It has been another remarkable year at Colorado Academy.

 

We've worked together as a community on an exciting school culture project, implemented a successful year of our 1:1 iPad initiative, created new offerings for students of all ages, taken students to points near and far, and our students have won accolades on screen and stage, in the Mock Trial courtroom, in the choir and music rooms, and brought home three state championships in sports. We’ve continued our work in our experiential education and outdoor programs, celebrated the 25^th anniversary of our Middle School circus, and ensured advancement for students academically, whether through coding for Lower School students or Innovation courses in the Upper School.

 

Our daily mission has been to provide students with the best education and life preparation possible. And it all comes down to this week—a series of continuation and commencement celebrations that reaffirm the value of a CA education. We are reminded of (and I speak as the parent of two students who just completed eighth grade continuation) the dedication and creativity of our faculty, the remarkable ways that teachers have come to know our children, the amazing connections that students have formed with peers, and exciting and emerging interests and talents of these young people. 

 

But really, it doesn’t come down to just this week of events. It is very much about every day we have spent, as students, parents, and teachers, working to reach these final days.  It is, in fact, as much about the journey as it is the destination.

 

I want to share just a few of my remarks from Thursday’s commencement exercises about “the journey.”(Click below).  I hope all of your journeys over the coming months are terrific.  My very best wishes to all of you for a safe and enjoyable summer.

 

This year, I fulfilled a long-time dream of mountain biking the world-famous Slickrock Trail outside of Moab. On a recent trip to Moab, Utah, I got up early, met a friend in downtown Moab, and then we proceeded to ride our bikes the five miles out of town to the top of the mesa where the trail begins.  Within the first mile, a woman on a mountain bike passed us and said cheerily “Happy ride!”  In fact, the few people we saw on the trail were all pretty ecstatic to be there, and all were grinning ear to ear.  They all knew, like I did, that, barring riding off the many cliffs of this trail or wiping out in some spectacular way, it was going to be a “happy ride.” I took her greeting as a good omen and headed down the trail. 

However, within the first two miles of the ride, I broke my chain two times.  Each time, my partner and I would stop, pull out a chain tool, and put the chain back together. If you know anything about bike maintenance, you will know that putting the chain back together involves taking links out, thus shortening the chain.  What this meant for me was, that for the next seven miles of this nine-mile loop, my chain could handle little stress and could not be stretched out to fit my sprockets so I could ride in higher, or an easier-to-pedal gear. I had to put it in a low gear, where it was harder to pedal, and stay in that one gear for the entire ride.  For the most part, I didn’t care.

At the halfway point at a feature called Shrimp Rock, we stopped for a break and we surveyed the ride. We could see the trail head far in the distance. My riding partner said, “It’s all downhill from here…. Except for the uphill parts.”  That line struck me for lots of reasons: One, when I looked at the trail, it was pretty obvious that we had to mainly go uphill – not downhill – to get back to the trail head.  Two, I realized that this is a great way to look at life: to see the challenges before me with an optimistic perspective.  I found myself laughing as I headed out for the final four miles of the ride, despite that fact that my legs were on fire with fatigue.

We have a choice about how we choose to perceive the world around us.  We can look at the uphill parts of our life as a burden, or we can embrace the “uphill.” 

Graduates:  you are about to embark on an exciting new journey in your life – college.  Your parents and other adults, if they are like me, are all a little envious of you right now. You are entering a time of freedom, exploration, and limitless possibilities.   In cycling terms, you are headed “downhill” in a fun way for the next four years: your talent, intelligence, and motivation will give you the momentum to carry you through the academic challenges of college. 

But, we all know that there will certainly be times when you will be riding uphill during the next four years and beyond.  Again, embrace “the uphill” and frame your perspective by looking at life’s challenges as opportunities and things to actually be enjoyed.  Riding uphill can be a struggle.  However, as the famous NFL linebacker Willie Davis once said, “The road to success runs uphill.”  Greg LeMond, one of America’s greatest cyclists, noted, “I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it's not going to be satisfying.”  The “uphill” matters for us to have happiness and to find meaning in our lives.

Being able to see the value in “struggle” is something that does not come easily to most people.  But, there are many successful and happy people who know how critical the struggle is to providing meaning and purpose in our lives. Congratulations to the Class of 2014.