A Seat at the Table<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi everyone, my name is Asher Zemmel and I\u2019m so excited to be speaking here today as your valedictorian for the class of 2022! Or at least that\u2019s what I told my grandparents is happening today \u2014 so everyone, if you see them, play along. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To my classmates, I\u2019m so honored to be delivering a graduation speech to you all. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility. And to the parents who are wondering who I am, I\u2019m the one who your kid tells you is at a party, so you think it\u2019s ok to let them go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I was selected to give this speech, I said I wanted to show my gratitude and appreciation for a school that has taught me so much over the years; a school that allowed me to come into my own as a student, a leader, and most importantly a friend; and a school that has always pushed me to be my best self. Unfortunately, I go to Fieldston. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m totally kidding. My time as a Fieldston Eagle for the past 14 years has been nothing but a joy and privilege that I feel so fortunate to have had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During my time at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School I have not learned what<\/em> to think, but I have learned how <\/em>to think: how<\/em> to challenge my beliefs, how<\/em> to push myself out of my comfort zone, and yes, for some reason, how<\/em> to build a canoe. It\u2019s a lot less interesting than you think, I promise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am proud to say that I have been a part of a community that never fails to put a smile on my face, even during our grade\u2019s most uncertain times: from the COVID pandemic to a tumultuous political climate, to the mystery of who spread poop on the wall of the girl\u2019s bathroom in third grade, this community has always found a way to come together as one, however messy it may have been along the way. And no, that\u2019s not a joke about the third-grade girl\u2019s bathroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I do know however, that none of this growth would have been possible without our fantastic teachers. There are so many wonderful teachers whom I would love to thank, teachers who shaped me into the individual that I am today and made it possible for me to even be able to write and deliver this speech. From Ms. Shustack and Ms. Torres in Pre-K, to Colleen making sure we left Ethical with the skills we need to write a strong essay, to Ms. Stoller\u2019s grammar quizzes, Dr. Blaney and Mr. Montera\u2019s papers, and Ms. Stabenau\u2019s dedication to making us all stronger writers, I quite literally learned the skills I need to write this speech and say thank you to this grade for making my time at Fieldston so special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I walked through the doors of 33 Central Park West this past Founder\u2019s Day, I immediately went to the Pre-K hallway where it all began. The hallway was lined with artwork from the students \u2014 which in my opinion could\u2019ve been better, I mean come on we\u2019ve all seen a finger paintings before. But as soon as I stepped into my old Pre-K classroom and saw one of those tiny, low-down tables for the students to sit at and talk I was filled with a deep feeling of nostalgia. I missed our games of war, snack times, and our tangential, four-year-old conversations. But I realized that while those days may be behind us, we never really let them go. Those conversations from around the Pre-K table never actually stopped, they just grew along with us. From that one table in the Pre-K classroom to student-organized conversations about social identifiers, politics, and current events in high school, it\u2019s our Fieldston spirit that always kept us, quite literally, at the table. Yes, the conversations got tougher, but so did our classes, our social dynamics, and our lives overall. And to be honest, I don\u2019t think I\u2019m ready to give up my seat at the table in the Pre-K classroom just yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prominently displayed in the auditorium at the Society for Ethical Culture are the words \u201cThe Place Where People Meet to Seek the Highest is Holy Ground,\u201d a quote from everybody\u2019s favorite secular humanist, whatever that term actually means, Felix Adler. To me, this quote is less about the words themselves, and more about their location. The passage is emblazoned atop the stage in the auditorium; a room that serves as the meeting place for the society founded by Felix Adler who was against traditional forms of organized religion himself, a room that has statues of Mary and Jesus boldly displayed, and a room that also serves as the synagogue for Congregation Habonim, the synagogue I belong to myself. It\u2019s this confusing mix of religion in a space designed to be secular, with a quote declaring the definition of holy ground as anywhere where enlightenment is sought, that truly embodies Fieldston as an institution. Fieldston is a place where you come as you are and leave as you want to be; a place that doesn\u2019t force you to conform to traditional societal norms, and in fact encourages you to do the opposite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Virgin Mary, a Rabbi, and Felix Adler all walk into a bar\u2026 it sounds like the setup for a joke that might get me cancelled, but really it\u2019s just a display of the uniqueness of Fieldston. And this uniqueness serves as both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that we went to Fieldston, the curse is that we are leaving. I\u2019m not speaking to you today as a student at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School, I am speaking to you today as one of the lucky few, lucky 148 to be exact, that now serve as the standard bearers of Fieldston\u2019s values as we go out into the world. Each and every one of us now has the obligation to act in such a way that promotes decency, kindness, respect, and compassion even when it\u2019s not the easy choice to make. But that burden is in and of itself a privilege for us all to carry. Our time at this school, whether it was 14 years or 14 months, was about more than just textbooks and tests, it was about preparing us to join the body politic of Fieldston alumni that proudly serve as the past, current, and future generations of artists, activists, journalists, and judges; chefs, caretakes, lawyers, and lab scientists; doctors, dancers, educators, and executives or really anything else under the sun. That is of course, the Fieldston sun that they changed our logo to four years ago even though nobody asked for that, but I of course digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are the graduating class of 2022. We are the graduating class that never stops making noise. Whether it\u2019s through the valves of the tubas and trombones of jazz band, putting pen to paper for the Fieldston News, or the voices and advocacy of the environmental club, this class has never stayed silent. We always march to the beat of our own drum. It\u2019s that courage to make noise that has brought us here today, and it\u2019s that same brave refusal to never stay silent that will guide us forward as we go through life. I can confidentially say that my time at Fieldston has been 95% incredible\u2026 5% P.E. Ok fine, 97% incredible, I didn\u2019t really go to P.E. anyway. But today is the day our noise on this campus stops. This is it, our time at Fieldston is over. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So no, I won\u2019t be able to go to Riverdeli anymore and order an egg, cheese, avocado, hashbrown, and chipotle mayo on a roll, but I will be able to explain the complex chemistry behind America\u2019s lead poisoning crises. No, I won\u2019t be able to have another beach day on the quad, but I will be able to tell you how Lauryn Hill\u2019s debut album is a prime example of Rousseau\u2019s philosophies on education. And no, I will never be able to yell at another entitled Junior to get off the Senior Grass \u2014 that one hurts the most \u2014 but I can definitely tell you about the complex geopolitics of Taiwan on the global stage. And that\u2019s because I went to Fieldston.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, the conversations and choices get harder, and yes, we have less oversight as we move on with our lives, but it\u2019s each of our individual responsibilities to hold ourselves accountable and make sure that every day we are choosing to stay true to our Fieldston values. That table in the Pre-K classroom may have started with just five seats, but it\u2019s expanded to fit about 143 more of us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Going to Fieldston means that we\u2019ve not only been taught that when it looks like there\u2019s no more room at the table, you pull up a chair for yourself and you don\u2019t look back \u2014 it also means that those of us with a seat at the table have the imperative to make space for those who don\u2019t, regardless of however messy it may get. And no, that wasn\u2019t another joke about the wall of the third-grade girl\u2019s bathroom. Embrace the mess, make some noise, and pull up a chair! Thank you so much and I know that this class is just getting started. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Seat at the Table Hi everyone, my name is Asher Zemmel and I\u2019m so excited to be speaking here today as your valedictorian for the class of 2022! Or at least that\u2019s what I told my grandparents is happening today \u2014 so everyone, if you see them, play along. To my classmates, I\u2019m so honored to be delivering a graduation speech to you all. Thank you for trusting me with this responsibility. 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