Moments later, the retired Middlebury College hockey coach unfurled a nine-square tic-tac-toe board. As he held it up, the 1969 Lake Placid graduate asked the 43 graduates on stage and the hundreds of others in attendance to memorize the one-through-nine numbering of the board. He then asked everyone to pair up in groups of two or three to play a game of “mental tic-tac-toe.”

As the relative silence in the crowd gave way to more and more murmurs, the championship coach explained how he liked to teach through games. And he was sharing this game to relay his first message to the 2017 graduates.

“Stay unplugged as long as you can,” Beaney said. “The phones, the emails, the Snapchat — all of the activities that are set up seem to rob us of our attention and our time. And it’s toward that end. They are necessary, I know, but at the same time, they steal some of our attention.

“And I know it’s not a teaching time,” he added, “but I’m going to ask you for two minutes of your attention. So I hope you’ve chosen the right people to sit next to.”

Lake Placid High School 2017 Valedictorian Bjorn Kroes gives his address Friday evening at the Conference Center at Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Antonio Olivero)

For a few moments, the relative silence of Beaney’s speech gave way to a cacophony of chitchat as those sitting next to each other challenged one another. When the conversations died down, Beaney continued with his “handful of thoughts” for the departing seniors.

One was not to “mistake activity for achievement.” Another was to “find a mentor and be a mentor.” Yet another was to “learn to fail better,” to which he gave a nod to class Valedictorian Bjorn Kroes and Salutatorian Gabby Armstrong, who in each of their own speeches shared quotes that emphasized fearlessness.

Kroes said he recently gave a speech to Lake Placid Elementary’s graduating fifth-grade students. Though as seniors, he and his 42 classmates are at a very different time in their lives than the elementary students he spoke to, he believed the advice he gave them is just as important for the seniors.

“One of my favorite quotes is, ‘Shoot for the moon, because if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,'” Kroes said. “My one lesson I want all of us to take away as we take the next step in our journey is to dream and to dream big.”

As Beaney continued, his next pieces of advice were, “Every day is an interview,” “Be your own best teacher,” and “You’re not entitled to make up your own facts,” to which the audience applauded. Beaney concluded by imploring the students to “find your passion and do what you love” and to “acknowledge the un-acknowledgable.

Lake Placid High School 2017 Salutatorian Gabby Armstrong accepts her diploma from Board of Education President Mary Dietrich Friday evening at the Conference Center at Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Antonio Olivero)

“Get to know the people in the (university) dining hall by name,” Beaney said, “the people who clean the dorm — and don’t be afraid to help them out.

“And write thank-you notes — with real paper — to all of those people,” he added.

As part of his speech, Beaney also relayed to the 2017 class that they are graduating during a similarly turbulent time in the country and world as when he walked across the stage in 1969. Yet, he encouraged the graduates to be confident wherever they end up because they will carry the unselfish spirit of their hometown wherever life takes them.

“You have what every great team has,” Beaney said, “and that is you play for something greater than yourself. And there is so much unselfishness in this town, trying to push forward and make it an even more special place.”

—

The Lake Placid High School senior ensemble sings “I’ll Always Remember You” by M. Allan and J. Alexander Friday evening at the Conference Center at Lake Placid. (Enterprise photo — Antonio Olivero)

Gallery of photos to see and buy on CU