CIRCLE OF LIFE

Good Evening,

As I look throughout this room, I see how Sesame Street had it right when they sang and I promise with a definitive no I won’t sing the song for you, I promise. 

(interject appropriate plug for my post, PLEASE DON’T LET MR ROBERT SING you’ll understand how off key I was trying to make light of this) 

The lyrics go something like this…

“One of these things is not like the others,
One of these things just doesn't belong,
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
By the time I finish my song?“

I’m like all you others in coming to join you in celebrating Mr. Bernard Bell’s retirement. Its truly an honor for me to share my memories of Mr. Bell. 

I invite you to take a ride back in my time machine to my 1984…

By the time I was a freshman in high school I’ve already attended three elementary schools and three middle/junior high schools in two different states and one Canadian province and for a painfully shy student this was a just not a day at Disney World. Thankfully, my parents decided not to move throughout my high school years. Keep in mind, I was the shy, never a troublemaker in high school, I was respectful and well liked by almost all my teachers.

Somewhere in the first couple weeks of high school, I meandered the 500 hall of South Broward High School in Hollywood and avoided going to my fifth period Algebra I class. It was not that I didn’t like the teacher, its just I hated with every letter of the word to the nth degree anything to do with math. At the time, Mr Bell along with Mr Davis were our security team on patrol with their golf cart and caught me, err…busted me skipping this class. 

Mr Bell’s first words to me were nothing short of intimidating and painfully truthful. As most of you know, he has a uncanny talent telling you what you ought to hear not what you want to hear. Adding to this, his height and build added more of a fear into my blood. His words resonated as life will throw me a curve ball one day and in the real world and by all odds I will get a boss who I can’t stand. He explained how I will still have to show up to work and give it my all, as others will depend on me and the weight of my world will be my own to bear. With my first detention in hand, Mr Bell personally escorted me to my Algebra class. 

This was the first of nearly a dozen or so detentions for consequences of the choices I made. Although, I respected Mr Bell immensely I was deathly afraid of this man, mainly because I felt I let him down every time he caught me skipping (and it was always a math class). Over four years, I learned about life, responsibility and most importantly that some adult did care about me and was willing to listen to me when I needed it the most.

Let’s now take a climb back into my time machine as we fast forward to 1992…

I’ve now been out of high school for four years, I’ve managed to continue my education and have already have eight years under my belt working with youth at the YMCA and was in my first professional position as a Child Care Program Director responsible for ten off site locations. I was at one of these locations, helping train a new staff member in her new Site Director role.

The happily, loud and boisterous elementary aged children entered the cafeterorium (a combination cafeteria and auditorium) to start their day with the YMCA after care child care program. As we start the day, I am going through operating procedures and training my new Site Director. As I explained the first part of day we separate into two groups indoor (for those having homework) and outdoor (for those not having homework). After 30 minutes, we bring everyone back together and have a character value discussion and snack.

As we walk toward the parent sign-out area, in walks Mr Bell to pick up his son. Whoa! I had to take a double take to realize here’s the man who I was deathly afraid of but held to highest esteem of respect and now his offspring is in my child care program. Once we became reacquainted and chatted and he signed out his son, I threatened my new site director with her job (not really but laid fear into her pretty strongly) that her program better be on point and nothing could happen to this man’s son. Over the next several years, Bernie would be returning participant to our program – I guess I must have done something right.

My last stop in my time machine takes us to 2002…

I am still working at the YMCA and have eighteen years of various experiences and capacities. I am now the Contract Compliance Director overseeing numerous grants. I arrive with my supervisor to the grant award announcements and there is Mr Bell. I insist if I didn’t know any better, Mr Bell was checking up on me every few years to make sure I was on the right life path.

At the conclusion of the meeting, before I even had a chance to get up and re-introduce myself he came over with a smile and introduced himself to my supervisor and exchanged greetings with me. We found out that we now became community partners in operating the 21st Century Community Learning Center program at Coconut Creek High School. With my experience in operating YMCA programs and his experience with education and the School Board we were embarking on a journey together. Over three years, we served hundreds of high school youth in a program which combined components of academic enrichment, tutoring, team sports and health and wellness with the ultimate goal of improving the lives of those we touch.

During this time, I first hand witnessed how Mr Bell through the years still had the tough love with his students but experienced the great leadership he provided faculty and staff at his high school and extended it on to me.

There you have it, as I finish my song, “Can you tell which thing is not like the others?” Well, I am more than certain I am not like all you others, because I’ve come through the circle of life with Mr Bell and experienced him as a student, his son’s child care provider and partner in education. 

I found myself to be blessed with Mr Bell coming into my life and can stand proud knowing he has seen me grow from the lost freshman in high school who despised going to an Algebra I class. Where am I now you may ask? Well, I will be celebrating thirty years at the YMCA this July 2014. Yes, I still truly hate math of all sorts – but with tools such as Microsoft Excel and a calculator I am now responsible for over fifteen million dollars and hoping I too can blessed by helping a youth find the path to life.

Thank you Mr Bell and Godspeed and blessings you as you start your new journey!

Epilogue - Initially, this was written as my part of my speech at Mr Bell’s retirement party on February 21, 2014, but my desire to speak from the heart became stronger the theme of the circle of life and the memories shared were much the same but was condensed from the original context.