Graduation Speech - 2021 - Union Middle School (never posted!)

 

Turns out I never posted my 2021 speech. We had just come out of “distance learning” and were blessed to utilize Leigh High School to have our promotion while still having space for everyone to attend. 

The build up to this promotion was pretty intense. Everyone had questions… students, staff, parents, me. Lots of people on very different sides of the coin regarding Covid. It was a very unique time. 

Fortunately, at the end of the day, everything seemed to be okay. Our focus was ensuring our students had the safest, best promotion experience possible. This much-publicized hope/expectation really brought the community together for our students… and everything worked out great. 

A good portion of the speech acknowledged our outgoing superintendent. Mrs. Coleman (like the superintendent before her and the superintendent after her) really poured her entire heart into the Union School District. This speech honored her work and tenure in USD. 

Here’s the speech. 

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Good Evening Everyone,

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Todd Feinberg, and I have been privileged to have been the principal of Union Middle School for the past nine years. It is an honor to stand in front of you all today. Being here with each and everyone one of you means a great deal to me. I truly care about all of our Union Tigers. I hope you all will keep in touch.

The class of 2021. Here we are, minutes from finally being able to walk across the stage and begin your high school journey. Usually, I joke that we’re always a bit surprised that some of our 8th grader students were able to participate in this promotion ceremony. This year, however, I’m quite happy to share that the entire 8th grade class was eligible to participate. Congratulations Students.

Due to time constraints, I’m unable to share my usual diatribe-type sermon today for our promoting class and guests. Instead, let me just leave you with three words. Words that define what you’ve endured, where you are today, and what will be in your future. The three words are Determination, Compassion, and Vision. 

The past 15 months, which accounts for approximately 10% of your life to date, have been challenging for all of us in many different ways. However, class of 2021, you’ve been determined to make it through.

On April 12th and again on May 10th, our campus began to feel like a school again. As we welcomed our students back, we were reminded of just how kind and compassionate this 8th grade class truly is, to themselves and to one another.

And as you move ahead to what lies next, please remember to keep your daily and long term goals  within your vision. Stand for what’s right, for what you believe. Go be great. 

I’ve shared this with your parents before... we almost didn’t have a promotion ceremony this year. No gowns. No amazing Leigh Football Field (thank you again to Leigh for allowing us to host our ceremony here). No classmates. No guests, limited to two or otherwise. Like last year’s unfortunate outcome in missing our chance to have an in-person promotion ceremony, this year came perilously close to the same result. Probably closer than any of you may realize.

But the reason we are able to be here, together, to celebrate your rather unique middle school journey is largely due to those three words I mentioned above: determination, compassion, and vision… and by the effort of one person. And while I never shy away from such accolades, I’m not referring to myself. I cannot take the credit for us all being here together today. Likewise, while our entire staff truly rebuilt the proverbial plane mid-flight this past school year, I’m not speaking about them either.

The individual I speak of has spent the past 15 months, almost from day one, determined to figure out ways to bring our students back on campus, recognizing how important in-person instruction is for our youth. 

Their compassion for our students, staff, and school community is perhaps unparalleled. They are a large, often unrecognized, reason why our school district is beloved.

They have worked tirelessly to provide a vision of not only the “how” to make your return to campus this Spring happen, but the relentless “why” we needed to do so.

They have made Union School District their everything for the past six years. And without a doubt, without their leadership, we would not be here in-person to celebrate your promotion from 8th grade.

So, and I hope our 8th graders will join me by standing up and applauding, let’s please take a moment to recognize our superintendent, Denise Coleman, and wish her the best as ventures into the land of retirement. 

Thank you.

And so, class of 2021, enjoy your ventures wherever they take you. Always be compassionate. Stay determined. Don’t lose sight of your goals, your vision. I trust your journey will be memorable.

Thank you once more to the class of 2021. We will miss you. Congratulations on your promotion. 

Graduation Speech - 2026 - Union Middle School

Below is my graduation speech for the Union Middle School class of 2026.

Each year, I write a unique speech for our promoting class. I look for stories, quotes, bits of advice, anything that reminds me of our 8th grade class. Sometimes, like last year, it's quite challenging... but this year, it was relatively easy.

Main reason: this is a great class. They are smart, funny, dedicated, responsible (most of the time), and just have been a delight to be around for the past three years. They will be very much missed. 

I wasn't planning on announcing during the ceremony that this is my favorite 8th grade class we've had in a while... but I did and it's true. Just great kids... kind, talented, and reflective. We are going to miss them.

As always, thank you to our UMS families for your support over the past three years, thank you to the UMS staff for your continued dedication to our students, and thank you to our promoting students a wild three years.

Here is the graduation speech. Enjoy.

-Todd

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Good afternoon, everyone,

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For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Todd Feinberg, and I have been privileged to have been the principal of Union Middle School for the past fourteen years. It is an honor to stand in front of you all today. It means a great deal to me. I truly care about each and every one of my Union Tigers. I hope you all will keep in touch.

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Today’s speech was written specifically for the individuals who sit around me now, the Promoting Class of 2026, and focuses on three main quotes I’ve found over their 8th grade year.

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The first quote is as follows: “Ask me how I've been, I'll say I'm great, but under my skin, I'm not okay.”*

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Middle school is hard. There have been many moments over the past three years where you have likely walked across campus, smiling, laughing, telling everyone who asked how you were that you were “fine” or “great”. All the while, you felt overwhelmed, stressed out, and unsure of what the future might hold for you. The challenges of fitting in and not standing out. The friendship drama. The academic pressures. Everything. Y’all know this better than we do: it’s just not easy being a teenager in today’s world.

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But here’s my suggestion for these moments: If you’re not okay, let the trusted adults in your life provide the help you need. Whether a parent, a UMS teacher, or your soon-to-be former middle school principal, we are all here to help you get through those moments where you’re truly not okay. And don’t forget - it’s okay to not be okay. Just know that you are loved, cared for, and have an endless amount of support whenever you need it. You might not be okay, but know that you are great regardless. We are all so proud of each of you and we will always be here for you.

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The second quote: “You’re not in competition with anyone else. No one can beat you at being you. Don’t be the best. Be the only.”**

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Be the only. And here’s why that’s important: you have likely felt varying amounts of pressure during your time at Union Middle School to measure up to a sibling, to outscore a teammate, to outshine a classmate. However, in a world where you’ll constantly be tasked with fitting into the common mold of what a high school student should be, don’t. High school will tempt you oh so much to play the comparison game… but chasing someone else’s definition of what “the best” is not only unhealthy but often a losing battle as well. In fact, comparison is often said to be the thief of joy… Joy allows you to enJOY your days, build lasting friendships, and can provide the necessary support even during the most difficult of times. Joy will be important moving forward.

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And so, in the constant challenge of comparisons, I ask that you focus on becoming the best you, the only you, a joyful you. What unique strengths do you have? How do you advocate for your growth? What unique perspectives can you add to any conversation? In fact, if you strive to be the only you, you can’t lose. You won’t have any competition because there is only one you. After all, no one is a better you than you. So just be you, the only you.

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Our third quote: “Don’t wait for someone to bring you flowers; start your own garden.”***

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Your world…it is about to change. Your parents, your teachers, your friends… they’ve structured your days, helped navigate your social interactions, and even read your mind when you needed support. Middle school was quite the safety net, as it should be. High school, however, doesn’t necessarily work that way. 

In high school, you will be responsible for your own growth, your own happiness, and your eventual success. Not your parents. Not your friends. Definitely not me. Just you. If you are struggling with a difficult concept in your math class during your freshman year, starting your garden means you don’t wait for the teacher to notice you’re withering. Instead, tend to your own growth by advocating for yourself. Plant some solid roots by showing up to tutorial and by seeking out peer tutoring. If you haven’t found your patch of soil yet, don’t wait around for a social circle to include you; cultivate your own community by starting a club, joining a sports team you never thought you’d try, audition for the school musical, and become the head gardener of your own success. 

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And throughout these high school years, be sure to take care of your emotional and mental well-being as well. Don’t rely on the “flowers” of social media likes, peer approval, or other bits of digital recognition to validate your self-worth. And speaking of social media… just don’t. I can say this with much certainty: very few of the moments you remember from high school will be from a text or a like. These moments, these gardens, grow from in-person, unique, fun, silly experiences that cannot be duplicated by anything on Snapchat. It will be these flowers you kindly remember from afar many years later.

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So, to the class of 2026, we wish you the best as you advance on to high school. For the challenging moments of doubt, know that it’s okay to not be okay. Don’t forget that only you can be you. And down the road, sometime in the far future, please stop back at Union to check in and show off all of the flowers you’ve grown in your garden.

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I look forward to watching you all on your journey to high school. Thank you for being a part of our lives over the past three years.

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Congratulations, Class of 2026.

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*) Singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb; song: Kingdom of Fear

**) Comedian Jimmy Carr (careful, lots of NSFW comments in his videos)

***) American horticulturist Luther Burbank