Graduation Speech: Principal Gary Gula

During the senior year, the Class of 2011 experienced a lot of firsts: This year was the first time CHS was featured on TV as a Cool School. This required students to show up by 5:00 am, making the normal starting time of 7:30 seem like a luxury.  But you did, and you made the event special.  When asked what made Canton stand out from other schools, you cited four special teachers, the visual and performing arts programs, the CPAT & Child Development programs, SEARCH, and the general good will which exists between staff and students.  

After trying for several years, it was during your senior year that the district of Canton was finally recognized as a Distinguished Music Community and the first time a music teacher – in this case, Tom Scavone – was selected as a Yale Distinguished Music Educator.  It also was the first time that a school without a track became Class S State Champions earning state individual titles in two events: the shot put and the 110 hurdles.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined a team which initially held practices in the parking lot would rank as the #1 track team in the state.  Absolutely amazing!   

We have a lot of talented athletes; this year one particular young lady was able to earn a spot playing basketball at a Division I school next year – another first for Canton.   Recently, class members came to school without shoes and in some pretty outrageous outfits.  I think some of you literally rolled out of bed and drove to school.  I hope that is the first and last of that ordeal.   And, of course, there was another first…..no Memorial Day Parade.  But true to form, this class dusted off its disappointment and was already looking forward to the Concert in the Park, which turned out to be an especially beautiful evening.

You began the year differently than most….without our beloved band teacher and without an assistant principal.  And you are ending the year without two very special educators – Paul Kalasnik and Jack King.  Under both circumstances, you handled yourself with grace and good will; you were determined to make the best out of a difficult situation.  Your resiliency and your optimism served you and the school community well.  I want to thank the class for its leadership.

The class of 2011 is an accomplished class.  Two of your classmates are National Merit Commended Students, one of your peers is a state S wrestling champion, one musician is an All-Eastern trombone player, one artist placed first in the 3-D Tunxis Community College competition while another artist won the Congressional Art Competition for Photography; in addition, a senior was inducted in the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame, and the cross country team became Class SS state champs.  You also have two talented, but injured gymnasts, and a yearbook editor-in-chief and staff who produced one of the best yearbooks in Canton’s history.

Students have selected different paths to travel after graduation.  Our students have been accepted to such colleges as Smith, Bates, Colby, Gettysburg, Fordham, Connecticut College, New York University, and Purdue University.  I am proud of these students, but I am equally proud of the eight students who will be attending one of the state’s community colleges, the ten seniors who will pursue further education in technical fields, and the one student who plans to join the Coast Guard.  There are multiple pathways to success and personal fulfillment, and not all of them need to end with the purchase of a 4,000 square foot house or a job with a prestigious title.

I am very proud of the six Canton Academy students here tonight.  I often tell my fellow educators in the state, I will match the average IQ of my alternative education students against the IQ of students in any other school in the state. Many of them have overcome personal obstacles and have demonstrated persistence to earn the privilege of walking across the stage tonight.  They are smart, caring, and kind.  Congratulations.

As far as advice for the class, just one:  be resilient.  Life is changing at a rapid pace.  Be open to change.  Develop skills to adapt to change, including setbacks in your life.   Practice gratitude by focusing on what is good in your life.  You will be much happier.  Life, in all its ups and downs, is beautiful.  Make the most of yours.

As principal of CHS, it gives me the greatest pleasure to present the Class of 2011 to members of the community and to the chair of the Board of Education, Mrs. Kandrysawtz.