CHS 2013 Graduation Speech: Gary Gula

Gratitude is a very powerful and sustaining force in life. So, I want to begin with saying thank you to the students, to the CHS staff, to the parents,  and to the Canton community for embracing me and for making me feel so very special these past 18 years.  And a very deep and abiding thank you to my wife, Debbie, for sitting beside me on gym bleachers on countless winter nights, for attending more than 30 proms and at least 60 concerts and musicals, and for sitting home alone on many evenings while I was at a school function.  Your support and understanding means more to me than you will ever know.

Last year, a member of this class came to me very upset. She sat in my office, leaned forward, and spoke with great intensity.  “Mr. Gula, I have a problem and I want to know what are you going to do about it?”  I listened intently, and reassured her I am actually pretty successful in solving problems like hers, and that in about 15 minutes her problem would exist no more.  “Good”, she said, “Now go do it.”   We stood and shook hands, and as she reached the door, she turned around and announced: “Mr. Gula, you are like a grandfather to all of us.”  It wasn’t the comment I was expecting or hoping to hear, but the feelings and affection behind it were, and still are, greatly appreciated.  Thank you students for the genuine affection you have shown me over the years.

I wish to extend a special thank you to members of the female chorus for changing the melody of Taylor the Latte Boy and creating a new song, Gary the Principal.  To this day, I cannot listen to it without tearing up.  And thank you to the yearbook staff for allowing me to share the dedication of the yearbook with such an esteemed teacher and friend such as Steve Messier.  I hiked up Mount Washington with Steve and will never forget him or the climbing experience.

Resiliency has always been a part of each of my 18 graduation speeches. Life is not always fair and not always easy.  Members of this class have consistently displayed the ability to bounce back from adversity.  Whether it be undergoing a daily, hour-long medical treatment before coming to school, or living in a home without parents, or boarding a bus in Hartford at 6:15 every morning, or having already lost a parent to an illness, or living in poverty in a relatively affluent town, or coping with a parent with a life-threatening illness, or navigating the world of being a transgender teen, or having a life-long medical condition affecting daily life,  you have shown the rest of us how to stop whining and to start living., to focus on the positive and not the negative.   Thank you for this most valuable and enduring lesson.

One senior interviewed me as part of a Journalism class.  At the end, he said, “Mr. Gula, you make being principal seem to be the best job there is – full of fun every day.”  Although the job has many challenges, I was happy that this student and hopefully others viewed it as a job which can be done with a smile and a warm heart.  

I have always had trouble saying “good bye” to my students, whether it be as a teacher, a dean of students, or as principal.  So tonight I won’t say those words to you.  But to the Class of 2013, the CHS staff, the parents, and to the community, I wish to say a final “Thank you and see you later.”

And now for some comments about the Class of 2013:

This class has had many accomplishments over the past four years.  One National Merit Scholarship Finalist, 21 students have a cumulative grade point average of A- or better, nine seniors are members of the National Honor Society, two young man has earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and five seniors are members of the widely recognized and successful ESTEEM program.

Students were accepted at such post-secondary institutions as Yale, Syracuse, Fordham, and Skidmore.  Sixteen of you are heading off to my alma mater, The University of Connecticut.  Another 16 of you will be taking advantage of the stellar and affordable community college system.  I have been singing the praises of community colleges for over 20 years, and hope you take advantage of what is offered.  One senior will be attending a culinary institute, another may go to beauty school, and our resident blacksmith will be attending a technical school.  Another young man will spend two years on a mission trip, beginning first in Brazil.   Another student will be dancing with the Colorado Ballet Company, and getting paid for it. 

Several of our students will be heading off to the world of work.  Learning to work with the public, handling your own finances, and interacting with others older than 18, can teach you valuable lessons.  Be receptive to such lessons.  And if you should decide not to pursue a college education, be sure to acquire a skill or trade to sustain you.  You can’t live with your parents forever.

This class has excelled in other areas:

• A talented group of seniors helped the boys outdoor track team win the Class S Team Championship.  Two seniors were Class S champions!
• One senior is not only the Class S State Champion in the discus throw, but also is the State Open Champion and the New England Champion; he placed 8th in the national competition.
• Another young man played in a musical band which received an online review from Rolling Stone Magazine.  He was also recently featured in a Channel 3 newsclip.
• Five of you recently won the photography READ contest.
• The class helped the school district receive recognition for the 3rd consecutive year for its support of music education and helped  the high school music department become a 2013 Grammy Foundation National Semi-Finalist.
• Seniors helped the Jazz Ensemble win top honors at UMASS Jazz Festival and for the Jazz Combo to win an award at Berklee
• And a special shout out to my Canton Academy students – your video presentations the other night were awesome.

You should feel proud of your individual and collective accomplishments. 

So, to the members of the Board of Education and to the community, I am very pleased to announce that the students sitting before you have met all of the graduation requirements and therefore are most worthy to receive a CHS diploma.  It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the Class of 2013!