Opening Remarks 2009
by Antonio
Good Morning. I am Mr. Viva, the Associate Head of School here at Worcester Academy. And I know for a fact that many of you recognize me more from my voice than anything else. Does this sound familiar? “Good Morning, This is Mr. Viva, due to dangerous weather conditions, Worcester Academy will be closed today.” Your personal 5:45 am wake up call on a cold and snowy February morning telling you that school is cancelled and that you can go back to sleep. For some of you, this may be the first time you are putting a face to that voice.
Mr. Morse couldn’t be here today so he asked me to step in on his behalf, and welcome all of you to the start of the 176th year here on the Hilltop. 176 years. Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about what it means to be a part of a place that has been around that long? Go back in time with me for a moment and think about how much our world has changed in that time. Consider for a moment, that back then, in the early to mid-1800’s there were a group of creative thinkers, some would call them rebels, who were pushing the envelope by rebelling against what they saw as the current situation and what they were trying to be different from. They were call the Transcendentalists and another way to look at them is to see them as a generation of people who were struggling to define spirituality and religion (our words, not necessarily theirs) in a way that took into account the new understandings that the time they were living in made available to them. This movement brought us some of the most important and influential thinkers of their time. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. And while this moment in history was unfolding, in real time, Worcester Academy students were taking classes and learning from one another and their teachers. It was all happening right around them.
Or think about the fact that just shortly after the civil war, Worcester Academy students were watching the Headmaster at the time, Dr. Daniel Abercrombie, slowly expand the campus to include the buildings we use today. Kingsley, Walker Hall, The Megaron. But more importantly, they were experiencing a curriculum, which he brought to the school from Europe and was considered progressive and innovative for its time. It included the study of science and mathematics. And again, while that moment was unfolding, in real time, Worcester Academy students were gathering around the quad, much like you do today. Engaging in conversations, making steadfast friendships, competing in athletic events and performing on stage. They may not have realized at that time, in fact, I am pretty sure that like most teenagers, many of them were completely unaware that they would become the leaders of tomorrow. These same students, very much like all of you, would go on to become the founder and first editor of National Geographic magazine. Or create companies that would dominate industry such as Merrill Lynch. They would help break important social and racial barriers and go on to compose music that will forever be woven into the fabric of the American experience.
But back then, they were just ordinary students, being told to tuck in their shirts and avoid being late to class, and whether they realized it or not, they were living during extraordinary times; the industrial revolution, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II.
And in my opinion how lucky they were.
Can you imagine what it would be like to be a student at Worcester Academy when amazing and profound things were happening all around you? Just think for a moment what it might be like…
Climate change, world conflict and war, global economic challenges, the first African American President of the United States, the first Latina to be appointed to the Supreme Court and here at Worcester Academy, the first latina to be elected Head Monitor. Imagine how amazing it would be to live during a point in time when we would see advances in technology, medicine and engineering bringing us iPhones, hybrid fuel efficient cars and advances in the detection and treatment of breast cancer.
It would be pretty amazing.
So here we are, at the start of a new school year. And while this moment begins to unfold, in real time, those of us fortunate enough to be a part of Worcester Academy once again have a unique opportunity. It is our privilege to be living during a moment in time that I strongly feel, and many others believe, will be looked at as historic, some might even say revolutionary. And while others might disagree with that statement, what matters and what makes living during historic times so amazing is that they stand out. They represent moments that future generations will recall and for better or worse, will define those of us who lived during them. Students looking back at this time 100 years from now, in the year 2109, sitting where you are sitting today, will either look back and remember us as having collectively risen to meet these historic challenges or having missed the opportunity to seize the moment and truly be the change we wish to see in the world. I for one, firmly believe in all of you. Every adult who is a part of Worcester Academy believes in you, all we ask, is that you believe in yourselves.
Have a historic year. Thank you.
(Presented at the all school assembly 9/3/2009)