Vinalhaven teacher and curriculum coordinator Rob Warren addressed the island’s graduates this year at their school commencement, stressing the need to learn as much as possible about the wider world.
“How do we get our young people to take ownership in the future of our community?” he asked. “How do we teach them that time away for education, life experiences, and adventures broadens their perspectives, helps them to learn about the challenges facing our community, gives them a stronger appreciation for the special things we have here, and prepares them to protect and strengthen our way of life?
“Our school makes every effort to see that our students get to see the `real world’ through educational field trips, but it is not enough,” Warren continued. “You really do not know what `America’ has to offer until you have lived it. That is the type of education that I am talking about.
“Why, you ask, do I need to move away when I want to stay here to work and live? Well, there are many reasons. I will highlight a couple of these this afternoon.
“One: it is important to have the necessary knowledge to move the island forward.
“Our island is changing. It is vital that we be in the forefront of this change. Change is going to happen with us or without us, and for the sake of our community it had better be with us… The only way to influence change is to lead it. Be willing to get involved in the decisions that need to be made.
“Two: if you don’t, someone else will, and it might not even be someone who is already a part of our community and cares about the island the people on it; it may well just be a total stranger who wanted a view of the ocean.
“As young adults who have experienced growing up here, you are uniquely suited to understand the full range of qualities that make us special, most notably family and a desire to see the community stay a small town who cares about each other. As you reach adulthood, you will see that some of the very limits that drove you crazy as a teenager represent the “village” that much of the rest of the country has lost.
“It is not about whether you were born here. The most important thing is about whether or not you want to work together to find ways to preserve what is best about what we have…
“Who has the skills to make those decisions? Who is trained to be our next Town Manager, Store Owner, Superintendent, Code Enforcement Officer, or the next Who Knows?
“Going off island is one of the answers. There are many ways to gain valuable experience: college, tech program, work experience, apprenticeship, and military training are some that come to mind. Each one of these endeavors could provide valuable insight, knowledge, and skills which, when brought back to the island, could be used for the betterment of our community…
“All through high school, I was absolutely positive that I was going to be a computer scientist when I got out of college. I declared my major as Computer Science at the University of Maine and started my college career. Well…that lasted for all of two months…Tonight I stand here as a middle school English teacher.
“I give you this anecdote as a way of saying that you are young and life throws you curve balls. You must learn to adjust to what life hands you, and if you don’t have the skills necessary to do this then…. where will you be?
“I hope that I have given you something to think about. Congratulations on your accomplishments and good luck in whatever you choose to do.”