News & Events 2004-2005
Blair Baccalaureate Services Held
Baccalaureate, traditionally held in the First Presbyterian Church, downtown Blairstown, was held on Friday evening, May 27, 2005, and attended by the Class of 2005, their families and members of the Blair community. Following a dinner for guests, faculty and seniors, participants marched from campus past the waterfall, accompanied by the music of bagpipers.
Excerpted Address to the Senior Class by Kyle D. Vaughan Mason ’97, Admissions Officer
Over the past three to four weeks, along with everyone else in our community, I have been thinking of what to say to you guys. My first thoughts were to compile a deep, theatrical speech that would incite emotion and passion in each one of you and make you walk away feeling as if you had just sat through a spiritual ceremony.
…Tonight I’d like to chat with you about the next chapter of your life and give you some practical guidelines on how to live it and ultimately come close to finding your purpose or calling in our world.
I definitely don’t have all the answers! I’m a 25-year-old young man who is just touching the coattail of finding my own purpose, but I’ve been where you’re about to go and, as any good “big brother” would do, I’m here to give you some advice. You are beginning one of the most exciting times in your life.
You are at an amazing transition point.
You are at a place and time where you are allowed and expected to challenge yourself, take chances, seize opportunities, redefine who you are, make mistakes and pick yourself up, brush off the dirt and keep on progressing.
You are embarking upon an exciting journey full of new experiences, questions and unknowns.
It’s an amazing feeling of freedom and so, my first piece of advice is to acknowledge this time and cherish this time!!
Take advantage of this opportunity to LIVE!
FIRST POINT: We say, “CARPE DIEM”! Life is short, play hard! Life is short…when you make the right decisions!
While you’re out there seizing opportunities, and taking chances, and exploring the world… make smart decisions.
Mess around and make a few bad decisions, and life can become REAL LONG!
For example, credit card addiction! You pick up this habit and you’ll see an immediate “Life Extension,” and it won’t be pleasant! My advice?
Either don’t get one, or try to really be responsible with it. Get it, use it a few times, pay it off and lock it up.
You’ll thank me when you graduate for this piece of advice.
Another example? Partying! It’s a great thing, do it! But don’t turn into “That Freshman” who is seen at EVERY PARTY & ultimately EVERY dive bar in town. TAKE IT SLOW! The parties aren’t going anywhere! You’ll see not only your college career extend itself from a few failures, but you’ll also see your health & body begin to deteriorate. The fine physique you’ve come to attain through Carm’s cooking and Coach Stone’s workout plan will quickly dwindle.
A final example is that of “drugs and alcohol.” Here’s a commonly made, bad decision that creeps up for a lot of people – adults young and old. You go on after Blair (whether it be college or the working world) and you pick up a drug habit…it’s a wrap! Call somebody! Call me! Call your friends. Call your family. Don’t let it happen!
As you continue on…
Choices and repercussions of those choices become more and more significant to your overall happiness.They can drive you towards or away from your purpose in life.
SECOND POINT: While you are searching for this purpose, be mindful of the “ignorance of adolescence.” YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING!
There will soon enough come a time when you will stop and think: “I’ve got this!” No, you really don’t! Don’t get “Gassed.” Don’t be afraid to live, but understand that you don’t have all the answers, and realize that it’s okay! Take advantage of the wisdom that currently and soon will surround you. There is a plan for your life. It’s unknown to you right now, but understand that your purpose in life is beyond you. Your purpose in life is bigger than you…it’s divine.
“Everything was started in him and finds its purpose in him”. Galatians 1:16. Acknowledge the divine’s presence in your life, and let it guide you as you grow, learn and experience the world. There will be ups and downs, trials and tribulations. Take lessons from victory and adversity. Respect the lessons you learn from both. Messages and lessons will reveal themselves through people and situations, but you have to be aware and accept the fact that you are still an apprentice seeking full enlightenment.
THIRD POINT: I want everyone to do be able to do this over the next few years: Fall in love…with yourself. In high school, it’s difficult to do this.
You are trying to fit into molds set forth by others and the world around us. Cast your own mold!
Be unique!
Step outside the box!
Don’t fear difference…embrace it
God made each and every one of you special
He gave you gifts and talents specific to who you are and his overall plan for your life.
Love yourselves: Each day when you wake up, after thanking God for giving you another day to live…look in the mirror, and say “I really love you.”
Ross [Gitomer] may do this in the absence of clothing, and in mid- “Mr. Universe” pose, but that’s a call you all can make on your own! I’m just saying: Love yourself.
RECAP:
Acknowledge this time in your life, and take advantage of it through smart decisions.
Remember that you don’t know everything! Acknowledge and respect the presence of the divine in your life. Let it guide you towards enlightenment.
Fall in love with yourself!
While you are taking these points into consideration, I want you to continually work on finding the answers to these THREE QUESTIONS:
What is my passion? What do I LOVE to do?
What am I good at? My talents?
What does the world need? What’s lacking?
From this, you will arrive closer to your calling and purpose in life. But, have patience! It’s a virtue! The answers won’t jump out at you all at once. It takes time.
So, what did I find out through the mass e-mail chain mentioned earlier [with my Blair classmates]?
Through the 47 e-mails I received last week, I found something.
I found love, respect, extended family, support and fuel for my dreams.
I found that my Blair experience of yesterday and today has lead me towards finding my purpose in life.
I want you all to think back on your Blair experience, no matter how long, grueling or difficult you may think it has been; there’s been one constant, and that’s the love you created and shared with one another. It was created and recreated throughout our experiences here:
Your first roommate
Your first “trust fall” during the freshman retreat
First time Steve met Nana (10th grade) and thought, “Thank God! I’m not alone!”
For me, it was the bond created while living in Insley with Mr. Vachris and having him wake us up each morning during the first week of school, banging on pots and pans or storming into our rooms with that field hockey stick, threatening to beat us to a pulp if we didn’t go to bed.
It’s about the first time you met Rich Doyle!
It’s about how Blair changed your life, Richie.
It’s the late-night conversations you’ve had with your roommate junior year, sharing of yourself, growing closer to someone else, and realizing that they would be in your corner for life.
It’s about the conversations you’ve had with Mrs. Erne in the dorm or one of your coaches coming up to you outside of the athletic arena to speak to you about life.
It’s that kind of tenderness and love that we all need to get through this life. The relationships you’ve formed over your time at Blair will last a lifetime and cannot be replaced by any other. You will soon find that they have their own special place in your heart and affect your development in a major way.
A few years back, this community was blessed with a baccalaureate address delivered by one of the most profound and inspiring faculty members here. In that address, Joe Mantegna made a good point. He said: “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”
This is a powerful statement that rings true. I am here today to tell you that no one in this class is ordinary! In fact, each one of you is far from ordinary. You’re not an accident. It is not by fate that I stand before you today, nor is it by chance that we are all assembled here together. There is reason and purpose for each of us and our existence. This world needs you. Your calling is out there. You’ve had the amazing opportunity to live, study and grow together in a community unlike any other. You are a select group of individuals who have been brought together because of the potential we’ve seen in you and the ultimate plan that has been written for you. You’ve inspired each adult in our community in a special way and, more important, you’ve inspired one another.
It’s time to celebrate! Live it up! You have earned the right to boast of your accomplishments and hold your head high for how you’ve represented yourselves thus far. May God’s love and peace be with each of you, and take these words with you as you go: Life is a dream and heaven is a reality. If we just hold on, then we will wake up to the face of God.
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