility and why does it matter? How do I express my views in a way that promotes meaningful engagement? How do I respond when faced with disagreement on difficult topics? As women, we are often taught not to disagree, not to make waves, and not to challenge authority. Famously, historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once wrote, Well behaved women seldom make history. While she wasn t talking about skipping school or flaunting the dress code, she was encouraging women to challenge the status quo. Thank goodness the fabfive founding sisters of Hathaway Brown did so, or we might not be sitting here right now. All over the world, women still fight for the rights that we as American citizens take for granted today. We should challenge ourselves to be part of the conversation. Standing up, rising boldly, for what you believe in takes courage, but fortunately, bravery is a trait that is learned and earned by practice.
Harry Potter Author JK Rowling says, It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I think this is especially true for women. It s hard to step away from the crowd, and to stand for beliefs that might differ from your peers. And there s no right answer in many of these conversations. Since women are often coached to be perfect, this really does challenge what we ve been taught throughout the years. We ll need to get out of our comfort zone to unlearn some of those traits. This year, we ll embrace the messiness of these conversations, and practice how to do so with respect and confidence. I close with this quote from e.e. cummings. It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are. I hope that having more opportunity to share your thoughts, and to listen to and learn from others helps you discover who you really are. I wish each of you an engaged and challenging year, and look forward to hearing the bold and lively discourse that you will create. Sue Sadler Director of Upper School Associate Head of School