For the commencement ceremony of the largest class to ever graduate from Shaker High School, North Colonie Central School District administrators knew they had to recruit a special speaker to deliver the speech.
That is why they had asked national best-selling author and Shaker High alumnus Joseph Finder to speak at the 50th graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 28, at the University at Albany SEFCU arena.
Finder began his speech with an anecdote about his teenage daughter flipping through his old yearbook and laughing at her father’s appearance when he was in high school.
I was going to come here and talk about how cool I was in high school, he said, `but there are people in the audience ` parents ` who went to Shaker with me, and they know the truth.`
Delivering a fairly non-traditional commencement speech, instead of focusing on the obvious ` his success since graduation ` Finder warned the graduates of rejection and failure.
Finder reminded students that `successful writers are not always the most talented ones.`
He also went on to describe some famous faces who began their careers with rejection, including the Beatles, George Lucas and Theodor Geisel, the author of the Dr. Seuss books.
`The fact is, the world is full of idiots,` he said. `They are gatekeepers who only drive by looking in the rearview mirror toward the past.`
Finder advised the graduates to look toward the future and start their own trends. He concluded his speech by reminding the former Shaker students that no matter what they wear and how `cool` they thought they were in high school, `Your kids are going to look at your yearbook and make fun of you.`
The theme of looking forward was mirrored by Board of Education President Joan Hart, who advised students to, `Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow.`
Hart emphasized that over the years, it has been a pleasure to teach the Class of 2008 both `facts and values.`
Earlier in the ceremony, Superintendent of Schools Randy Ehrenberg expressed pride in the 511 students in the graduating class, as 96 percent of the class had earned Regents diplomas, with 69 percent of the class receiving Advance Regents diplomas.
`We have dreamed it for and with you, and you have come,` she said.
Delivering a unique speech on behalf of the student body was Class President Adam Drake. First, Drake thanked parents and friends alike for attending the commencement ceremonies.
Then, he thanked his own parents for bringing orange slices to his sports practices. He described a scene where he was playing video games at his home when it dawned on him, `Adam, you’re going to be a high school graduate.`
Drake said he danced around this thought for a few moments, wondering, `What if our Shaker High School experience were a video game.` Drake explained that each new year would be a different level in the game, with students earning points for mastering their way around the schools and achieving high scores on exams.
`Wait. What was that? Deliver a graduation speech, 200 points?` he said, concluding his speech.
Watching her younger brother receive his diploma from across the arena, Rachel McCloskey said that she was very excited for Michael McCloskey.
`I graduated from Shaker three years ago, and I’ve had such an amazing life since then. I can only imagine what his will be like,` she said.
After the ceremony, Michael McCloskey said, `It goes by faster than you think. It feels great to be done with.`
He said he plans to attend Marist College in the fall, majoring in biology and running track for the school’s team.
Another proud parent, John Selert, said that one of his fondest memories was putting his daughter, Hannah, on the bus for sixth grade. Now, Hannah said, `School’s finally over, and I’m starting a new chapter of my life.`
She plans to attend Hudson Valley Community College and major in business administration while working a part-time job. Her goal is to one day own a coffee shop, she said.“