Creating Something Greater Than Ourselves
The following remarks were delivered to The Middle and Upper School Community during Opening Convocation:
This summer, many of you read the book The Boys in the Boat. In the book, the central figure Joe grew up facing tremendous hardship— he was abandoned by his family and he was struggling to survive. He could have easily given up, feeling isolated and unsupported. But he became part of a compassionate community when he made the rowing team at the University of Washington and it was the people around him who helped him find his place. His teammates, his coaches, and even the boatbuilder, George Pocock, all played a part in shaping him. Pocock once said to Joe, "It isn’t hard to be good from time to time in sports. What’s tough is being good every day." This quote speaks not just to athletic perseverance but how growth comes from a daily commitment to improve (Brown, 2013).
The idea of a compassionate community is at the heart of Joe’s story but also at the heart of our school community. A compassionate community isn’t just a group of people who happen to be in the same place. It’s a group that sees each other, supports each other, and understands that we are stronger together than we are alone.
As we begin a new school year, I want us to reflect on what it means to be that kind of community. Just like Joe Rantz’s teammates in The Boys in the Boat who had to learn to row in perfect harmony gliding across the water, we too must learn to lift each other up, day in and day out, to be at our very best.
While Joe was training for and competing in the 1936 Berlin Summer Games, there were unthinkable actions taking place in Germany, which would lead to the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate, often shared, "The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference." When we are indifferent to those around us—whether it’s a classmate struggling with homework or a friend having a tough day—we fail to create the compassionate community we all need. Compassion isn’t just about grand gestures. Often, it’s in the smallest acts of kindness: offering a helping hand, standing up for someone, or simply being present for a friend in need.
As we are gathered here today, at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year, let’s take inspiration from these stories. Like Joe, we may face challenges, but we don’t face them alone. And as Elie Wiesel reminds us, our compassion—or our indifference—shapes the world around us. Together, we can build a community where every person feels seen, supported, and uplifted.
So, as we move forward this year, let’s strive to be a school that embodies the spirit of compassionate community—not just in words, but in action, every day. Perhaps we can strive to show compassion like the people of Gander, Newfoundland who, in a moment of crisis after the September 11 attacks, showed the world what compassion looks like when they welcomed 7000 people from diverted flights- feeding them, giving them clothing, and helping to provide comfort during a time of uncertainty and fear. At Brimmer, we too can make a difference, right here in our community, through small acts in the classroom, on the field or in the theater, in the hallways, and in the Dining Commons.
In The Boys in the Boat, toward the end of their journey, Joe Rantz and his teammates discovered something profound: that the boat is more than just wood and metal—it’s the sum of the people in it, working together to achieve their individual and team goals. Our school is like that boat. It’s not just the building, the classes, or the grades. It’s the sum of all of us, working together to create something greater than ourselves.
Brimmer and May School
69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.