O'Neal Holds Annual Convocation
Friday morning, O'Neal's three divisions gathered all together for the first time in a long time for Convocation. Seniors and their second-grade buddies were welcomed, and the teachers were thanked for being the invaluable bedrock of the school. Finally, the blue-red teams for the year-long all-school points competition were announced.
Photos by Ava Taylor Walker
Photos by Ava Taylor Walker
Head of School John Elmore addressed the student body. In his comments, he talked about Lou Gehrig, The Iron Horse of the New York Yankees, who at one point in his career played for 14 straight years. He let the students know that his family once lived next door to Gehrig’s birthplace in New York City, and that Mr. Elmore walked by the plaque every day, reflecting on the consistency and determination required of Lou Gehrig for 2130 consecutive games.
Lou Gehrig’s address to the Yankees and the nation on July 4, 1939, is striking in its simplicity and power. It is widely known and memorable, and Mr. Elmore used phrases to capture his feelings about O’Neal at the beginning of the year:
Understandably, Lou Gehrig was emotional as he addressed the crowd and the world on that Independence Day so long ago. His phrase, "Today, I consider myself to be the luckiest man on the face of the earth," stands without rival. I hope that like me you too feel very lucky today to be a part of this O'Neal community. We are lucky. And when he says, "...look around, wouldn't you consider it a privilege to associate yourself [with such a fine, great group of people]," I hope that like me you too feel the same way about being in this gym with everyone here. Finally, when an already sick Lou Gehrig says, "...I've got an awful lot to live for," I hope that like me you too all know that we have a lot of great things to look forward to this year.
The O'Neal School
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