At Broadalbin-Perth High School’s commencement ceremony, members of the Class of
2010 heard musical selections from their classmates, words of wisdom from their
principal and the top three students in their class, and, of course, proudly
received their diplomas. They also learned a few lessons from a newspaper,
courtesy of Superintendent Stephen Tomlinson.
“Newspapers might be way out of tune with society, but it’s important for you to
realize that the world is a much bigger place than Broadalbin or Perth, New
York,” Tomlinson said.
The newspaper he held at the podium was the June 3, 2010 edition of the
Amsterdam Recorder. Tomlinson used some of the headlines in the paper to
illustrate the lessons he wanted to impart to the graduates:
·
Paterson to Force Spending Cuts if Lawmakers Won’t:
“Understand where your tax dollars go, and know that you have a say in where
your tax dollars go.”
·
Oil Leak from Building Fouls River: “Respect your
environment.”
·
Police Blotter: “Don’t break the laws or you’ll end
up in the paper!”
·
North Korea Makes Everyone Nervous: “Understand the
world outside our great country, and respect the men and women who fight
overseas to make the world a safer place. I pledge that we will never have a
graduate from Broadalbin-Perth who doesn’t understand the price paid by our
young men and women in uniform, and the veterans who came before them.”
·
Help Wanted Section: “This is probably the most-read
section of the newspaper today. Understand societal pressures and never look
down on someone: You don’t know the story behind that person.”
When Tomlinson turned to page 6, he told the graduates that he wanted to teach
them a lesson about life: The June 3 edition of the Recorder included his
daughter’s obituary. Taylor Beth Tomlinson was delivered at 36 weeks as a
stillborn on May 28.
“The lessons I want you to learn are these: Love – understand the true meaning
of love; cry – understand that it’s okay to cry. You will lose someone in your
life if you haven’t already, and at that time you’ll be glad that you came from
such a wonderful place,” Tomlinson said. “The past 30 days have been the
toughest in my life, but this community has lifted us up.”
“Don’t ever be embarrassed of the community you grew up in,” he added.
“Broadalbin-Perth will always be your home. This community will always be your
home.”