Page 13 - Priorities #15 2001-July

Traveling Lessons
Russell Shaw, former dean of students, was invited by the class to be their speaker. Everything he wanted to tell them, he said, he’d learned from traveling around the world over the past year.
There was the time he and his wife, Shira—both vegetarians—were served
grilled guinea pig. Their hosts were honoring them with a luxury. Later, they weren’t proud that they’d made excuses. ”Put yourself in other people’s shoes,” he advised.
Then, there was the time they were crowded onto a rickety rural bus for a 17-hour trip. The little girl thrust onto Shira’s lap thew up on her shoes and a rooster tumbled out of an overhead bin onto her head. When faced with crazy circumstances, he advised Shira’s reaction—she was laughing.
Other advice included: take time for blessings, appreciate the gifts you have and decide what to do with them, and don’t forget to take a little bit of the Priory with you on the next step of your life’s journey.
Russell and Shira’s next step will be to Philadelphia, where she will begin rabbinical studies and he will head a Friends middle school.
There’s A Monster
Liesl Yost, student speaker, talked about a Sesame Street book she had loved as a child, “The Monster At The End Of This Book.” Referring to the experience of going off to college far from home and being independent for the first time, she said “I think there’s a monster at the
end of my summer.”
In saying goodbye to her 42 classmates, she
congratulated those who achieved, and those who didn’t know how much they truly achieved; those who triumphed and those who didn’t stop trying; the ones in the spotlight and the ones behind the scenes; those who made things happen, or watched things happen, or simply tried to figure out what happened. By May 2001 all the individuals in the class were a team, she said.
Full text of both speeches are available on
Fathers Maurus (front) and Egon (behind) leave the chapel following Baccalaureate Mass. Father Egon, founder of the school, lives in the monastery and often participates in special events.
Celebratory and contemplative
Emily Kirkland (above left), Charles Kou (center) and Jason Lam (right) have front-row seats facing a crowd of well-wishers. At left, Kit Newman, student body president, and Suzanne Koppett, member of the English faculty, share congratulations after the ceremony. Grads, families and friends celebrated at a reception outdoors and in the gym.
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