together we stand

What was to have been a joyous day of celebration last Friday began instead beneath threatening skies and a solemn backdrop of flags flying at half-mast.

As 1,800 students, faculty, staff, and guests assembled on the Upper School lawn for Collegiate’s third annual Convocation, an unseasonably cool breeze swirled at times, and the laminated banners which contained hundreds of self-portraits strung from metal supports fluttered uneasily with every gust.

Secured firmly in the ground, the pillars and symbolic artwork never toppled, and for a few bright moments in an otherwise difficult week, the hard rain didn’t fall.

Head of School Keith Evans pointed out early in the program that our Convocation coincided with the National Day of Remembrance and Prayer declared by President Bush to honor the memories of those who died three days earlier in the terrorist attacks on the United States.

No one -- not those wearing red, white, and blue or those proudly carrying American flags, not those still stinging from the horrific transgressions of 9-11, not those haunted by the graphic imagery they witnessed that day or buoyed by the many acts of heroism that ensued -- needed to be reminded.

Mr. Evans scrapped his customary light-hearted parable, a staple of past Convocations, and addressed in measured tone the tragedy so prominent in our consciousness.

"We have been through an extraordinary week," he began. "You’re a beautiful sight in red, white, and blue." He continued with three lessons, simply yet profoundly stated, that we must learn as we wrestle to comprehend the incomprehensible.

He spoke first of vulnerability. "We are vulnerable physically, but that’s not the kind of vulnerability I’m talking about," he said. "We are vulnerable to feelings of bitterness and hatred and to the misguided belief that vengeance will somehow make us whole again."

Then, he spoke of heroism. "We are susceptible," he continued, "to confusing being famous with being heroic. Often we choose our heroes from among the famous, but this week has given us many examples of the truly heroic."

Finally, he spoke of community. "It is in community," he stated, "that we bear together our pain, our grief, and our loss, where we look for meaning, where we look for some way to make sense of what’s going on. We don’t do that alone. We do it together. I hope this Convocation will remind us how important it is to be responsible to one another, to offer support in times of tragedy such as we’ve seen this week but also in times of joy that we’ll no doubt see much of this school year."

Then, we observed a long, reflective moment of silence.

After the assemblage joined to sing America the Beautiful, Evans recognized the senior class, which had traditionally and symbolically escorted the kindergartners from the Lower School, asked them to stand, and offered a weighty charge. "Will you choose courage over cowardice to do what you know is right, to be bold in declaring what is good and truthful, to test yourself to push your known limits?" he challenged. "Will you choose humanity and community and create a world of possibilities for yourself and those around you, never compromising your integrity by giving in to hatred and bitterness?"

Following the National Anthem, Scott Bartholomew, president of the senior class, concluded the service with an impassioned message of resolve and hope. "A certain proverb says that the darkest hour is just before the sun rises," he said. "We may have taken a hit, but we will rise again from the ashes, and when we do, the Stars and Stripes will fly higher than ever before. Just as the country must stay together, we as a school must remain united in spirit."