Here are the remarks I shared with the first Sage Creek High School graduating class:
Pictured left to right Board member Veronica Williams, former Superintendent Dr. John Roach, former Deputy Superintendent Suzanne O'Connell, former Superintendent Dr. Suzette Lovely, Superintendent Dr. Ben Churchill, Board Member Elisa Williamson, former Board Member Kelli Moors
11 years ago, when you graduates were in 1st grade, the Carlsbad school board faced a major decision. Our very overcrowded, almost 50-year-old high school was in need of costly repairs and modernization. For months we evaluated various options…
· maintain one campus, but reconfigure it to create smaller learning communities;
· build a second “mirror image” high school and establish attendance boundaries;
· take some pressure off by building a small “boutique” high school with a specific, narrow focus;
· or build a medium-size high school that would create its own unique identity and allow Carlsbad students and their families a clear choice between two strong high schools.
With input from the community, that’s the path we chose. 11 years and hundreds of decisions later, here you are…the fruit of those decisions…the first graduating class of Sage Creek High School.
Just as Sage Creek has been molded by the decisions made during the last 11 years, the decisions you make determine your destiny. You might find the process used with Sage Creek helpful as you enter the “big decisions” stage of life.
First, find your “why”. As the Cheshire Cat told Alice in Wonderland, if you don’t care where you get to, it doesn’t matter which way you go. You’ll save a lot of time and angst if you first identify what matters to you, your core values, your desired destination. Our “why” is here tonight…students who have been inspired…who have participated in community-building…who choose kindness…who are ready to succeed at whatever lies ahead. Find your “why.”
Second, once you understand your “why”, study your options. In the early years, Sage Creek leadership teams spent weeks evaluating alternative educational models; they talked to experts and visited other schools…often asking “If you could do it over again, what would you change?” You can do the same.
· Talk to people who have walked down a similar path
· Take time to think
· Share your thoughts with people you respect and then listen to them
· And think some more.
Third, once you make your decision, be okay with the fact that not everyone is going to support it. I would have loved to have unanimous support for the decisions we made, but it didn’t happen. Looking back, I think the only decision that wasn’t second guessed was the selection of Mr. Morales as principal. But we didn’t allow others who had different visions keep us from doing what we felt was best for our students. Don’t let others who perhaps don’t understand your “why” keep you from realizing your dreams.
Looking around tonight, I’m confident that we made good choices during the past 11 years…and I’m confident that you can do the same.
On behalf of the Board of Trustees, past and present, it is my extreme pleasure to accept you as the Sage Creek High School graduating class of 2017. Congratulations.