Graduation Speakers Advocate Exploration and Community

Paris Harper and Kevin McGarvey, selected as speakers by their classmates and teachers, addressed fellow graduates and their families and friends at June 10 commencement exercises for 95 Penn Charter seniors.

Harper spoke about the importance of trying new things and allowing your dreams to change. "It takes a lot of guts to try something you could fail," she said. "But if you're not working on something hard, than you're working on something that anybody could do, and that's nothing special. Everyone wants to be special; that's why it isn't easy."

Harper is a National Merit semi-finalist who served on the school's Service Council, was captain of Comedy Sportz (an improv comedy troupe) and was a member of the cross-country team. She will attend Cornell University in the fall.

Harper ended her address with encouragement for her classmates to discover what it is that inspires them: "Some people are born with an unquenchable passion to pursue in the face of adversity, and the rest of us have to work for it. But it's out there, you can find it, and you will find it as long as you keep trying."

McGarvey spoke about the importance of community and support in a school, and how Penn Charter brings together so many students and families of different backgrounds.

A talented lacrosse player, McGarvey likened the Penn Charter community to the woven mesh of his lacrosse stick: "The mesh catches the ball; the mesh propels the ball forward . . . In the same vein, various groups of people work together to form the fabric that is Penn Charter, which in turn catches and cares for individuals in the community and propels them forward into the future."

McGarvey, who will attend Ursinus College in the fall, is an exceptional athlete who also played football and basketball at Penn Charter. In addition, he worked at a summer camp for inner city students, teaching basketball skills.

He wrapped up his address by quoting writer Logan Pearsall Smith: "There are two things to aim at in life: first to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second."

"It is important for us to strive towards greatness," said McGarvey, "and as Smith said, it is equally important to enjoy the greatness we achieve."