The Class of 2011 graduated today. Here's a YouTube clip of their senior parade, the presentation of the class to the General and dismissal, when they throw their hats in the air:
What a great four years it's been. Watch this space as we plan for next year's team. Oh yes, Valerie and I will still be involved, even though she'll be at Messiah College in Pennsylvania...they can't get rid of us that easily!
http://www.archive.org/details/20110523RMA
A real rouser of a show with a full studio! Valerie Pratt moderated as usual, assisted by team members Micah Peregrino and Jackson McGraw. Our old friend and former team member John Holsinger was our special guest, and he brought along fellow debater Stosh Lipinski, who has visited us before. We talked about various Republican presidential hopefuls, then seamlessly segued into natural disasters and the Middle East. Conversation was peppered with reminiscences of our experiences traveling with our teams and battling through tournaments.
Since Valerie is graduating in a few days, I'm reminiscing fondly of our four-year run. It's been an amazing experience, and the old man here feels privileged to have been a part of it. What a fantastic group of kids, and I mean all of the debaters I've met, not just ours. The sooner we baby boomers turn over running the world to these kids, the better.
The first two years, under the leadership of Rev. B. A. Gregg, opened up a new world to me. Getting drafted into judging tournaments led to more and more travel and became a big part of my life. The thrill of seeing Valerie win tournaments and go to Nationals was part of it, but I will never forget the good times traveling with the team to exotic places like Las Vegas, Wisconsin and Boston. Who else but B. A. Gregg could drive his team bus to a 50s-style drive-up restaurant in rural (read: empty) Wisconsin, complete with a waitress on roller skates and a chef who is an Elvis impersonator? Or our road trip to Harvard where we took turns reading Neil Gaiman's "Good Omens" to each other?
When Rev. Gregg moved on two years ago we had a different challenge, holding the team together and building on his foundation. I am very proud of Valerie, who has been team captain all that time, and has not only kept it together but built for the future by finding and nurturing new team members. I have no doubt that Ben, Micah, Jackson, Jon and the rest will go on to new heights. (Especially Jon Pedersen, who nailed the Middle School Speech tournament!)
One of the best parts for me has been our biweekly talk shows on WFTR. I guess we haven't really produced these programs, as much as we've perpetrated them. I have always loved radio; I believe it does something special in this media-soaked society, something that other flashier media can't do. One of those things is to provide an environment for the free exchange of ideas, and boy, did we do that. I like to think that we showcased the fact that our kids are well-informed and thoughtful people, as well as being exuberant (read: barely restrained) teenagers. I want to thank Lonnie Hill, stalwart keeper of that little concrete castle next to the radio tower, who has always welcomed us graciously and done everything we've asked, as well as cheerfully tolerating the miscues and dead air caused by the old geezer trying to run the control board. An hour of air time is not a small thing, and we are grateful. Warren County has a real treasure in WFTR. What's not to love about a radio station that does live remotes from Little League games?
So here we go to graduation. If you're local, I hope you'll come and see the Senior Parade on Friday at 2 pm. The R-MA Campus looks beautiful this time of year, and it seems special now that we're leaving it; I remember clearly how it felt when we arrived. The first time I came to campus, I had a feeling that this was a place where good things happen. I can get sentimental about it because I'm the old guy; the kids have no time for such thoughts, already picking out college courses and making vast plans. So I'll do what they will do when they get older, and say a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in making Randolph-Macon Academy what it is.
--Doug Pratt
Our penultimate show of the year (that means next-to-last, so you don't have to look it up) is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/20110509RMA
Wilson McGraw and Micah Peregrino were our guests, and a lively discussion it was, especially when we started talking about the American educational system.
Posts
All Comments
