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The Sequoia Class of 1950 mounted a bronze plaque at the entrance to the main building on campus. The plaque is titled, “THE SEQUOIA CODE OF CONDUCT” and lists six active ways in which Sequoia students might aspire to lift up themselves and their community.
If you can get past the faded oxidation and anachronistic ways the language in the plaque employs the masculine pronouns as the default (e.g., “A GOOD SEQUOIAN CONSIDERS THE CONSEQUENCES OF HIS ACTIONS”), the ideals it sets out are quite noble. These young people, whose childhood took place amidst the chaos of world war, imagined a school community where noble virtues might endure. Wow!
Depending on the day, different items from the code catch my attention. When I observed members of the boys’ soccer team in attendance at a girls varsity game two weeks ago cheering encouragingly for their fellow athletes, I was impressed to see them showing “AN ACTIVE INTEREST IN [their] SCHOOL…AND ITS ACTIVITIES” and “CONDUCTING [themselves] HONORABLY IN PUBLIC”.
Our Student Senate, facilitating meaningful discussion on important issues like equitable access to bathrooms, met last Friday for the fourth time this year, demonstrating that a good Sequoian not only “BELIEVES IN [their] STUDENT GOVERNMENT AND MAKES IT WORK” but is also “CO-OPERATIVE, HONEST, TOLERANT, AND RESPECTFUL”. I have to think the Class of 1950 would be inspired by such active engagement.
Seven years after the Sequoia Code of Conduct was forged in bronze in Redwood City, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a sermon in at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In it, he postulated what his world might look like through the lens of ancient wisdom. Like us, in uncertain times, he looked to the past for guidance. Through this lens, King’ is at his most overtly contemptuous of the ills he sees plaguing the nation (racial injustice, economic oppression, religious hypocrisy). Then again, true to the broader legacy King continues to represent, he finds his way back to a message of hope:
“Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him.”
Broad division comprises much of what we are to believe defines us in modern times. As such, I am grateful for this day we set aside each year to commemorate Dr. King. It once again centers us during a tumultuous moment. I am likewise grateful for our community and its strong foundation on which we carry out our mission together. Much like MLK’s ideals, The SEQUOIA CODE OF CONDUCT, ensconced 75 years ago, offers direction in uncertain times.
Have a great week!
Sean
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