Greenwood Friends School

GFS teacher Audra DePrisco spoke at the graduation ceremony at Greenwood Friends School on Friday, June 5th, 2009. She shared with us her dramatic perspective on each of the graduating students. Read her speech below.

Colleagues, students, friends, parents, and honored graduates. I feel privileged to be here with all of you today, and honored to be teaching the last lesson of a school year that has seen so many lessons... so much change, in our world, in our country, and in our school community:  an historic election leading to new leadership of our country, an economy in flux, and large impending changes in our own school.  Indeed it has been a dramatic year, so as I prepared to frame this address, I could think of no more fitting a frame for these graduates than theatre. But how to do it and still avoid cheesy drama clichés?  

I start with a little theatre history... don't glaze over on me,  I'll keep it short.

Dramatic literature, is composed of the usual elements:  setting, plot, theme, and character.  It was the Ancient Greeks who first started performing plays that we would recognize as plays today.  They were the first to develop what we today call "stock" characters.  These included the old fool, the miser, the braggart, the young lovers. The Romans took it and built on it, just like they did with every good idea the Greeks had and through them stock characters traveled through the plays of the Western world.  They survive to this day.  They took an interesting turn, however, in medieval times.  Theatre had always been a tool to teach as well as entertain, and the theatre of the day took this very seriously.  It sought to teach morality, these were called morality plays...to teach people to be better human beings. The stock characters in these plays were given names befitting their character... each was an embodiment of a particular virtue or vice meant to be a good or bad example to the audience. Names like Beauty, Fellowship, Knowledge, and GoodDeeds were used for these characters.

Now this got me thinking... If all the world is a stage as Shakespeare supposed, and all of us players, with entrances and exits, playing many roles in our time, then who were our graduates?  How would they be named on the medieval stage, these promising young adults, preparing to exit at the end of early act of their lives?    What did they teach me?  What can they teach you?  What can they teach each other?  

Graduates, I have prepared another cast list for you, renamed you for your inner character and I urge you... all of you... to look to each other as the medieval theater-goers looked to the characters on their stages, to find the qualities you need to flourish in this tumultuous time.  

If I were to name Rachael for the Medieval stage, I would call her Tenacity.  Tenacity is a persistent determination.  The will to try until the goal is accomplished.  As a student, Rachael showed a willingness to work hard, to ask for help when she needed it, and even when she felt discouraged, even when she felt she would never reach her goal, Rachael would pick herself up and try again.  Through this, she has accomplished so very much.  She is no quitter.  

Abby would be Inspiration.  She bolsters, encourages, and supports those around her.  Those who work with Abby know the task, no matter how unpleasant, goes more quickly, the work is more satisfying, and the outcome more impressive. She lifts and carries with broad figurative shoulders the spirits of others when they need it most. Like salt does for a pretzel, just being around her makes you better than you were.  

Joseph is Humility. He plays his cards close to the vest, but we have seen him... speaking a few words of quiet encouragement to a primary student, cracking jokes to make a friend who's having a hard day smile, carefully building sets and organizing props for a play he has no intention of acting in.  Joseph regularly practices random acts of kindness and does so for no accolades no rewards, if fact he's probably silently wishing right now that I'd stop saying nice things about him and move on to someone else.        

Nickolette is Courage.  Courage is sometimes confused with a lack of fear, but courage is the ability to face a fear.  Young adults have some daunting fears to face, social, academic, and societal pressures can weigh heavily.  As her teacher and drama coach, I have seen Nickolette face these fears by playing roles that require the suppression of some inhibitions:  a pioneer doctor, an overprotective sheepdog, a dim witted pirate, and a crazy cleaning woman.  This is not an easy task.  It shows range, depth, and a willingness to face discomfort for something you love.

Maggie is Enthusiasm. The word "enthusiasm" comes from a Greek word that originally meant to be possessed by the gods.  Her passion, her zest for life is palpable, it radiates from her like halo of energy and any cause she lends that passion to quickly becomes the cause of many... because enthusiasm can be very contagious.  

Evan is Compassion.  As a long-time Greenwood student, Evan has oft heard "there is that of God in everyone" and has truly taken it to heart.  He has always been polite, well-mannered, thoughtful, but that is not what makes him remarkable.  That he listens more than he speaks, that he seeks to understand, that I have always seen him choose kindness over disparagement, makes him so.  

Olivia is Strength.  She is the elder sister many of us wish we had.  Maternal, loyal, and protective, she is the one her five siblings and many friends often look to for comfort and support. And she provides this freely.  I have often seen her share her considerable strength with a friend in need, a teary primary, or a struggling sibling.  With her big heart, Olivia reminds us that being strong does not mean being hard.   

Jessa is Drive. She has goals, learns what she needs to do to meet them, and lays out a plan.  Many adults I know have difficulty with this.  She understands that anything worth achieving is worth the hard work it takes to achieve it.  She does not expect the answers to be handed to her and instead takes pleasure in the pursuit of those answers, a remarkable ability indeed.

Tenacity, Inspiration, Humility, Courage, Enthusiasm, Compassion, Strength, and Drive, I can think of no better values to take with you as you exit and the curtain closes for this, the Greenwood Act of your lives and you prepare to move on to the next new and exciting act.  With such a star-studded cast, it's bound to be a hit.  All I can say is, "break a leg".