Commencement 2010

Chairman Burke, Reverend Bagley, Tom Curley, Members of The Derryfield Board of Trustees, Esteemed Faculty & Staff, Derryfield Alumni . . . Parents, Grandparents and Family members of the class of 2010, and most importantly, our guests of honor, The Members of the Class of 2010, it is my pleasure to Greet all of you on this wonderful occasion of our 43^rd commencement ceremony. Thank you all for being here – and to those to my left, we are particularly glad you are here.

Last year I asked the graduating class “What makes a good graduation speech?” Their resounding, instant answer - “Short, Mr. Sellers. Short.” I did not even ask the Class of 2010, because, well, that is the kind of question most Heads of School only have to ask once.

Still, I have the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you on this glorious day, and I thought I would take a moment to do just that.

Whenever I travel I make it a point to spend time with at least one school in the area. I love to eat the local food, listen to the local music . . . but I particularly like to see how the young people in that area are educated. Over the years I have developed a kind of short-hand – boiling my inquiry down to just a few questions. But listening to the response gave me a window – and often a door - in to the culture of the school.

I have come to think that If there is a single question that provides a path to understanding what a school is really about, I think it is “What does your school celebrate?”

What do we celebrate at Derryfield?

I want to offer this question this morning like the ringing of an opening bell that I hope will echo throughout this extraordinary day – What does Derryfield celebrate?

Here’s my simple answer: the people in this room at Graduation.

First, the Faculty – since our founding the Derryfield school has had an uncommon understanding that what breathes life into our mission are consummate professionals who are passionate about learning and achieving, and who want to share that passion with young people. The faculty make our school sing, make our school inspiring, make our school a place where young people want to come and be their best. We celebrate our faculty at a time like this because the proof of your work is right here.

Next: our friends and families. I came to Derryfield in part because the culture welcomed families, and made me think “that school gets it.” Families have their children 16 hours a day. We have them 8 – of course we have to work together to on behalf of your children – our students.” Of course we should build a culture where friends & family ties are celebrated. It only makes sense” – well, you might be surprised how many schools don’t see it that way.

Additionally, the level of volunteerism and support that pours forth from the friends and families in this room is truly astonishing. Many families have made all kinds of sacrifices to have your children be at our school, and in particular, be on this stage right now. That is truly worth celebrating.

Most importantly – the young people to my left. You may hear it many times today, so let me be the first: You are the reason for the day. You are the reason for this moment. You give us cause to celebrate. If someone said to me “Tell me about Derryfield – tell me what you celebrate” – I would respond “Come to graduation. You will see - We celebrate students.”

I would expect that a visitor from any town, from any culture, who was here today to understand that We are deeply proud of you, both what you have accomplished, and how you have accomplished it. Your achievements in academics, in the arts and athletics, have been nothing short of extraordinary. The friendships you have developed here are genuine and, no doubt, long lasting. The service you have performed has helped countless people, and the goodwill you have generated will continue to echo in our local and global communities. You have inspired each other, your teachers and your friends and families, and you have done it with style and grace.

It really is an honor to say, Class of 2010, you are the reason for the celebration at The Derryfield School. You are the reason we are here today. And so I will end my opening remarks by saying – this time, just to our graduates – thank you for being here.

Awards Day 2010

May 28^th 2010

We are here today to honor the extraordinary accomplishments of many, many of our students. And when we gather in these ceremonial occasions we take a moment to honor the mission, the values, and the philosophies that got us here to this lovely auditorium filled with bright, motivated teachers, faculty, students and parents.

Specifically, our Statement of Philosophy on Awards provides the framework for our time together in the same way it guided the faculty in selecting the recipients. Quoting from the Statement now: “The granting of awards at Derryfield should inspire our students to be their best, reinforce the school’s core values, and provide learning opportunities for both award winners and those who did not win.”

It goes on, but I’ll summarize – we seek to reward individual students for living the school’s values while acknowledging that everyone whose name is called today has a village of supportive family, teachers and friends who helped to get them to this place and time.

Because I think this philosophy does such a good job of capturing an essential truth about our school, I want to begin with gratitude - reflecting on our own village - and saying simply “thank you – we could not be here without you.”

Thank you, Mrs. Flagg and Mrs. Keefe-Hancock for the way you have shaped this gathering with attention to detail and caring for everyone involved. Thank you.

To the parents who are here today – thank you. Many of you, as I understand it, are here with a certain mystery in the air. Welcome - You honor us with your presence, and you illustrate our belief that our school is at its best when we collaborate on this exploration called education. And besides, the world needs a little more fun-filled mysteries with happy endings.

To the faculty and staff – you have created an environment where students seek to excel, where it is cool to be smart, and then proceed to the field, the stage or out into the community and continue that level of excellence. I have observed in the past that we don’t really have a similar awards day for faculty & staff, but I believe that for every award presented today a Derryfield faculty or staff member – more likely, several – took a chance on a shy student, stood by a struggling student, or supported a student in a time of need. The students we will hear about today are award worthy in part because of the extraordinary effort, intelligence and compassion of the adults in the Derryfield community.

I want to make sure to give everyone here today an opportunity to say thank you to the faculty and staff at Derryfield who inspired you, and to ask our students to join me in leading that thank you. Thank you, Derryfield faculty & staff.

Finally, to our students – I may risk losing a few of you with this description, which is certainly not my intention - but this is the kind of fun you can have when you are Head of School . . .

Did you see Rajon Rondo dive for that ball in game 3 (I am not talking about game 4 or 5)? In many ways I think that is the kind of performance we are here to honor today. In a group of 10 gifted people on the floor, Rondo’s extra effort made the difference between really good, and something truly outstanding.

And then, did you see what that effort did for his team? The whole team – I think the whole Garden, really - rose-up to a new level and played with a kind of heart and intensity that was nothing short of exceptional.

I think that feeling – that reminder of what exceptional looks like – is what Awards Day does for our community. So I want to thank you for diving for that ball, singing beautifully when it did not come easy, serving others when you may have had other things on your mind, studying for that test when you got back late from practice. I know you have learned a lot along the way. What I want you, our students, to be certain of is that you inspired us – your teachers, parents, and friends – and that your extra effort has lifted up our entire school to a new level of what it means to be a joyful community celebrating accomplishments with each other.

Thank you.

Founders Day 2010

The following are my opening remarks to this year's Founders Day. I will never forget
extraordinary singing from our concert choir at the end of the program. Andrew Cox '10
rearranged "Sing Out for Derryfield" and the entire auditorium discovered the song all
again - it was exceptional.

I have the honor of Welcoming everyone to Founders Day. My name is Craig Sellers,
I am the Head of School of The Derryfield School, and we all have the honor of being
in the same room with some very, very important people today. Welcome to faculty,
staff, students, parents and alumni – I think we will have an inspiring morning together.

On behalf of the entire Derryfield School, I want to extend a warm, grateful and
genuine welcome to those who are the Founders of our School. We look forward to
thanking you, to applauding your presence, but before we do that the History teacher
in me says that first I should briefly create some context:

In the early 1960's some local parents started meeting in Manchester and Bedford homes, talking about the dream of starting an independent college preparatory, day school. They had a vision, and that was a desire to have an extraordinary education for their children, and still have their children come home at night to have dinner, talk about the day, and go to sleep under one roof. This timeless idea led to convincing 39 families to contribute $1000 each (a lot of money then) so that the Head of the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul's School, Philip Hugny, could be hired and set up in a tiny office to plan a school. During that time, 1963 & 1964, the Founders recruited students, rented buildings, talked with parents, and a myriad of other details that became the future of our school.


The school opened in 1965 with 108 students and 11 faculty. The basic building on River Road was built and opened in 1967.


Our Founders – our Jeffersons, our Franklins, our amongst us today. Each had an integral role – take one away in those early days, and we might not be here. Change one significant decision, and we may have gone off in a different direction. Each had a determination to work against the odds for something timeless, something inspiring, something that ultimately became the Derryfield School.

I look forward to this day in part because the Founders remind us about the power of a
great idea. The vision of combining profoundly talented faculty, eager students and a
culture of respect – all while having our children home for dinner at night – well, that
is simply a timeless and powerful. As much as the world has changed since the
early 1960s, as much as the pace of change is likely to do nothing but accelerate, our
school was conceived with timeless ideals in mind.

One of the many habits that I admire about our school is that we set this day aside each year
to remind us of that eternal vision, and to let us express our gratitude to you.

I would like the following Founders to stand at this time so that we can applaud you and thank you

· Ann Feins
· Hilda Fleisher
· Ellie Freedman
· David Stahl
· Dick and Fran Winneg

Senior Dinner & Winding Down

Our traditional “Senior Dinner” (held on April 28th) begins the official time, to my mind, of the school year starting to wind down. We start in the gymnasium for dinner and conversation, and we move to the auditorium for advisor testimonials limited to 100 words each, and conclude the program with a “Then & Now” slideshow. The evening sent parents, faculty and students alike off into a warm spring evening with heightened awareness of growth and gratitude. I had the pleasure of convening the gathering with a few words, as follows –

At the end of March I had the pleasure of spending some discussion time with your children – our seniors. I wanted to ask them a few questions about their life and times, so to speak. I told them they are experts on a topic I care deeply about, and that is – what it means to be a senior at our school.

My belief is that our seniors know things we need to know to continue to improve as we live our mission, and I asked for their help in responding to a few questions that would help me think further about our school, and what it means to be a senior at Derryfield. And finally I believe, that if Derryfield has taught us anything, it is that you have to keep asking in order to keep learning.

I don’t have to tell you about the transitions you – and now I am talking to both parents and students - are on the brink of . . . Meaningful change in the realms of

· Roles

· Relationships

· Routine

· Your Sense of Self

So I asked our seniors three questions –

· What have you learned about yourself at DS?

· What do you need to do or learn in the next few months before you go to college?

· What do you hope for in your relationship with your parents in the next few months?

The ground rules included anonymity – it was more about listening for themes from the group than any one perspective – and that I would share what I learned with you tonight.

And this is what we discussed.

What Have You Learned About Yourself @ DS?

· Small class size matters, and the student-teacher relationship matters, providing the teachers are great.

· We are looking for fun, interesting and engaging teachers because that is what we have at Derryfield, and now we will always want that.

· We learned how to shine, how to make ourselves known in a community.

· We have learned how to be outspoken on matters that are important to us.

· We have learned that learning from others is just as important as learning from teachers . . . except we think we learned that from our teachers.

· We have learned about how we learn.

What Do You Need to Do or Learn Before You Go to College?

· We need to work on keeping an open mind.

· We would like to continue understanding the financial implications of going to college on me and on my family.

· We need to learn how to Balance a bank account, eat right, and find work/life balance – this last part sounded to me something like The Serenity Prayer.

Finally, and this gave me clear sense the conversation was authentic . . .

· We need to learn how to know when you can not go to class.

What Do You Hope for in Your Relationship

with Your Parents in the Next Few Months?

· We want our parents to continue trusting and supporting our decisions

· We want to acknowledge that we are entering into a new phase of our relationship that will feel like a testing period for a while.

· We want our relationship to stay as healthy as it presently is . . .

· We want to have empathy for our parent’s situation – we know this change could be hard for them.

Lastly . . .

· Freedom

There are some big ideas here. Some difficult, complex ideas here. Challenging ideas because they presume further conversation – conversation beyond tonight, but perhaps conversations that can echo for the next few months as you move further into all of the transitions still to come.

So I told you what I heard, and now I’ll tell you what I believe –

This senior class has some of the most thoughtful, confident, smart and compassionate young people you could ever hope to meet. They have inspired our entire school during their time here.

They come from homes filled with parents absolutely committed to their well-being, their growth, and to their success in every dimension of life.

In light of all of this I simply want to say Thank you – thank you parents for sharing your extraordinary children. Thank you seniors for being who you are, and for sharing some of your wisdom about your time at our school

Now I would like to ask Mr. Powell, our marvelous Upper School Head, to come and take us further into the evening. Mr. Powell . . . .

I cut the following out because of time (after all, the advisors only had 100 words, and we were assembled to hear their views).

What I have come to believe most about seniors, however, is really two-fold.

First, seniors cannot not be leaders. Put positively, you must be leaders in our community. Its structural – its built-in. Every 6^th grader, every new student, every student who is younger than our seniors – so of course I mean everyone – looks to you and says “that is what it means to be a senior at this remarkable school we call Derryfield.” You’ve got a crucial role whether you want it or not – it comes with the territory, and I think it makes sense to simply embrace it and not resist it.

The second part of what I have come to believe about seniors is that it is very hard, maybe impossible, for a school to be stronger, more compassionate, more accomplished, than its oldest students. You simply carry the torch for us. You are at the front of the line, and it should be that way.

Spring Break Send-Off

Derryfield has a tradition of an all-school meeting immediately before departing for spring break. The request goes out days beforehand asking the faculty and staff to consider performing or saying a few words or generally taking the stage the way our students do every Monday. In this way the adults return some of the favor that our students routinely model during our weekly all-school meetings.

I decided on an illustrated talk combining a few of my photos, as well as ideas that speak to some of what I have learned since being at our extraordinary school. The title of the piece, and the refrain that introduced each picture, is called “I Want to Find a School.” Enjoy.

* * * * * *

I want to find a school filled with fantastic people and an inspiring sense of education. All kinds of people and all kinds of life will recognize that something extraordinary is happening at that school, and they will all want to be there.

I want to find a school where I don’t understand everything that is happening at every moment. People will understand, though, that they are surrounded by a mysterious degree of excellence that ignites their curiosity and makes the atmosphere exciting. The community will be filled with smart people who think differently, respect each other, and learn from each other.

I want to find a school where people are having fun, being playful, not taking themselves too seriously. The school will have an innate sense of joy, both for its own sake, and because it actually makes the learning better. Sometimes the fun will happen when we are alone.

And sometimes the fun will happen when we are together. But either way, people will be putting their energy, their effort, their best out there – they will be trying to be their best all the time.

I want to find a school that has “change the world” on its To Do list. This school will be a place that always thinks about, and acts on, serving others. At the same time, that school will be aware of its own abundance, its own good fortune, and will have a pervasive attitude of gratitude in the hallways, in the classrooms, and on the playing fields.

I want to find a school filled with courage, where bold people embrace big ideas, big goals, and overcome big obstacles - always with respect and always with humility. But nonetheless, that school will always seek to go for it, to try.

I want to find a school filled with exceptional individuals, and exceptional individual effort. That effort will not always look squeaky clean - hard work and determination often leads to some messiness. But those individuals will always keep trying. The people in that school will bring their “A” game every day.

I want to find a school where exceptional individual effort is balanced, valued and complemented by caring, kind, supportive teammates. Everyone in that school will bring out the best in each other – teams will challenge individuals, and individuals will inspire their teams. The entire community will understand that the most important aspect of what they do each day is not for sale, is essentially priceless – I mean, of course, the act of caring. The people at that school will understand they cannot go it alone. They will understand they need help from caring friends and teammates.

I want to find a school filled with enthusiasm for its mission, and for each other. That school will be defined by cool, fun, passionate and committed teachers, and will be filled with great, inspiring young people.

When we find that school, it will be great in ways we won’t even understand in the moment. It will be filled with joy, spirit and a sense that we are all a part of something simply exceptional. It will combine inspiring individuals, pointing to the sky with conviction, and committed friends and teammates - people you can rely on, people with whom you want to share spring break.

When we find that school . . . great, wonderful, surprising things will happen.

Enjoy your spring break. Be safe, and we will see you in two weeks.

Athletics Assembly

Derryfield has a splendid tradition of having an Athletics Assembly at the end of each trimester to honor the high school student athletes who just completed a sports season. While the athletes and coaches are the stars of the gathering, I have the honor of introducing the event. The following are notes from my introduction of the Athletics Assembly on Monday, March 8^th, 2010.

"Every Sunday I get the New Your Times delivered, and reading it is one of the joys of my Sunday evening. I do my best to read it in order, but I save the magazine section for last. I know this all sounds very old-school to you – guilty! And every once in a while a cover story comes along that I particularly enjoy. Yesterday’s was called 'Building a Better Teacher' – here is a brief excerpt:

The testing mandates in governmental policies over the last several years have generated a sea of data, and researchers have been parsing student achievement in ways they never had before.

A new generation of economists devised statistical methods to measure the “value added” by a teacher to a student’s performance by almost every factor imaginable: class size versus per-pupil funding versus curriculum versus on and on and on.

When researchers ran the numbers in dozens of different studies, every factor under a school’s control produced just a tiny impact, except for one: which teacher the student had.

Some teachers could regularly lift their students’ test scores above the average for children of the same race, class and ability level. Others’ students left with below-average results year after year.

Statistician now agree that a student with a weak teacher for three straight years would score, on average, 50 percentile points behind a similar student with a strong teacher for those years. Teachers working in the same building, teaching the same grade, produced very different outcomes. And the gaps were huge.

Similarly, a Stanford economist, found that while the top 5 percent of teachers were able to impart a year and a half’s worth of learning to students in one school year, as judged by standardized tests, the weakest 5 percent advanced their students only half a year of material each year.

I can hear you thinking 'Mr. Sellers has forgotten this is an athletics assembly.'

No – hear me out. This is the point: Great teaching is the same as great coaching, and Derryfield is blessed with adult coaches at the top of their game, helping great student athletes at the top of their game.

Coaches who can help you improve two seasons worth in one season. People who are absolutely committed to helping you Aim High while improving your ability to have lead a balanced life.

So we are here to celebrate great coaching and great athletes, and from here our Athletics Director will take over. Mr. McCaigue, thank you once again for leading us in a fine season. I look forward to your words.

CNS

Thinking Like Google

In February I attended the National Association of Independent School (“NAIS”) conference. The theme this year was “Adapt, Survive, Thrive” and many of the presentations were organized around strategies independent schools must adopt to move through the recession. Doesn’t sound very uplifting? Well, the title of one presentation caught my eye – “How Can Your School Think Like Google?” I came away with the following seven points, as well as renewed appreciation for all that Derryfield does incredibly well.

1. Ideas come from everywhere - Google encourages people to attend meetings outside their field, even meetings outside their comfort zone.

2. Share everything you can - The institution should constantly be creating opportunities for convergence.

Most parents are not likely to have experienced some of my most favorite events at Derryfield. That is, our full faculty meeting on Friday morning that we call “Stand-up” (a remnant from when we did not have a room large enough for everyone to sit), or our All-School Meeting on Monday mornings (which you are invited to, but most parents find inconvenient to attend). Both “Stand-Up” and All School Meeting have a tone of respect for one another, and a sense that we are at our best when sharing the talents in or community. Both of these gatherings have a grand feeling of “convergence” about them, and in different ways they represent our school culture at its best.

3. You’re inspiring? We’re Hiring! Leadership that actively seeks diverse viewpoints, supported by a genuinely welcoming community.

Each year at this time I am inspired by the quality of people who want to teach at Derryfield, and the way the school’s reputation seems to excite them and bring out the best in them. Google’s phrase captures the essence of our mission statement (“The Derryfield School inspires bright, motivated young people . . .”) and helps to explain why both Derryfield and Google made it from young start-ups to mature organizations.

4. Give a License to Pursue Dreams – Explanation: Google has their famous “20% time” (that is, one of every five days employees get to work on whatever interests them – pet projects, passions, etc. G-mail, Google maps, and many others were developed because of the 20% time). But they are also developing a new idea at their phenomenal campus – they are pursuing a work-life that is “blended,” not “balanced.” The cynical view –now employees never have a reason to go home. Google’s view – This is what it takes to be a great company.

We have spent time this year in a variety of ways exploring our core value of “Balance,” defined as “inspiring academic, artistic, and athletic opportunities, promoting the development of healthy habits of mind, body, and spirit, and the skill to balance creative tension.” Best I can tell, Google has simply walked by any pretense of balance, opting instead to offer their employees a “blended” life – one in which their employees never have to leave their extraordinary corporate headquarters. Does this approach hint at what is to come if our children are to work at leading companies five or ten years from now? Is the value of “balance” already an outdated idea for our children and their future?

I cast my lot with Derryfield’s view of balance. Doubtless the world will give more opportunities for our children to blend interests, but schools – and the adults in them – must continue to promote the skills needed to navigate creative tension. I call that balance. Google disagrees.

5. Creativity Loves Constraint - The economy is the new constraint, and you have to surf it, not resent it.

No argument here. In fact, if creativity loves constraint, we may be entering a whole new era of creativity on a global scale.

6. Innovation, not Instant Perfection. In other words - Start, innovate and iterate.

I think this is an exceptionally important value to build into a start-up. It explains so much of Google’s success. So many young organizations have analysis paralysis. The best teachers, like the best organizations, find a way to create an environment of thoughtful risk taking. I was fortunate to inherit Derryfield’s healthy atmosphere in this regard, and yet I continue to see opportunities to move this value forward. We have some of the most innovative faculty, staff, students, parents and Board members anyone could ask for – but the phrase implies constant work, constant review, and a determined humility that always seeks improvement on behalf of students.

7. Data is apolitical - Data has no agenda

This was a raucous way to end a presentation, in part because the day’s newspaper headlines included a story about Google having good reason to believe that China may be tampering with their servers – in essence, with their data. In light of this, the mantra seemed naïve. And, one could argue, exposed a humanizing sense of fallibility in a company that has a Midas touch.

I hope you enjoy your spring break. Take some time to think, perhaps even some time to think like Google. And let me know your reaction to these seven points. Meanwhile, I am developing a presentation called “How Can Google Think Like Derryfield.” I bet it will be standing room only.

CNS