The entire student body and staff of Suffield High School, plus invited guests, made the SFES Hall of Honor ceremony an SRO event in the school’s 800-seat auditorium on May 27. After introductory remarks by SFES President Wendy Pierman-Mitzel and Hall of Honor Chair Johanne Presser, all eight honorees delivered short addresses directed at Suffield’s present students. All but the first were graduates of SHS who have, as Mrs. Presser put it, achieved noteworthy success in their chosen fields.
The exception was veteran SHS math teacher Nancy Kappler, honored for excellence in education, who told about her role as a Suffield teacher and school technology coordinator during the developing digital revolution. Speaking to the assembled students, she said, “You guys have the best of the new world.”
Other honorees reviewed their careers variously, expanding on the brief summaries published in the lead article of the May issue of The Suffield Observer. They generally ended with some valedictory advice, some of which was surprisingly untypical. To the standard “Follow your dream” and “Do more than the job requires” advice, US Navy submarine executive George Drakeley added, “Take care of yourself,” suggesting sports or weight lifting. Dramatist Roger Hedden summed it up with, “Life is a feast. Eat!” Andy Das, a sports announcer and journalist, warned, “Be prepared to adapt.” U. S. diplomat Vanessa Harper recalled the advice under her picture in the 1994 yearbook, “Be the change you want to see.”
Photo by Lester Smith
SFES Honoree Trevor Timm, Class of 2003, speaks to a crowded classroom of about 40 upper-class students after the ceremony installing eight new members to the SHS Hall of Honor. Timm, with a J. D. from New York Law School, is the creator and director of the Freedom of the Press Foundation as well as a regular columnist in The Guardian, a prominent British liberal newspaper. The students, mostly members of Steven Wheeler’s A. P. Government class, were vigorous and knowledgeable in their questions. That’s Mr. Wheeler at the left, above.
USAF Lt. Col. Nathan Rusin, now involved in high-level intelligence work, spoke of brevity in public speaking, resiliency in life experience, and the value of relationships. Freedom of the press promoter Trevor Timm, who claimed he had the “greatest job in the world,” expressed his liberal bent with the advice, “Embrace your weirdness!” He added “Question authority!” With a fresher memory of his high school experience (Class of 2003), Timm was able to give special thanks to several of his teachers, mentioning Mr. (Carl) Casinghino and Mrs. (Nancy) Lombard. Kristine Goulding, the last to speak, and, like Timm, one of the youngest, described her world-wide experiences in public health, and her efforts with the World Health Organization. She advised, “Find what makes you special.”
In his closing remarks, SHS Principal Steve Moccio couldn’t resist offering his own advice for success: “hard work, grit, persistence, resilience.”
All seven of the honored graduates had agreed to speak to small groups of students during the class period that preceded the assembly and the two that followed. This reporter sat in on the sessions of writer Roger Hedden (Class of 1978) and social activist Trevor Timm. Both faced eager questioning by engaged students. Suffield High School seems still to be providing the educational quality that produced the new members of its Hall of Honor.