SSFS Head of School Tom Gibian at the End of Year All-School AssemblyIt is really awesome to be here with all of you on Moving On Day. I want to especially congratulate our 5th graders, our 8th graders, and our amazing seniors of the one and only class of 2013. We are moving on and into summer, my favorite time of the year. Moving On day is an in- between day because one of the things we do is to look back at the whole year, what we accomplished, the different things we made like art, friends, goals, As and Bs, home runs and the like. We also look ahead on days like this.I was reading the other day about William Penn, who left England with a ship full of Quakers in 1682 heading to his colony. George Fox came down to the dock to say goodbye. This was kind of a big deal. Think of it as Moving On Day for keeps. Many of the Quakers had been harassed, some had been in jail, all were looking forward to the opportunity to go to a place where tolerance prevailed and respect was practiced. So George Fox says goodbye, wishes them a safe journey and then he tells them what was true then and what would remain true for the next 350 years. He tells them that while they work hard to be good farmers, they should remember to tend the garden in their hearts so that vines and lilies can grow.
Fox could have passed on a few gardening tips, or some helpful advice as to how to get along with roommates, or he might have reminisced about doing time with some of them, but instead he reminded them about the thing he was most sure of.
So I will do the same. This summer Let Your Lives Speak, have fun, use suntan lotion, mind your Ps and Qs, and don't forget to tend to the vines and lilies that grow in your hearts.