Opening Convocation Speech 2026

It’s the early 1970’s, and I’m in 8th grade (and yes, wearing bell bottom pants and 1-inch-heeled disco shoes to school), and my exceptional history teacher, Mrs. Troccia--imagine a history-nerdy Mille Bobby Brown--makes the fantastic educational decision to take our class on a field trip, to a movie theater, during the school day, to see the musical 1776. Anyone familiar with this show? Raise a hand if you are.

 

The movie 1776 came out three years after it won the 1969 Tony Award for Best Musical, and it documents the singing and dancing that accompanied the writing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s important to note that at about this point in time, the country was preparing to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration; for that anniversary we did it with Tall Ships, Concerts, and Fireworks, not UFC fights, Indy car races, or military parades. Just sayin’... It was a different time then, to be sure, but that movie left it’s voice in my head. Well done, Mrs. Troccia.

 

Since then, maybe I’ve seen 1776 again one time (though not with Karen Mistler sitting next to me in the theater--that’s a story that I think I’ll keep to myself), but I still remember the movie for its portrayal of the spirit and intelligence of the main characters--John & Abigail  Adams, Thomas & Martha Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, et. al.--and their resolve to write, make, and act on the Declaration of Independence. Many voices were involved in this endeavor to write a Declaration that captured what all the colonies wished to express. Notably, they had to listen to each other before they wrote a draft and again when they worked to complete the final draft. Those men and women named above, and the 52 signatories to the Declaration, were informed writers, for they were very well-read in history, religion, political philosophy, and classical and contemporary literature. They’d read Thucydides, Aristotle, Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Locke, Montesquieu, Adam Smith, Vattel, and Thomas Paine, to name a few important thinkers. 

 

In his essay, “Books and the Founding Fathers,” Dr. George Nash observed that “...the leading political figures of late eighteenth century America were generally, and often intimately, acquainted with the output of the greatest European minds of their day-and of the minds ofthe ancient western world. I repeat: the Founding Fathers (with few exceptions) were readers.” After listening to the many voices in their readings and in their debate about the Declaration, they crafted a document that built a new political community and that was the exclamation point for the Age of Enlightenment. 

 

Today, our school year theme for 26-27 prompts us to pursue our own “Age of Enlightenment”and take this moment to recognize that nation-forming spirit once again, in this generation, on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. So, let’s get after it here like our BFF’s (Book-Smart Founding Fathers) did before us--that is, let’s recommence, the reading, the writing, the discussion, the creativity, the problem solving that we do here in school and beyond.