CALGARY — When you're a small school in Canada's third largest city, you shouldn't have high expectations if you invite the mayor to attend your grad. But Catherine Chau, a student at northwest Calgary's Nicene Classical Academy, was perhaps not aware of that. On a social occasion, she asked Calgary's Mayor Jeromy Farkas if he would like to attend Thursday night's dinner and dance as the school launched its Grade 12 students into the world of work and university."Sure," he said."My goodness, what have you done!?" said principal Rebekah Curniski.But it was all for real. And the mayor not only attended, but had some inspirational words for the roughly 100 or so people gathered at the Baron, in northeast Calgary.."Classical education teaches something deeper than facts, it teaches how to think, how to ask hard questions, how to wrestle with ideas, how to understand history, how to communicate clearly... how to seek wisdom, not simply information. That matters.... The world needs grounded people. People with character. People with courage. People who know what they stand for. And for a school rooted in the Nicene tradition, there is something especially powerful in that," said Farkas.He urged graduates to be courageous, to keep learning and to serve others. "A meaningful life is rarely built around self-interest alone. The strongest communities are built by people who ask, 'How can I help?' ""Your families believe in you. Your teachers believe in you. And tonight your mayor believes in you."The 'social occasion' which led to Mayor Farkas' grad attendance was actually a ballroom dancing class at which the grads were preparing for their event. For those who care to know such things, Mayor Farkas is actually pretty good...Former Western Standard opinion editor Nigel Hannaford is a volunteer at the Nicene Classical Academy.
