Convocation Speech
Dr. Jeff Beedy, Head of School
September 15, 2015
Welcome students, faculty, and staff to Purnell’s Convocation. For some of you it is your last
Purnell Convocation. And for some us it is our first Purnell Convocation. Either way we are
together as one. We all have been waiting for you. You, the students, are why we are here. Today
we will be exploring exactly what the theme Lead means to all of us as we begin our exciting
year at Purnell School. Purnell School has a rich history of educating girls from around the
world. Just take a look around the room and you will witness the beauty and potential of girls
from around the world. We also have a talented and deeply committed faculty and staff. We are
truly lucky. I am excited to get to know all of you and experience the gifts you bring to Purnell.
Let’s get started. When you hear the state that you are from please stand to be recognized.
8 States
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
8 Countries
China
Czech Republic
Hong Kong
Jamaica
Kazakhstan
Mexico
Rwanda
South Africa
Welcome, and welcome back, to everyone. Before we install School Council, let's welcome to
the stage our Student Body President, Karlie Miscia, who will welcome us.
(Karlie gave a speech followed by the installation of Student Council Officers and the
presentation of leadership medals to all School Officers.)
THE MEANING OF CONVOCATION
The noun convocation stems from the Latin word convocare, meaning "to call together," which
combines the prefix com-, meaning "together," and vocare, meaning "to call." The purpose of
Purnell’s Convocation is to bring together, to assemble our community and to begin a new and
promising year. Each one of us has an opportunity to begin. A chance to try something new. An
invitation to be ourselves. An opportunity to discover ourselves and an opportunity to find ways
to help others. As the year progresses we will all have an opportunity to lead.
LEAD
Why did I choose the theme Lead? I think that is a fair question. I get asked that question often.
What do we mean by lead? We may not all think of ourselves as leaders. However, the word lead
can mean many things. As Karli shared with us there are many ways to lead at Purnell. “You can
make a difference in a little or big way.” “You can be a leader just by grabbing ahold of a
teammate’s hand after a long grueling run or you can be elected leader of a class.”
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Let’s explore what it means to lead.
Definition of Lead
The formal definition of lead has many meanings. This is good, because we are all different with
different gifts to share. Lead can mean: to cause (a person or animal) to go with one by holding
them by the hand, a halter, while moving forward. In this sense of word lead, my wife Mrs.
Karyn Beedy and I will invite you to lead our dogs Dizzy and Charlie during the year. We will
need help looking after Dizzy and Charlie. They can be a handful to lead. This year we will
introduce new programs where you will have the opportunity to lead younger students as they
learn activities. Lead also can mean to be in charge or command of. Be the leader of, be the head
of, preside over, head, govern, rule, be in charge of, be in control of, direct, be at the helm
of. There will be many opportunities to lead in this sense of the word in the classroom, in the
dorms, on the playing fields, on stage, during Project Ex, and in student government.
Lead also means the initiative in an action; an example for others to follow. For example, “The
US is taking the environmental lead". One of the most important aspects of the Purnell
experience is simply being an example for others to follow. Being an example for others will
help create a caring community. To lead can mean to take the initiative. Each year, Purnell
launches new programs and there will be so many opportunities to take the initiative to design a
new program that will add to the many wonderful traditions that contribute to making Purnell
School special. All of us will have the chance to take the initiative on weekends to create
exciting activities and enrich the community experience. So it is, the word Lead has many
definitions and the simple concept offers all of us the opportunity to take advantage of our new
year in a personal and community way.
Examples of children taking the initiative
Maybe you read this summer about the stories of four children who overcame great obstacles just
to go to school. Let me share a short video of On the Way to School.
https://youtu.be/eIsQ0B43Q9Y
Mother Teresa
There are so many examples of people who lead. One of my favorites is Mother Teresa.
“Baptized on August 27, 1910, Mother Teresa taught in India for 17 years before she
experienced her 1946 "call within a call" to devote herself to caring for the sick and poor. Her
order established a hospice; centers for the blind, aged, and disabled; and a leper colony. In 1979
she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her humanitarian work.
In 1919, when {Mother Teresa} was only 8 years old, her father suddenly fell ill and died. In the
aftermath of her father's death, she became extraordinarily close to her mother, a pious and
compassionate woman who instilled in her daughter a deep commitment to charity. Although by
no means wealthy, {Mother Teresa} extended an open invitation to the city's destitute to dine
with her family. "My child, never eat a single mouthful unless you are sharing it with others,"
she counseled her daughter. When {Mother Teresa} asked who the people eating with them
were, her mother uniformly responded, "Some of them are our relations, but all of them are our
people." (Wikipedia)
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Mother Teresa was always her own person, startlingly independent, obedient, yet challenging
some preconceived notions and expectations. Her own life story includes many illustrations of
her willingness to listen to and follow her own conscience, even when it seemed to contradict
what was expected. Later in life, when people came to Calcutta to help lead, Mother Teresa
advised them to “Find your own Calcutta”. So, we can find our own Calcutta here at Purnell and
make a difference in what is important in our lives and contribute to making this year the best
that it can be.
So it is, we are blessed with the opportunity to help others here at Purnell. The success of this
year lies in our hands. In closing, I would like to bring to all of our attention Purnell’s three
founding Guidelines:
Consideration of Others
Truthfulness in All Relations
Use of Common Sense
We will hear a lot about our Founding Guidelines that have served the many Purnellians over the
years. These Guiding Principles live deep within the culture of our school.
As Karli so eloquently shared with us earlier, “Sometimes the moments that define us or change
our lives can slip by quietly, only to be recognized of their importance later on.” Let’s take heed
of Karli’s message and “Let’s get our hands dirty.” As we begin our new school year, to go
forward and discover ways to take the initiative and capture those moments that define us as life
as we live, learn, and work with one another this year.
Thank you, and welcome to Purnell.
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