Founders Club Remarks
By TMS Board of Directors Chair Andy Huff
Made during 8th Grade Bridging Ceremony
May 26, 2016
It is such a privilege for me to be here tonight to celebrate each of you – our first 8th grade graduating class.
I also have the great pleasure tonight to recognize and celebrate a special group of people whose tireless efforts and extraordinary generosity literally built The Museum School.
Imagine if you will I shared this blank canvas with you. It’s a great canvas and I’m going to make a beautiful painting, I promise. But, before I get started painting it, I want you to buy it. Would you pay me 100 dollars? 500? 1000 dollars? Maybe 2,000? $2,000 for a blank canvas would be taking a pretty big risk, wouldn’t it?
Yet, that’s just precisely what 61 people, families and groups – did 6 years ago. They generously invested financially in your school – and bought a blank canvas.
The Museum School was literally an idea – and this group of people that we call our Founders Club – collectively invested more than $120,000 from their own pockets to open the doors of The Museum School. It is not an overstatement to say that without them, we would not be here today.
Many of them still contribute financially to our school. Many of them invested and still invest countless hours of volunteer time. Many of them invested their passion and still invest that passion today.
Several members of this group are here in the room with us tonight. At the risk of missing someone, I won’t call out individual names, but to those of you in the room – please accept a very sincere THANK YOU for your extraordinary gifts.
You’ve given all of us – students, parents, family members, volunteers and community members something truly extraordinary.
To commemorate and celebrate you, I’m pleased to unveil a beautiful piece of art that will be installed near the new front entrance to our school in August. Each of your names is listed and we hope the piece will be a constant reminder to our school community what generosity and commitment can build.
To our 8th graders tonight: Remember that blank canvas the founders club invested in?
Well, YOU are their masterpiece.
YOU filled that blank canvas with smiles, laughter, growth, extraordinary achievement, heart…..
responsibility, respect, cooperation, sustainability, creativity and kindness. YOU showed all of us what can happen when generosity, passion and community come together.
To our founders club, thank you.
To our eighth graders – it’s your turn. Your canvas is blank. You have the tools, knowledge and heart you need to go make your own masterpiece. We can’t wait to see what you create.
