Zechariah 4:10 says, “Do not despise small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.”
In addressing the 31 members of Vail Christian’s graduating class, keynote speaker Beth Guckenberger’s Old Testament quotation fit perfectly with Head of School Steve O’Neil’s reminder to students: Saturday is a starting line more than the finish.
But the commencement ceremony paradox was just one “both/and” moment.
Photos of prom king Tim Haynes’ award-winning belly-flop juxtaposed against citations of prom queen Maggie Rothenberg’s theology capstone provided evidence of a class that embraced goofiness and godliness.
From O’Neil’s opening remarks — uniquely crafted excerpts highlighting individual accomplishments — to valedictorian Lindsey Whitton’s (arguably the class’ most accomplished individual) realization that collaboration fosters transcendence, the soloist’s beauty was recognized in light of the chorus’ power.
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And while cliches like “growth” and “spreading wings to fly” were uttered, they were followed by countercultural anchoring pleas to drink daily and deeply from the Bible and adhere to its ancient truths.
It all opened with Michael Lancaster’s bagpipes filling the Vilar Performing Arts Center with notes from “Highland Cathedral.” After O’Neil’s welcome, 2004 graduate Dr. Patrick John Bevan was presented with the school’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni Award.
The former professional hockey player and current orthopedic surgeon at Vail-Summit Orthopaedics & Neurosurgery plopped a plush goose on the podium.
“This will make sense in a moment,” he said before recalling a May morning 20 years ago when his dad gifted every graduate an identical stuffed animal as part of his keynote speech on servant leadership.
In sticking with the theme, “and in attempt that you’ll actually remember this charge,” Bevan said. “I’m going to hearken back to what this goose can symbolize … or honken back. My wife told me not to make that joke.”
He offered three points.
“I wouldn’t be a good former hockey player if I didn’t mention the flying V,” he started. “The whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. The lesson is stick together.”
He then encouraged students to be encouragers, following the example of rear-flying geese who honk persistently to lift the spirits of their comrades up front.
Finally, he gave his “most important” piece of advice: “Listen to your mother goose.”
“My mom wanted to pass along her saintly wisdom and encourage you all to be in God’s word every day,” he said. “It’s something I do now, but wish I’d started in college. That, above all else, will keep you flying high and straight.”
Academic all-state, AP scholar Jack Hughes — who is headed to the University of Colorado Boulder to study aerospace engineering — got the crowd laughing with his surprisingly off-the-cuff Salutatorian address.
“I know my brother would rather be anywhere else than here right now,” he stated after thanking all of the guests for showing up. The self-admittedly “shy and introverted” Hughes recalled assistant head Dan Mysnyk explaining how good grades lead to graduation speeches.
“I felt like there was one logical solution to this problem,” Hughes said before laying down a dramatic pause. “Purposely fail all my classes.”
After the laughter died down, he continued: “But, my parents would be a little disappointed. I didn’t do that and I just want to say thank you to my parents for always pushing me to be my best.”
Whitton, a five-sport athlete and three-time skimeister state champion spoke on how her collective experiences shaped her most. The future Boston College runner challenged her classmates to “seek opportunities to use your passions, skills and experiences to better our community.”
“To find ways for improvement — not only in ourselves, but also in the whole,” she said. “By redirecting some of your energy and dedication to something bigger than yourself, you will find that not only your individual achievements are far more meaningful, but the success and accomplishments of your community will be significant and enduring.”
A quartet consisting of Cora Wilson, Jaden Gonzalez, Aletheia Greshko and Jack Pryor performed “A Million Dreams,” by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Pryor’s smooth solo baritone in the opening bars masked his identity as the Saints’ enforcer on the gridiron, under the hoop and on the lacrosse field.
The diploma presentation was anything but a mundane ritual. Mysnyk had undoubtedly the most nerve-wracking task. After each graduate shook hands with O’Neil, they walked across the stage to Mysnyk, who was ready with personalized handshakes, each of which made modern NBA player introductions seem elementary by comparison.
Guckenberger fed off of everything when she grabbed the mic and stepped away from the podium to speak freely for 15 minutes on the importance of testimonies. She started by praising the student speakers for recognizing classmates’ unique journeys, quoting Psalm 107:2 and saying, “Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their stories.”
“I think all of us have this bank of testimonies sitting inside of our souls,” she continued. “And that balance is dependent upon the deposits we put into it.”
Some deposits, she said, come from our life experiences, while others are passed down through scripture.
“We withdraw from that testimony and it gives us courage to step out in faith,” Guckenberger added before tying her thesis to Whitton’s charge.
“There’s going to be all kinds of opportunities for you to demonstrate who it is that you believe in, what you stand for and what kind of kingdom you’re trying to build. And all of that is going to cause you to dive deep into that bank of testimonies.”
Guckenberger recalled the risks she took in forming Back2Back Ministries, a nonprofit based out of Ohio that “provides comprehensive care to vulnerable children and families across the world.” She was quick to point out she didn’t deserve credit for its growth and success.
“I stand in a long line of people who were ill-equipped, underprepared and underresourced,” she said.“God’s looking for two things: be faithful and obedient. And then he sows the rest of that story together.”
After her speech, the quartet returned to sing Jack Johnson’s “Upside Down.” By the end, however, all 31 had gathered around the microphone to savor their last moment together.
Guckenberger’s final thoughts seemed to echo and hearken back — or ‘honken back’ if you will — to Zechariah’s words.
“As you go to these incredible colleges, into the military and embark on all these degree programs and you understand what it means to be called into a field — understand there will be lots of days where you’ll think to yourself, ‘I don’t know if I’m enough. I don’t know if I have what it takes,'” she said.
“This is when you withdraw from that bank of testimonies and you remember: You know what it looks like to be faithful and available. And honestly, He does all the rest of it for us.”
