Board of Education Chairperson's Speech: Peggy Roell

Last year it was bubbles, and this year Board of Education Chairperson Peggy Roell gave the Avon High School graduates spider rings.

As she told the Class of 2012 in her speech at Friday's graduation ceremony, she wanted to remind them of the web of relationships that they have formed in high school and that they will form in the rest of their lives.

Read a transcript of her speech below:

Good evening Avon High School Class of 2012, families, faculty and friends. On behalf of the Board of Education and all of the residents of Avon, please accept our congratulations on this very special day. We are very proud of each of you.

This morning during graduation rehearsal you each received a spider ring. You may be wondering why a spider? Does it somehow relate to your favorite super hero…Spiderman’s “With great POWER comes great responsibility”…or to your favorite third grade book…Charlotte Web’s “You have been my friend and that in itself is a tremendous thing.”

Well no, I would like you to think about spiders, the insects, and how they spin their webs. Their webs are spun one thread at a time. The more threads there are, the stronger the web becomes.

Why should we think about a spider’s web? Wictionary says that “any interconnected set of persons, places or things, when diagrammed, resembles a spider’s web.” Think about it…each of us has a personal web based on our relationships and life experiences so far.

If each thread in YOUR personal web represents a relationship or experience you have had, how strong is your web today? As you were growing up, you were continuously adding new relationships and having new experiences. Starting with your parents and extended family, then your family friends and neighbors, then your school friends and teachers, then your extracurricular activities…sports teams, Robotics, scouts or religious groups…you continued to grow and your connections became stronger. 

The number of people who influenced you increased, as did the network of people you influenced.  As you look around here today … many of the people I am talking about are here.  Look to your right and to your left, and look at the big crowd in front of you.  That’s a lot of relationships!

As you leave Avon High School, you will have many opportunities to build new friendships, but, I encourage you to work to maintain the friendships you have today.

Ed Bradley from 60 Minutes is quoted as saying, “The people in your life are important. Meaningful relationships with those people are VERY important.”  In my opinion, it is not about how many Facebook friends or Linked In contacts you have … it is about “real” relationships you develop with others.

How do you create “Real” and “Meaningful” relationships?  I believe the answer is by being a LIKEABLE person. The LIKEABLE acronym was recently in the Jobs section of the Hartford Courant in the context of being a successful employee…I have modified it slightly to reflect what I believe can help all of us build more meaningful relationships.

L—Listen…make the other person feel like they are the most important person in your life

I—Image...maintain a consistent, positive image and you will gain credibility and trust

K—Kindness…step forward to help others when they need a hand

E—Empathy...put yourself into the shoes of others; maintain an open mind

A—Awareness…step beyond your own comfort zone and pay attention to the world around you. It will make you more interesting as a person while it makes your life more interesting to live

B—Businesslike…be a prompt, courteous, honest, hard worker and team player

L—Be conscious of how you Look…your personal brand is reflected in the way you dress, carry yourself and communicate both verbally and nonverbally and finally,

E—Energy…everyone likes to be around positive people who project authentic, uplifting, positive energy.

 Like the spider on your ring … build a web of relationships, one thread at a time.  Be LIKEABLE, and take care building those relationships … take care to maintain them.     

Spiderman says “With great POWER comes great responsibility.”  Well … how about  … with great RELATIONSHIPS comes great Power.

As you leave here today, please again accept congratulations from the Board of Education and all of the residents of our town!