This is an address I gave to our students at an academic awards ceremony in the fall two  years ago.  It remains my conviction about education…especially now…the last year of my teaching career.

I’ve always wanted to drive through the western states following the route of Lewis and Clark. This summer over the course of three weeks, I made this trip a reality.  Although I wasn’t able to visit each of the places those famous explorers experienced, I was thrilled to see the vast and magnificent landscape of plains, rivers, mountains, and forests that drew them westward.

In May 1804, they began their journey on the Missouri River in St. Louis. President Thomas Jefferson clearly believed that this undertaking was necessary for the expansion of our country.  Their mission was clear:

• Explore and map out the newly acquired territory of the Louisiana Purchase and…

• Find a practical route across the Western half of the continent to the Pacific

But the President also wanted them to address additional goals:

• Scientific: They were to study and record plants and animals, as well as map geographic findings

• Economic and diplomatic:  He also wanted them to establish trade relations with the Indians

They followed the Missouri River to its headwaters in North Dakota. After a hard winter in an Indian village in Mandan, they continued westward and descended the Continental Divide in dug out canoes. The hardship of dragging the canoes and provisions over mountain passes is beyond what most of us could imagine doing today.  Their kindness and good will toward the local native tribes … the Sioux, Shoshone, Blackfeet, and Nez Perce… earned them continued safe passage.  At long last, they followed the majestic Columbia River to the Pacific coast. However…it was again time to settle in for another winter.

They allowed all members of the expedition to vote on where to camp for those months…allowing Sacagawea (an Indian woman who gave birth during the trip) and William Clark’s slave York to vote as well…This is remarkable… they were the first woman and slave ever to actually vote in America.  They built a small encampment on the south side of the Columbia called Fort Clatsop.  It sits in deep damp woods with huge old growth trees shading it from the rare sunlight. Rain is a constant there during the winter months.

When we arrived at Fort Clatsop, I marveled at the history of the place…thinking about how my feet were walking the same paths that theirs had trod. I peered into the replica cabins and envisioned these dedicated explorers planning their voyage home. When spring came, they returned east…it took them only 6 months rather than the 18 months of toil to get to the Pacific.

Four years later a steamship arrived and the the town of Astoria was founded not far from where they camped … only four years…such a short time. What is even more remarkable is that it was only 210 years ago that all this took place. In the scope of human history…that is so recent.

Why is it that I felt compelled to talk about Lewis and Clark today? Well…it’s simple. I see a parallel to you.

It’s because each of you have joined our own Corps of Discovery… right here at Woodbury High School. You are on a journey that will alter the landscape of your lives.  Your exploration will lead you to remarkable events ahead of you.  Like Lewis and Clark you are learning the history, boundaries, and culture of our nation as well as the vast expanse of the world in which we live.

You are exploring the mysteries of science and math…learning the elements that make up our world, the life forms that inhabit it, mathematical thought that drives it, and how physics impacts our universe.

You set sail on the sea of language… creating metaphors, crafting arguments, researching the thinking of experts, as well as finding your own voice as a writer and speaker. You have looked at the world through the eyes of authors and poets … and found that the human condition longs to be expressed.

You are ready to engage the world…in Chinese, Spanish, French, German, and sign language.

You have found a place to express your inner being through art, music, acting, and sports.

The direction for your life is a map that you are drawing, one that is imprecise perhaps with mountain passes to climb…rivers to ford. And, of course,…there will be new tribes, those you encounter in college and careers and eventually a family…to negotiate safe passage.

But…here……here……in this safe place you are finding the tools to do those things on this journey. You may make mistakes, but we only ask that you learn from them and grow.

Today is a celebration of your voyage. Those of us who are in this place with you … teachers, administrators, and staff… we pledge our support and care as you take to the river and find that passage … the one leading to the life that will bring you fulfillment and an opportunity to serve others.

Corps of Discovery… we are proud of you and wish you a successful school year.