Our Next Chapter Salutatorian Address
A.C. Flora High School Graduation 2007

By Sydney Kornegay
skornegay@hotmail.com

Fellow graduates, this moment, and this place, is the end of one chapter and the beginning of another in each of our personal stories. Do you see this moment as part of a bigger story in your life? I think it's important that we do, and let me tell you why.

We all have our favorite stories. For some it's the Dr. Seuss tales or the Lord of the Rings books. Some of us love the Shakespeare we read in 12th grade English, or, in some cases, the Spark Notes that went along with it.

Whatever our favorites were, there is something about every story that draws us in. I think we line up for the midnight showings, act in school plays, and pore over novels because those stories can reveal deeper truths to us. They are wake up calls, showing us what our lives are really all about.

So, what do these stories tell us that mere facts do not?

First, stories teach us about characters. Every character, no matter how minor he or she may seem, is significant to the story. Where would Frodo be without Sam or Tom Sawyer without Huck? And what about that student who sits quietly in the back of class? We don't always hear them, but their perspectives may be just as wise or significant as the outgoing student up front. The linebacker is as vital to the team as the touchdown- scoring wide receiver. And the facts we learn in school…they're nowhere near as incredible as the teachers who are teaching them. There are no insignificant characters in stories, no small moments in plots.

But stories also teach us about the bigger conflict.

It's impossible to miss the theme of conflict in our own lives, whether it be in today's newspaper, a failed relationship, or an argument with a friend. And while stories show us that challenges can occur, that something has gone wrong in the world, that life is not as it should be, they also point to joy and hope. They show us the possibility of overcoming adversity, of finding love, of stopping wars, and of healing the broken parts of the world.

And finally, stories teach us about being part of something bigger. The characters only become significant when they are willing to step outside their comfort zone and join in the larger plot.

Take Lord of the Rings . It would have been considerably shorter had Frodo stayed at home in the Shire. The movie The Matrix wouldn't have had a plot if Neo had chosen the mindless comfort offered by the blue pill. Instead, he chose the hard truth of the red pill. In the same way, we add significance to our lives when we are willing to look outside our own story lines, step outside of our comfort zones, and strive against the challenges.

For the past four years, we've been writing Chapter One of our stories at A.C. Flora. Sometimes, the story has seemed mundane, just an endless stream of classes and homework and tests. But there have been other times when we've caught a glimpse of a bigger story. It came at football games, where we all rushed the field together after a win. Or during International Day, when we raised money for different charities. Those moments gave us a taste of being part of a bigger whole.

So, now that we're graduating, what will our next chapter look like? Will it be a solitary monologue, with "ourselves" as the only character? Or will it be an epic tale, one lived out on a mythical scale?

The difference comes when we are willing to shut off our personal spotlights, step out of center stage, and look around at the bigger plot. I think if we do, we will discover the role we were meant to play, know the author we were meant to meet, and be transformed into the characters we were meant to be.