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Moment of Silence by Ted DesMaisons

December 6th, 2011 | by admin

People experience silence in many different ways.

For some, silence is a punishment or an isolation. It’s an indication that we’ve done something wrong or transgressed some boundary. We’re left alone without connection, without a voice.

For others, it’s a danger or at least an unpleasantness. If we’re quiet, we’re more likely to notice our emotions—and sometimes that’s too much to bear.

If silence is a negative, it’s not surprise that we’d try to fill it: with conversation or music, with games or with gossip.

To others, though, silence offers a respite. It’s a refuge from clatter and sensory overload. It’s space for a Sabbath, the rest between notes that makes meaning of the melody.

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My Journey to NMH: Fall Athletic Banquet Speech by Johnny Mendoza ’12

November 10th, 2011 | by admin

When Tom Pratt asked me to be the speaker for the fall athletic banquet I was honored and a little nervous.   I know I spend a lot of time sharing my feelings with everyone in the community and I am man of many words, but I figured Mr. Pratt must think I have some loco story to share with you.

Well, it certainly has been a journey and there are times, recently, when I realize this part of my journey is almost over, so I might as well share what I have learned because NMH has profoundly changed my life.

For you to understand how far I have come to be at NMH I think it is important to tell you about my family.  I come from a very proud, humble, low-income family.  My dad, Miguel, only attended school till 9th grade, and decided to go work in the fields to help his dad support his family.   My mom, Maria, only attended school until 4th grade.   Because my mom lost her father, she and her siblings had to work to support each other.

Even though my parents had little formal education, they both realized that education was essential for their kids to move forward.

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All-School Meeting Speech by Hannah Green ’14 and Mark Green

November 8th, 2011 | by admin

Hannah Green: Good morning, NMH. I am here today to introduce you to an amazing person, my dad. He has been my main role model since I can remember. He has a way of making friends with just a single sentence, maybe because he’s always smiling, always optimistic, and constantly cracking jokes. He’s also extremely active, and has more energy than any other middle-aged man I’ve ever met. But he’s not just my role model, he’s also my best friend.

This summer, on a beautiful August day, I came close to losing my dad.

Mark Green: The landslide occurred on a Sunday. A dull headache I had most of the day grew into an epic migraine. I spent the night with my hand over my eyes and then started to vomit. Things were going downhill quickly. We figured I was merely dehydrated, so I sent Hannah to her mom’s to get some sleep, and my partner Barb and I drove to the emergency room. What happened next felt like being pulled into a vortex of the most powerful type.

Once I arrived at the emergency room, I was given a CT scan and within 20 minutes the doctor delivered the news.

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Cupola Raising, October 8, 2011 by Mary Mayshark-Stavely

October 8th, 2011 | by admin

Good greetings, welcome to this elevating experience! My name is Mary Mayshark-Stavely. I am the daughter of Jim Mayshark ’32.

A special welcome to NMH faculty, staff, and students who have come today to acknowledge my father, the cupola and this fine farm. Another special welcome to all of you who helped bring this cupola into being —dreamers, planners, drafters, carpenters, painters, and today, crane operators! It is really, really beautiful! Also, a thank you for being here to former head of NMH, Dick Unsworth, as well as two other retirees, beloved teacher Mr. Congdon (Mr. C) and friend of Mom and dad through the alumni office, Betty Congdon.

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Ten Years and A Day Ago: Moment of Silence by Ted Kenyon

September 15th, 2011 | by admin

I imagine in the past few days you have all seen images and heard stories from the September 11th disaster of ten years ago.  I also imagine that many of you have responded with a full range of emotions to these stories.  I’d like to tell you my story; however, I feel in the end it is really all of our story that I will be telling you, and I am hopeful that you can all take something away from it.

Ten years and one day ago, I walked out of Beveridge Hall and was greeted by an absolutely gorgeous blue sky.  It was one of those perfect early Fall days.  It was around 9:00 in the morning on Tuesday, September 11th and I was stunned by the brilliance of the day.

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Spade Oration by Iris Kim ’12

September 8th, 2011 | by admin

We are here for a new year. While it may be your first or your last, we all share the beginning in common. At this point in the year, I’m assuming we all have hopes and goals that we want to achieve. At this point in the year, I’m also assuming we’re excited for the challenge, having rested from break and not yet having reached winter. We’re ready for the hard work.

But it’s not that easy. Hark work takes effort, struggle, and sometimes setbacks that we’d rather avoid. But I want to remind you that your finest essays, your best sprint time, and your proudest moments – all happened because you worked hard.

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Moment of Silence by Nathaniel Rehm-Daly ’12

September 8th, 2011 | by admin

I’ll begin with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “We are all inventors, each sailing out on a voyage of discovery, guided by a private chart, of which there is no duplicate. The world is all gates, all opportunities.”

I’m sure many of you have heard quotes like this before and speeches like the one I am about to give, but I’m going to try to drive my point home in a different way than others have in the past. I like the idea of the map or chart that Emerson presents in this quote, although I would interpret it  in a different way; our maps are not predetermined in the way that Emerson makes them out to be. What if this map recorded every decision you made, and that decision led to a change in your ‘ships’ course?  You’d be able to see a lot of choices, both major and minor. A lot of ‘what ifs’ would come up as well. To what extent could making one decision as opposed to another affect your future? All of us will face important choices in this next year and many of the paths offered to us may lead into the familiar territory, or into the unknown.

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Faculty Meeting Reflection by Jim Block

August 23rd, 2011 | by admin

I had dinner last week in New York with an alum, a former AP English Language student. [In case you are interested, she had duck confit. I had mussels in white wine. Both entrees were very good.]

This young woman lived in Marquand and graduated from NMH in 2005. She spent her last two university years in the commerce school, a competitive one with some high rankings. She stayed on one more year in the business school for a master’s in accounting and marketing. She’s now working for the one of the big four accounting firms, helping to get a major corporation ready for a tax deadline.

Eventually, of course, we spoke of her NMH education, her preparation for college, and her experience in college. With a certain goal in mind, I asked her about her undergraduate workload. Knowing her, I wasn’t surprised to hear that the time and effort she put in was considerable. She read and wrote a great deal. Her report reminded me of what I can dimly remember from my own college life, forty years ago.

But I inquired in some about detail her undergraduate labors because I wanted to compare them with what I’ve read about in the press recently.

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Reflection for Opening Community Meeting by Michael Corrigan

August 23rd, 2011 | by admin

About two weeks ago, I awoke with a vague, but familiar uneasiness. A sense of change was in the air. Summer would soon be ending and I would be right back here standing in front of you at this first meeting of yet another year. And though I know the dance, have the rhythm and the steps firmly implanted in my head, the inevitable fears of not being up to the tasks awaiting me, not recognizing the resources of colleagues, loved ones or institutional history made me focus on my limitations, especially where they pertain to uncertainty or change.  This really is a new year and the landscape has changed. As I must remind myself, and you, “What’s so new or different about these realities?” We are a school, and people are always commencing to something.

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128th Commencement Address by Lorrie Byrom

May 29th, 2011 | by rhanley

Imagination: An imperative for the future

It was not a dark and stormy night. In fact, it was a lovely, warm South African night and I was ready to kick back in my quiet room to reflect on the day that preceded it. As are all days in the HUM 2 travel programs, it had been a busy day, April 1, 2009. Looking back that evening, I recalled the day’s beginning and the moment I said “Gotcha” to the assembled students, now, two years later, sitting among you and no doubt, not foolable! That morning, however, I began the day with a reprimand to my sophomore charges for alleged sloppy attention to their homework while we were out on the road. “You have an obligation”, I said, “to assure that everyone back at NMH understands the rigorous academic nature of these programs. I think you should agree that we want HUM 2 travel programs to continue. Currently,” I went on, “you are compromising the credibility of the entire HUM 2 enterprise!” My student audience shifted uneasily under the reprimand, wondering what the accountability would be for my perception about their sloppy work.

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