South Lakes High School may be defined by the green and blue that Seahawks wear on the athletic fields and courts, but inside the walls the school is much more colorful.
"Look around. South Lakes is a virtual cornucopia of cultural diversity," said Maxwell Joslyn, the student speaker at the Class of 2007 graduation ceremony held on Wednesday, June 13. According to Joslyn, diversity is "the foundation on which the Class of 2007 was built."
Laurence Ward, the faculty speaker at the ceremony, listed his recommendations for what the graduates should take with them as they take next steps in life. Conscience, compassion, curiosity, sense of adventure and common sense were some of the qualities Ward listed. "Bring a sense of humor," he said. "For every 100 things that happen to you, 99 are worth laughing about." Also, Ward said students should take with them a sense of understanding that they are a part of a greater community. He said this was something they understood very well during their time at South Lakes, having raised funds for a number of charities and relief drives during their four years as Seahawks.
Guest speaker Andrew Flagel, Dean of Admissions at George Mason University, also spoke of the students’ achievements in the community. "Think of everything you accomplished together," said Flagel. He referred to student-organized "Help A Seahawk" drive where $25,000 was raised to help a schoolmate fight cancer earlier this year. As a result, leadership teacher Lindsay Trout cut her hair into a Mohawk in front of the entire student body. "You didn’t do it to see your teacher get a Mohawk, you did it because it was the right thing to do," he said.
FLAGEL ALSO TOLD the students about his grandfather who passed away a couple of months ago at the age of 99. According to Flagel, he was a man who immigrated to this country without many material possessions, and worked hard to own a business. However, Flagel said, he rarely talked about business, choosing instead to talk about golf. "He loved golf," said Flagel. He said his grandfather told him that golf taught him everything he needed to know about life. He also once severed a business tie because he caught his client cheating in a game of golf. The lesson his grandfather taught him from the experience, according to Flagel, was, "If you cheat you only cheat yourself, and the only thing you can’t buy is your integrity."
Drawing on another golf lesson from his grandfather, Flagel said the secret to success was enjoying whatever a person does. "It’s not going to be the school you go to or what major you choose, it’s going to be your passion," he said. "How much you’re enjoying what you’re doing will be an indicator of how well you do."
NOW THAT HIGH school is over, Flagel said the students would have an opportunity to show they can act as adults. He said that everything the adults in their lives had done so far was done to prepare the students for independence. "You’ve been asking for a chance to prove you’re an adult since you were six," said Flagel. He also left a list of things he wanted the Class of 2007 to accomplish. "Clean our environment, feed the hungry, cure disease, bring us peace," said Flagel. "There is no one more qualified than you to bring us these dreams."
Principal Bruce Butler presented this year’s Faculty Award to Loghman Fattahi, whom he called an energetic and focused young man. He said Fattahi, an Iranian Kurd, speaks three languages fluently, and his story of persecution from Iran is "A personal story of triumph over tragedy." Fattahi also shoulders the responsibility of being the family’s translator, handling the family’s finances and supervising his younger siblings.