Every Friday the Waldorf School of Garden City High School gathers in the student room for the weekly Student Assembly that consists of (1) an extended speech by a senior on a topic of particular interest to them, and (2) the recitation of a poem, (either existing or original) by a junior. The Senior Speeches and Junior Poems are a rite of passage for Waldorf students and are a required part of the high school curriculum.

Friday, December 2, 2016

Senior Speeches

First, Senior Beau Cheney took the podium to tell the audience about his passion for cooking. He explained how he took interest in the culinary arts at around the age of 6, and that it has been an important part of his life ever since.

Beau interned in the kitchen of Untitled, a popular restaurant located in the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was there that Beau solidified his desire to become a chef. He described how much he enjoyed the experience and how he found every day to be fun and exciting.

In the fall of 2017 Beau will be attending the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. His dream is to open a restaurant in New York, where he will keep a table designated for Waldorf Alumni. We wish Beau the best of luck!

Next up was Senior Harry Kang, who spoke about his experience in Sri Lanka with Projects Abroad.  Having been inspired by news reports regarding health care issues in the region, Harry decided to spend a summer learning how to help people in need.

In the summer of 2016, Harry spent two weeks in the small rural town of Panadura, Sri Lanka, where he observed local medical professionals and assisted them in routine tasks. The experience gave Harry a new perspective as it showed him how different the healthcare capacities are of developing countries compared to technologically advanced nations like the U.S. and Korea. One example of this is how Sri Lankan hospitals are forced to house all their departments into a single building, leading to long lines and waiting times.

Inspired by his time in Sri Lanka, Harry wishes to explore potential solutions to ensure that people in every part of the world have access to quality healthcare. He explained the true joy he saw in patients who were able to receive the care they needed, and he hopes to see more if it in years to come. He is planning on entering a Pre-Dental program in college. We wish Harry luck in all future endeavors.

Junior Poems

This week,  Junior Amanda Sorensen recited her junior poem.

Flying by  Sarah Arvio
Recited by Amanda Sorensen

One said to me tonight or was it day
or was it the passage between the two,
“It’s hard to remember, crossing time zones,

the structure of the hours you left behind.
Are they sleeping or are they eating sweets,
and are they wanting me to phone them now?”

“In the face of technological fact,
even the most seasoned traveler feels
the baffled sense that nowhere else exists.”

“It’s the moving resistance of the air
as you hurtle too fast against the hours
that stuns the cells and tissues of the brain.”

“The dry cabin air, the cramped rows of seats,
the steward passing pillows, pouring drinks,
and the sudden ridges of turbulence. . .”

“Oh yes, the crossing is always a trial,
despite precautions: drink water, don’t smoke,
and take measured doses of midday sun,

whether an ordinary business flight
or a prayer at a pleasure altar. . .
for moments or hours the earth out of sight,

the white cumuli dreaming there below,
warm fronts and cold fronts streaming through the sky,
the mesmerizing rose-and-purple glow.”

“So did you leave your home à contrecoeur?
Did you leave a life? Did you leave a love?
Are you out here looking for another?

Some want so much to cross, to go away,
somewhere anywhere & begin again,
others can’t endure the separation. . .”

One night, the skyline as I left New York
was a garden of neon flowerbursts–
the celebration of a history.