The room crackled with energy. Our students sat transfixed by every word, captivated by each dance move, enchanted by his embellished ‘rizz walk’, a term previously unfamiliar to most adults in the room. Exuding a confident, yet self-effacing swagger, he shared his story of risk taking, rejection, resilience, and ultimately redemption. Dancing with a local on his family trip to Costa Rica was the perfect way to introduce his idea of ‘emptying your backpack’ to our students.
With Wellbeing Week around the corner, this was the inspiration for bringing Sam Demma in this week to speak to our Senior and Middle School students. Sam is a former elite soccer player, and now brings his energy and passion to schools, talking about how students can take care of themselves, and one another. His stories and dance moves had the audience sitting in rapt attention as his tales unfolded and laughter filled the room.
A devastating injury cut his promising athletics career short, dashing his hopes of an NCAA soccer scholarship. Despite having to watch his teammates’ success from the sidelines, Sam’s response was one of resilience and anti-fragility. His mantra of small consistent actions led him to service, including a commitment to cleaning up his community by picking up trash while walking home from school.
At the heart of Sam's message was the metaphor of the backpack, symbolizing the burdens we all carry—the experiences, beliefs, and emotions that shape our lives. Some are light and uplifting, while others weigh us down. When our backpacks get too heavy, we look to others to help carry the weight—our support network of family, friends and teachers. Sam believes that one powerful way of emptying our backpacks is to be of service to others. That making other people feel cared for and appreciated can change the way we see ourselves.
His message aligns nicely with our Senior School leadership process that will unfold in the coming weeks, beginning this week with head prefect speeches and elections. The twelve students who spoke at Tuesday’s leadership assembly took a brave, bold step towards their leadership goal. However, the real work of leadership is done in the weeks, months, and even years leading up to the courageous two minute speech. It’s small consistent actions that make people leaders. Being kind. Checking-in on friends. Letting people know they are valued. True leaders seek first to serve.
You can often gauge the impact of a speaker by how many students approach them after they finish, and Sam was mobbed with students wanting selfies with him. I spoke to one student who was inspired to register for the summer arts program they were considering, while another Middle School student shared their dream of becoming a medical doctor. These are just two examples of the exciting, ambitious goals and dreams our students have. Hopefully along the way, they are also able to do the small things, extending kindness and support to others, helping to lighten the load when their backpacks weigh them down.
