Two Thousand and twenty two (2022)! When I think of the number 22, I think of the expression “Catch 22” from the famous Joseph Heller novel by the same title, which actually defines a “Catch 22” as a difficult situation for which there is no easy or possible solution. While the number ‘22 is special to you, the phrase “Catch 22” in NO way describes your class. I can say with great confidence that you are an incredibly special group of adolescents and there is NOTHING that would ever stop you from finding a solution to a problem, no matter how difficult! As you said so clearly in your cantata, one of the main attributes of your grade is your flexibility…I would add your creativity, your determination, and your ability to always “deliver!” There is no “Catch 22” for the Class of 2022. 

When you entered high school in the fall of 2018, you entered with more enthusiasm and dedication than I had seen in many years. You may have been the newest members of the high school, but you took the building by storm! You sold flowers in the carpool lane to spread cheer for Shabbat, you hosted a 9th grade BBQ where you gave back to the community through your collections of toiletries and food and making doggie toys….all while building grade community and having fun. You wrote holiday cards to patients at Children’s National Medical Center and you showed your support of your classmates when you put a note with a Hershey Kiss on every 9th grade locker wishing each student good luck on finals.  9th grade was when you began your commitment to the children at the Shriver School, a Title 1 elementary school. 85% of our school’s volunteers to Shriver came from your 9th grade class. You tutored the children, collected school supplies for them and even volunteered there on days that you were off from school. For the next three years, you supported the school’s December toy drive, donating the majority of the 1,000 toys they collected so that each child in the school would receive a toy for the holidays. As you helped those in need, it was truly a labor of love and a perfect example of our core value of Tikkun Olam, “active engagement and commitment to repair the world and make it more compassionate and just.”

In the fall of your sophomore year, you welcomed new students to your grade with an afternoon of karaoke to integrate them into your class. Hurricane Dorian hit and you again stepped up, organizing a raffle with all types of exciting prizes, including free Starbucks delivered to school for a month. You led the high school in raising $1,000 for the victims of the devastating hurricane.

And then the pandemic hit and it would have been understandable if your enthusiasm was dampened and your dedication to activities and community service waned. But not the Class of 2022…you donned your PPE, you marched to support Black Lives Matter, sewed masks for Children’s Hospital, and helped to collect donated food and deliver to food banks. 

During the second half of sophomore year and all of junior year, you continued how special you were. You stretched your minds and took on projects that proved your commitment to Torah Lishmah, love of learning for learning’s sake. One of you was chosen as a Bronfman scholar, you won many best speaker awards at Junior State of America, coauthored a scholarly paper on fire safety, and a whopping 20 of you were recognized as National Merit scholars. You participated in Witness Theater, where you collaborated with Holocaust survivors, culminating in a public presentation to give those survivors a voice. One of you worked as an intern in the Public Defender's office and another served as a Teacher’s Assistant this school year in our Genetics program. Everything you did proved you were excited by academic challenges and opportunities. 

You remained active, both outside of school, in leading and giving life to our JDS clubs and activities, even when we were virtual. Among your classmates you can brag about an alpine racing ski champion, a competitive sailor, a nationally ranked fencer, a crew racer, and two soccer players headed for the big leagues. To top that off, every single one of your publications was awarded a top prize for their exceptional productions. You entertained us with musical theater, A Cappella performances, concerts and outstanding Kabbalat Shabbat programs, even when we were on Zoom and no matter how challenging it was to do it virtually. 

Despite the difficulties of helping those less fortunate during the pandemic, you didn’t give up.  You gave countless hours to the community as a firefighter and EMT, 1000s of hours working with Lucky Dog, you started a tutoring program in a shelter in DC, and volunteered in Tanzania in hospital clinics. You taught English online to children in Spanish speaking countries and opened a thrift shop in school, donating the proceeds to the victims of the devastating tornadoes this fall.

Your intelligence, talents and service to the community are admirable. But, somehow that is not what sets you apart and makes you so special. What is it that sets you apart from others? You have spirit, and passion as shown in your Zimriyah wins - there has not been a class in the history of our school that won EVERY single Zimriyah in which they participated. But most importantly, as your Siyyum theme so beautifully said, “In a Place where there is no leader, be a leader.”  And 2022, you did JUST THAT.    Wherever, whenever there was a need, you stepped up to make a difference. 

So, what is my gift to each of you? With the help of the STEM department (and one of your very own classmates who is unaware that he had made the prototype years ago) we have made our very own replica of an Olympic winners’ podium. And you, the Class of 2022 who always stepped up to be a leader, are positioned at the very top of that podium. Keep this gift, which can serve as a pencil holder, as a reminder of how important it is to be a leader in a world that needs leaders.

We stand with a sense of enormous pride in your accomplishments while at the same time with deep sadness as you leave us. We are confident that you will take what you have learned at CESJDS and make a difference in your communities. We wish you and your families a hearty Mazal Tov. We love you and will miss you. And now it is a privilege for me to read the names of the members of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School Class of 2022.