Opening clip of January 2012 Graduation from The Family Foundation School on Vimeo.
Dr. Gerald Janauer
January 2012 Graduation Speech
The time has come, once again, for us to bid farewell to our graduating seniors. Another senior class is ready to depart, waiting to pack their belongings and go home. Wow, that sounds very simple – and very final.
As we all know, however, nothing was simple for these young adults that you see before you this morning. The path each of these students has taken was long and tortuous. Parents will clearly remember the fear, anguish and a desperate search for help. Students will remember crazy days and crazy nights and the terrible rift that existed between them and their families. Today, these same young people have reached a milestone of accomplishment that most young men and women of their age would find difficult to understand.
All of our students that are sitting before you on the stage have earned an academic diploma, but graduation from The Family Foundation School means much more than the New York State Regents Diploma that these students are about to receive. Graduation from The Family Foundation School means that these young men and women have worked hard to exemplify the program principles of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, and have practiced these principles in their daily lives at the school, as well as when they were away with their families and on home visits. Graduation from The Family Foundation School means that these young men and women have shown a willingness to be honest in all of their affairs, and to be of service to others as they grew to trust God as they understood Him. Graduation from The Family Foundation School required firm faith on the part of students as well as parents. The level of work that our students and their families have invested in this graduation is extraordinary – regular high school students cannot boast of this achievement.
So – graduation from FFS is not simple. Nor is it final. Many of our students still have a long road ahead. There will be temptation, there will be trials, and there may be slips. Our students have gained the tools to overcome difficulties in their lives. These tools are there whenever they need to reach for them. Indeed, our students have also gained a new extended family – The Family Foundation School teachers, staff, and their fellow students. Many of our students cherish their memories at FFS and keep in touch with other alumni as well as with us. We are always glad to hear from our students and love to see them return to our campus. Even today, we have alumni that are here to support our graduates – another form of service. Graduates, we are looking forward to seeing you again in these halls. Please, do not be strangers, give us a call, pay us a visit!
And, as you leave here today, remember what Dr. Seuss once said:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the one who’ll decide where to go.”
Yes, graduates, as Dr. Suess says, you WILL decide, but please do not forget the role that God plays in your life. Congratulations, and may God be with you!
