2010 Graduation Speech
by Susan Landau

Good morning graduates and special guests. I am honored to have the opportunity to speak with you all this morning, and I thought I would share some wisdom I have accumulated about a very pertinent subject: graduations.

By now I’ve been through 4 graduations, and I think I’ve really learned a lot about them over the years. As a person who can be a little scared of change, graduations really catch my attention. I’m sure Mrs. White did not know this when she first asked me to speak today, but by now I even consider myself to be a bit of a graduation expert. It’s true that I have never before been to a 5th grade graduation, but I did graduate from this school at one time (probably wearing one of the same blue robes that you are wearing today!). I think I can imagine pretty well what this experience now is like for you, the newest graduates of JCDS. In the next few minutes I will share some of my thoughts with you, and I hope to show you how important a role this school (and my graduation from it) has played in my life.

My first graduation was back in 1993, when I finished my time at the preschool at the JCC. We wore construction paper caps with tassels and proudly marched into the auditorium to “Pomp and Circumstance”. We performed songs and dances for our guests in the audience, received our diplomas, and then stepped out into the big world of kindergarten, which is when I entered this school. 13 years later I graduated from Classical High School. It was a pretty similar experience: I marched into the auditorium with my classmates, accompanied by a old recording of “Pomp and Circumstance” and saw my family and friends smiling in the audience. The main differences were that speeches replaced the singing and dancing, and this time our caps and gowns were made out of polyester instead of construction paper. Four years of college followed, and my time at Brandeis just ended a few weeks ago at my fourth graduation ceremony. That graduation was nearly identical to the others, only it happened on a much bigger scale, and it took all day.

So I’ve had graduations on my mind a lot recently, and it occurred to me that although they have some major differences at times, graduations are all mostly the same. They are chances to reflect on one’s academic accomplishments and personal growth, celebrate with friends and family, wear silly robes, and take lots of pictures. The most important thing I discovered about graduations is that no matter how many times they try to call the ceremony a “commencement”, it really is just the ending of an era in one’s academic career. Depending on how you felt about the particular school from which you are graduating, this can be a more or less welcome reality, but either way it is an ending. And endings are perfect opportunities for looking back and recognizing what you’ve gained from the experience that is now over, and the memories and values you will take with you to the next chapter. Moving on is easier when you focus on what you’ve gained rather than what has been lost.

Earlier when I went through my list of graduations, I skipped over my favorite and most meaningful, my graduation from this school, (which was then Alperin Schechter). When I graduated from ASDS it was very easy for me to determine which important lessons I was taking with me. My graduation in 8th grade marked the ending of my time at the only real school I had ever known—the school that helped form the person I am today. At Schechter not only did I obtain a solid Jewish education, but I was taught to have a sense of ownership over my Jewish identity and to feel like I have a valuable role to play as a member of the Jewish people. ASDS cultivated within me a love for lifelong learning, and has shaped the path I have been taking in my life ever since. Schechter helped me maintain my sense of self and my connection to the Jewish community throughout my time in public high school, and it influenced me to choose to attend Brandeis, an excellent university with a large and active Jewish student body. I still credit my Schechter education for providing me with the comfort and passion for Jewish education that has led me to my next step--and what will eventually be my next graduation from-- rabbinical school. My growing up at this school was such a positive experience that I was a little sad to graduate. But knowing how much Schechter shaped who I am almost meant that I never really left.

My nine years at this school were full of wonderful moments: my siddur ceremony, my 4th grade play, moving up to middle school, the 8th grade trip, watching student-faculty basketball games, and making friends with whom I still keep in touch today. It taught me the value of a true community, and taught me that I can overcome any challenges. My most powerful memory was also the topic of the essay I wrote for my college applications. It is of the time when I was in first grade and I was sick in the hospital. I was devastated to be missing the Zimryah, so they brought the Zimryah to me! It was a truly remarkable night for six-year-old Susan, but it is also something that I continue to think about and treasure. When I realized that that sort of thing just doesn’t happen at most schools, I came to appreciate it even more. A few weeks ago I spent the weekend visiting with three of my best friends, the other girls who were in my 8th grade class. We came back to this building one afternoon and lined up in our familiar way to take a group picture. After our 8th grade graduation we were photographed standing together in a row, just outside the coatroom downstairs. This time we stood in the same spot, in the same order, and took the same exact picture eight years later.

These are my Schechter memories. Class of 2010, your memories from this school will look a little different from mine because your experiences have been different. But I hope they are just as meaningful. I hope you take them with you as you move on to middle school and beyond, and that one day you will be able to look back on your time here as fondly as I look back on mine. There might even be a few among you who are eager to leave this place now and move on to trying something new. But take it from the graduation expert, JCDS has influenced you more than you think, and one day you will surely look back and realize what you have learned.
B’hatzlechah, good luck in middle school, and I wish you a future full of many more graduations!