On June 17, Parkside alumnus Daniel Mazzaro ’08 delivered the graduation address to the Class of 2021 during our online graduation ceremony. Here is the full transcript of his speech.
Hello everyone and congratulations to the Class of 2021! I would like to start off by thanking Ms. Miller and Ms. Thorne for inviting me to speak before you all today.
My name is Daniel Mazzaro and I graduated from Parkside in 2008. I then attended the Gateway School and Birch Wathen Lenox, and recently graduated from Wheaton College, MA in 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Business & Management. I am currently interning for New York City mayoral candidate, Ray McGuire, and am also working for the Parents League, an education and parenting organization here in New York. In the fourteen years since I graduated from Parkside, I’ve had some wonderful educational and professional experiences, and I owe a debt of gratitude to this school for helping me to get where I am today.
To be candid, my family and I did not have the easiest time figuring out where I was going to attend elementary school. I’d been diagnosed with a learning difference that made it hard for me to comprehend material through auditory instruction. Thankfully, my loving and caring parents had me evaluated and quickly figured out the best way to move forward with my education. I needed a school that focused on individualized teaching and an encouraging learning environment that would help bring out the best in its students. I remember visiting a lot of great schools that met these criteria but none of them were the right fit for me. The process was exhausting and really stressful. But those feelings quickly faded away when we visited Parkside.
From the moment we walked through those bright red doors, we knew we were in the right place. Ms. Miller and Ms. Thorne took me under their wings and assured my parents and me that everything would be okay…and they were right!
Throughout my time at Parkside, I learned so much and acquired skill sets that I still use to this very day. When I first arrived in the fall of 2003 I was a much different person. I was shy, anxious and reserved. Communicating and expressing myself were very difficult for me. I usually got upset or sometimes even threw a tantrum if things didn’t go my way. But Parkside was key when it came to resolving these issues. My wonderful and patient teachers taught me to stay calm while dealing with stressful and tense situations. If I felt that something was wrong, they demonstrated how I could communicate so the person I was talking to would understand what I was trying to say. That way, we could work out our issues together without needing an adult to intervene on our behalf. Organization was another skill that Parkside helped me develop when I was a student. I can still remember my teachers emphasizing the “Five Ws” and using them to describe current events, using creative methods to solve basic math problems and learn spelling words—and using the always helpful “burger” essay structure which truly helped me in writing all my papers throughout high school and college. Learning how to follow instructions was another useful tool which helped me get organized. I learned as much from the colorful signs in the classroom as I did from what my teachers said. Following instructions helped me organize myself so I could develop routines and practice good habits like budgeting my time to work, exercise and even basic hygiene like hand-washing. Another valuable skill that Parkside helped me develop was reading comprehension. While I must admit I did not necessarily enjoy reading while I was a Parkside student, I now am very appreciative of what I learned back then. Novels and book reports, seemingly endless summer reading assignments and the use of notecards to read from line to line were foundational to my success today. Learning to read, especially in this age of so many distractions like iPhones, computer screens and video games has proved indispensable since I left Parkside. I never dreamed that I’d go from reading books for school like The Indian in the Cupboard to someday reading books just for pleasure—most recently James McPherson’s great Civil War epic, Battle Cry of Freedom. I’m sure each of you has developed many skills at Parkside that will enrich your life like they have for me.
My time at Parkside was not all skills and strategies, however. Some of my greatest memories include starting off Tuesday mornings with yoga class. I loved the ball pit in the O-T office and didn’t appreciate then what a unique feature it was to have that in my school. I remember the Polaroid cameras that teachers used to take pictures of all the kids and put them up in the classroom. I remember working on group painting projects in art class that went up for auction at the Parkside benefits—one of which still hangs in my home today. Class trips to Central Park were a highlight and the all-school picnic in Riverside Park was always a great way to cap off the school year. My favorite event was the family holiday party—always filled with lots of excitement and the best dessert table of my youth. I hope you, the Class of 2021, will cherish your own Parkside memories as you move on to your next schools.
My time at Parkside revolved around my three closest friends, Risto, Max and James. They were some of the first real friends I had and the first ones I made on my own accord. We did everything together. Not only did we hang out in all of our classes and see each other from 8 till 2:15 every day—we played video games, slept over at each other’s houses and went to birthday parties in cool places all over the city. We also went to movies, Rangers games and even sometimes played hockey together at Chelsea Piers. Our friendships and shared experiences taught me the value of connecting with others and growing comfortable with being myself around people.
As you all prepare to head off for middle school and make new friends, it is important to always be yourselves and follow interests that you are truly interested in. Never make friends for the purpose of social status or follow the crowd for the sake of fitting in because you feel pressured that you might miss out on something. Simply do what you enjoy and the rest—the experiences and friends you’ll make, the valuable lessons you’ll learn and the knowledge you’ll gain—will follow. Lastly, do not be afraid to put yourself out there and get out of your comfort zone. You have all grown since you first came to Parkside, yes, you are surely bigger and taller now, but you have also grown in other ways, too. It is very important that you keep growing by continuing to challenge yourself. Come from a place of “YES” and try different things. Go out for the varsity team even if you think you might not make it, audition for the school play even if you think everyone else may be more talented or experienced than you, join or start your own band even if you don’t think you sound very good just yet.
The point is, no matter who you are, you belong. Parkside taught me that. The world is yours as long as you know that and believe it for yourself. I hope you pursue the goals that will all allow you to lead happy and fulfilling lives.
To the Class of 2021, I congratulate you all once again! You guys went through some crazy stuff. To overcome not only the individual challenges that you all faced, but to overcome them in the midst of a global pandemic is nothing short of remarkable. If coronavirus can’t stop you, nothing can! Thank you very much and I wish you all the best in your very bright futures!