On Wednesday, OA had one of its first assemblies in a very long time. It was an emotional experience to be back with (half of) the school in the auditorium, all taking in the presentation at once. Calvin Terell made the moment even more emotional with his speech. There was not a dry eye in the house when we all stood to give him a standing ovation.
There were many different important lessons to be learned from what he said. He talked about race, ethnicity, gender identity, etc without making there seen like there was good or bad. He touched on deep topics, causing you to pause and take a hard look at yourself, but in the next minute he was making you laugh.
I not only feel like I know myself better, but I feel like I know my classmates better. He asked us to be our most authentic selves and not to judge each other. In a high school setting, that can be hard for many to do, but in that moment it felt easy. He made that big auditorium filled with hundreds of kids feel like a safe space among friends. I truly feel like I saw many kids in a new light. He seemed to get through to those students who typically plug in their headphones and space out during these types of events. The audience felt engaged and energetic yet still respectful and introspective.
He taught love, respect and acceptance in many different ways. His discussions of U.S history (that are unknown to most) were honestly a little mind-blowing. I can’t believe I never knew the Statue of Liberty was a freed slave! For me, the most impactful moments were when he asked different members of different communities to stand while everyone else clapped. It was really powerful to see some of these marginalized groups finally get some love and acceptance from their peers.
I also had the opportunity to sit down for lunch with Calvin and some of my other peer leaders. His speech was not just him putting on an act. He truly carries love, acceptance and positivity with him wherever he goes. We were also joined by Mrs. Cavanaugh and it really felt like both of them were interested in what the students had to say. He first asked for feedback from us so that he could make his presentation the best that it could be. Then, he wanted to know what issues were facing our school and how we can take what we learned from his speech and use it to help solve them. It turned into a free discussion among students and adults about the future and what we, as youths, can do to leave this planet better than we found it.
Because Terrel covered so many important topics throughout his speech, every student walked away with a different major takeaway. We talked to some students to see what they learned from his visit to our school.
- ¨That we are all the same in every way shape or form. As he said, we all bleed the same blood, we all scream in the same language, we are all humans in this big world, why treat others differently because of the way they look or the social class they are in? We need to actively listen to our peers, make them feel heard, and just continuously treat others with the respect they deserve.¨ – Jordan Kodzis
- ¨I thought there were multiple messages throughout the whole presentation, but my main takeaway was that we should learn and do better than the generations before us. If not, we will end up repeating history.¨ – Hannah Treiber
- ¨I took away his message that above all of our divisions, we are all human. I also learned the importance of showing respect, and how that really means re-examining our perceptions of others, especially where bias and prejudice dictate our judgements.¨ – Tatum Perry
- “I think he covered a lot and so I think there’s multiple main takeaways but they were all really impactful. I also think it was really interesting how he addressed the history of the United States. Like this is stolen land, we have to respect where it came from and different types of people. I like that he had people of all different ethnicities stand up because it made people feel appreciated and seen. And, I think in the beginning, the way he catered to people’s emotions, like he immediately brought out respect from everyone, everyone was engaged and listening. He had a very powerful message.”- Gabby Jacobs
- “I think that he said things that people need to hear, like he was not afraid to hold people accountable. Be respectful, think before you speak, people have things going on that you will never know about. Your closest friends have things that you don’t know about, be nice to everyone.”- Claudia Cox
- “The assembly was a very uniting moment for the school. I think it was much needed this year and a great start to the future”- Jenn Buche
- “I think the presentation really humanized my classmates and forced me to look at individuals from a different perspective. Even though I have known these students for years I often forget that I don’t truly know what is going on in their life outside of when I see them or interact with them. The concept of ‘looking again’ really stuck with me because we all make these instantaneous judgments without really knowing someone.”- Emma O’Hara
- “I really liked how Calvin was very insistent on the idea of respect, meaning to look again/reconsider. On how acting on impulse can lead to negative consequences, and taking a second look can really benefit you and those around you. I also really appreciated the parts where he had talked about loss and allowing yourself to feel your emotions and deal with them, as opposed to bottling them up and only showing what is acceptable to those around you.”- Catherine Weatherby
- “My main takeaway from the talk was to just be kind to one another and to relook at everyone’s situations. It was kind of a big expansion of the golden rule that we learn as little kids: treat others like you want to be treated.”- Aisha Giraud