Obama addresses Kalamazoo Central High School grads

 

It was a night to remember for the Kalamazoo Community June 7, 2010. That’s when President Barack Obama addressed the Kalamazoo Central High School Class of 2010 as they celebrated their high school graduation. The school beat out more than 1,000 others that sought to have Obama to speak at their graduations. Here are some excerpts from Obama’s 24-minute speech:

“Together as a community, you’ve embraced the motto of this school district: “Every child, every opportunity, every time,” because you believe, like I do, that every child – regardless of what they look like, where they come from, or how much money their parents have – every child who walks through your schoolhouse doors deserves a quality education. “

"I'm here tonight because I think that America has a lot to learn from Kalamazoo Central about what makes for a successful school in this new century. You've got educators raising standards and then inspiring their students to meet them. You've got community members stepping up as tutors and mentors and coaches. You've got parents taking an active interest in their kids' education -- attending those teacher conferences, turning off that TV once in a while, making sure that homework gets done”

“..."[Making excuses] is an easy habit to get into. You see it every day in Washington. Every day.…The truth is, no matter how hard you work, you're not going to ace every class. You're not going to succeed the first time you try something or succeed in every job. There will be times when you screw up, there'll be times when you hurt the people you love."

Read impressions from MASA Executive Director William Mayes, who attended the event…

View images from the event…

Read more speech excerpts…

Read the AASA blog entry by AASA President Mark Bielang, Superintendent of Paw Paw Public Schools…