BrennanBits

I would like to begin my remarks today with a few thank-yous.  First, definitely first, I would like to thank Wendy and our three daughters – Molly, Katy, and Abby – for supporting the decision to move our family to this wonderful school and community.  In two short months we have continually been impressed by the kind people, breath-taking vistas, and unique school that is Vermont Academy.  To Jim Frey and Bob Harrington, thank you for donning again the Dean robes.  Your willingness to take on leadership roles affirms my belief in this place and the people who work and study here.  To the faculty and staff as a whole, thank you for trusting that a few changes does not alter the ethos of what great work has been done here and will continue to be done here in educating future generations.  Vermont Academy has been here for 133 years . . . strong roots grow over time.  Wendy and I would also like to thank, although they are not here today, the entire Mooney family who were so helpful and kind to us in the transition.  You won’t find a nicer family than the Mooneys!

As you may have heard, I’m new here.  Like eighty of you – our new students and new faculty – I am looking through a clear lens at a new sight.  A first glance at anything can never be recovered again: first impressions stick.  Here are a five of my first impressions about VA:

1. Do you know how amazing this campus is?  I am sure I have violated some rules about where you can or cannot ride a mountain bike, but I hopped on my 20 year old mountain bike and struggled around the most amazing network of trails I have seen in quite some time.  Then I took the girls and Wendy out there the other day.  How many of you have been to the Arboretum?  There is a peacefulness in that space that is profound.  In a world of chaos, it is nice to find retreats that are easily accessed. Get out there soon and take advantage of the beauty that surrounds us.

2. The adults in this school really want you, as students, to succeed.  As I have been learning about how this school works, a plethora of anecdotes have been recounted.  Sometimes to illustrate when a student has not taken advantage of opportunities presented to him or her, but more often the stories I have heard revel in a student’s overcoming an obstacle or exceeding expectations.  Your teachers and mentors want you to excel.  Be sure you know that each day.

3. A lot of people have walked in your shoes.  As I learn about and meet those who slept in your dorm rooms, played on your fields, wore the same jerseys, walked the same trails, I am impressed by their stories.  These are men (primarily as it used to be a boys school) and women who credit what they learned here as a solid part of the foundation on which their future successes were built.  Virtually all of them also recall that they did not appreciate, at the time, that they were getting anything out of what was being offered.  Being told where to go and when, what to study, how to write, seemed pointless at the time, but later they recognized that structure, problem solving, and even a bit of survivability helped them get ahead.  Please know that we do not put rules in place to annoy you.  Try to follow our suggestions rather than expending energy looking for ways to get around the rules.  You may find it easier in the long run.

4. There are so many great systems in place here for you to succeed.  From teachers living on campus, to a Learning Skills department you really need to make an effort not to do your work.  Like I mentioned previously, giving the work some effort may actually be easier than trying to cheat or take an easy way out.  Look at your friends who put in the time to do well and recognize the advantages they are experiencing.  I have always marveled at students who complain about a teacher or coach or parent “who is all over them.”  Usually there is a valid reason for the hassling that could easily be remedied by some hard work on the student’s part.  Take control of your lives by doing what you are asked to do.

5.  The food here is great.  Be sure to thank the folks who prepare our food each day and those who help to keep this school up and running.  The staff is as dedicated to this school as your teachers are, and they tend to play a behind the scenes role that often goes unnoticed and unappreciated.  You will have a chance to work more closely with the kitchen staff through the composting and kitchen duty programs.  I hope you will come to know them and learn from them as well.

We are living in such interesting times in the world as a whole.  Economies are on shaky footing, wars are being fought in ways that no military training can prepare for, we are using resources at far greater rates than we can ever replenish, yet, the solace of a new day comes regularly, and we are on the cusp of a new year which promises new opportunities and new hopes.  Make note of your hopes and dreams today.  Don’t put it off.  Write them down.  What do you want out of this year?  How can you improve: as a student, a teammate, a person?  If you know your obstacles, how will you overcome them?  One of my favorite quotes is, “If you are not getting better, you are getting worse.”  We can all find new ways to learn and to grow daily. I look forward to witnessing you all grow in some ways this year, and I hope to learn a thing or two myself!

Later today we will hear President Obama’s speech to the students in this country.  Regardless of your political beliefs, we should all be interested in hearing what he has to say.  I hope he will hit on some of the same points I have mentioned here, but talk with your roommate or advisor about what he says, bring an opinion to class and voice it with confidence, but also listen to your friends and teachers as you would want them to listen to you.  It’s a new day . . . what are you going to do?