Why? Because rain or shine the Milton School Class of 2010 is going to graduate and if it is anything like any graduation it is going to be just great. Great for the parents, the administration and faculty, and, of course, and most especially, for the students.

The graduation will take place this afternoon at 2:00pm. There will be 275 graduates, 96% of whom are going on to college, 3% are joining the workforce, and 1% are enlisting in the military.

We extend our congratulations to the class on this marvelous day. Sadly, we cannot attend due to a personal committment to an old friend.

Here are some words.  This brief excerpt is from a last lecture given by Jim Farrell, a professor of American Studies at St Olaf College. Prof Farrell was addressing college graduates; but his remarks apply to just about anyone.

I hope you’re learning to love language and to love the ways that our words affect our worlds, and vice versa. I hope you’ve noticed that when you use a word like “vocation” instead of a word like “job,” your expectations change. When you’re willing to use a word like “virtue” or to talk seriously about the “goodness” of the good life, you make it possible for people to re-think their lives and American life. So I hope you’re getting comfortable with the words that make it easier for people to be as good as they can be—words like virtue and frugality, friendship and love, commitment and community and communion and humility, and peace and justice and justice (it’s the word that needs to be said twice).

You can find the full text of Professor Farrell’s remarks here.