August 2020
It goes without saying: The school year ahead of us will look different than any that have come before. It comes at a historic moment that is sure to be viewed one day as a pivot point for all of us. For the rest of our lives, the year 2020 will stand out from all the rest…and, we must admit, maybe not in the best way possible. The same need not be said, though, about how we learn, how we grow, and how we come together as a community in the face of unprecedented challenges.
A few weeks ago, while addressing our graduating seniors at a long-awaited graduation ceremony, I complimented them on “the striving, the effort, the self-discovery [and] the service rendered to others” that had distinguished them over the course of four years. As their class gathered on our campus for the final time, I explained that if Hingham High School (HHS) had fulfilled its promise to them, then they had gained powerful insights about the world and about themselves. But that’s not all. If our school is to truly fulfill its mission, then our students will recognize (and believe) something even greater. For students at HHS, education is not only about understanding the world but also, more importantly, about developing their capacity to improve the world. And the world could use some improving right now.
Midway through the summer, I read and spent some time reflecting on the final words of a genuine American hero, John Lewis, who was recently laid to rest in Atlanta, Georgia. This lion of the civil rights movement, who went on to a long and distinguished career in the United States Congress, died in late July at the age of eighty. I had the chance to meet Representative Lewis about twenty years ago, when I heard him give an unforgettable speech at the Kennedy Library in Boston. After the speech, I had an opportunity to talk to him about my work as a high school history teacher. He shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me for being a teacher. He told me that my work was among the most important work that could be done; and in those few moments, he reinforced my belief in the importance of what we do in school. I’ll always be grateful for that encounter. Ever since that day, and especially since reading his memoir, Walking with the Wind, I’ve had a sure answer to the question: “Which living American do you most admire?” I’m not sure who will fill that role, now that he’s gone.
Not long before he died, Representative Lewis composed an essay to be published on the day of his funeral. If you haven’t already read it, I urge you to do so. Because it contains hope; because it will deliver inspiration at a time when we greatly need it; and because Representative Lewis was speaking directly to the more than 1300 students who will attend our school this year. He was addressing an entire generation of young people when he wrote: “I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference….Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”
HHS students: We’re all counting on you to help move us closer to what John Lewis called the Beloved Community, and you personify the hope that we might actually get there one day. So, as you take up your studies during this most unusual school year, heed that powerful call to “walk with the wind” and “answer the highest calling of your heart.” As John Lewis tells you, and as your teachers will affirm: “It’s your turn!”
The mission of Hingham High School is to graduate students with the academic, civic, social, and personal skills necessary to become productive, responsible members of a democratic and ever-changing global society. With the support and involvement of the community, Hingham High School will engage all students in a challenging, well-balanced educational program complemented by co-curricular activities.