Dobbs Ferry's Class of 'Spirit and Service'

"If I could choose two words to describe this class," said Dobbs Ferry High School Principal Keith K. Yi, "they would be spirit and service."

As the 98 students in the Class of 2011 awaited the moment he would present their diplomas, Yi spoke of their commitment to doing community service, even in the final days of their senior year.

His speech was also a farewell. Yi is leaving his position to return to his homeland of Korea, where he will work to set up an International Baccalaureate School. "It has been bittersweet for me these past few months knowing that I will leave so many wonderful memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life," he said. "But like you, I'm excited about beginning a new journey."

In a tribute to three leaders who are departing, Charlie Sucher said of his principal: "We all benefited from his commitment to helping each of us reach our own individual potential. He tried to instill in all his students the importance of academic excellence and community service."

Sucher also had words of praise for Schools Superintendent Debra Kaplan and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Marjorie Holderman, who are both retiring. 

Kaplan introduced the guest speaker, Rachel Sterne, who graduated from Dobbs Ferry High School in 2001 and is now Chief Digital Officer for New York City.

In his Valedictorian speech, David Muoser told about the time violin virtuoso Joshua Bell played Bach for 45 minutes in a crowded Washington, D.C., subway station, and just seven people stopped to listen. "His appearance there was an experiment by the Washington Post to answer the question of whether people stop to appreciate beauty when it's presented to them in commonplace settings," Muoser said. "More importantly, I question, 'Are we even able to recognize beauty when it's not apparent right in front of our eyes?' " 

The ceremony was at Waterfront Park, bordered by the Hudson River and the Metro-North station, with an occasional passing train causing speakers to pause. To open the ceremony, the Middle/High School Band, directed by Anthony Speziale, played a rousing "Fanfare" and the "Pomp and Circumstance" processional. Later, Juliet Morris sang a soulful rendition of Lennon and McCartney's "In My Life," and Morris, Katherine Hamilton, Brittany Paul and Caitlin Horsfield  sang passionately in their quartet of Idina Menzel's "It Only Hurts When I Breathe."

As Salutatorian, George Epstein spoke  with humor about his trepidation in having to give a graduation speech — and what he learned from the ordeal.

"For my entire life, I've been under the impression that teachers can help with any problem, such as this one," he said. "I can tell you the angle your head is tilted to look at me based on trigonometry. I can tell you the number of particles in a sample of Carbon-12. I can even explain E=mc². Can't I write a simple speech?

"I was never taught how to be funny or clever. I never attended a class on how to appeal to a crowd. And here I am faced with the most daunting graduation requirement of all.

"Finally I realized what I wanted to say and I knew what life lesson I wanted to share," he said.

"Whether you're going to college, taking a gap year, joining the workforce or pursuing some other worthy ambition, there will be challenges that you have to face without the aid of classroom learning. ... This graduation represents a transition from the assumption that education is something taught in school to understanding that learning is a combination of lecture and the more important personal foray into new frontiers."

Download the movie