Speaker Steve Allan: The CBE has asked me to represent the proud past and Vishal Varshney will represent our bright future.

I think what mostly entitles me to speak to the past is that I started grade 1 in Calgary in 1950 at Rideau Park Elementary School. That was 60 years ago when the CBE was only 65 years old. My roots with the public education system actually go even deeper than that. My mother, who was born in Calgary, started grade 1 at Haultain School in 1909 and would have been one of the first pupils at the brand new Earl Grey School when she attended grade 3 there in 1911.

My brother, my sister and I all went to the old Central High School (on 12th Avenue and 8th Street SW). My children went to Western Canada High School, although my son Warde transferred to the National Sports School, which was a great option offered to him through the public school system.

So what do I think the experience of our family in the public school system meant to us?

Firstly, it clearly provided each one of us – my brother, my sister, me, and my wife’s and my three children – with the academic foundation that helped each of us go on to university and succeed in the different courses we pursued there.

Perhaps more importantly, however, our public school education helped shaped our value systems. You will all remember the book about “Everything You Ever Needed to Know You Learned in Kindergarten.” I think there is some truth to that. For I believe the greatest influencers in helping to shape our values are our parents and our teachers. Frankly, I could add partners to this as well, as the work you all do for public education also helps to shape the value systems of our students. And I want to return to the issue of values later in my remarks.

I think what is unique about the public school system is that our kids are taught in an environment that is a micro-chasm of our entire community. Our school communities include kids from different socioeconomic backgrounds and different ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds. It is truly a diverse community that is a mirror image of our larger Calgary community.

Speaker Vishal Varshney: Since we’re talking about how old the CBE is, one thing I thought I would add is perspective. One thing I feel my generation lacks is perspective; we can always ask mom and dad for $125 to buy a new iPod but do we realize how much that really is? I want to put the CBE’s 125 year milestone into perspective more so for myself than for all of you today. 125 years ago, Grover Cleveland was sworn in as president of the USA; among other things, one of the things I find fascinating about him was that he was the first and only president to actually personally answer the White House phone when someone called. Canadian PM John A Mac presided over the completion of the CPR. The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York, the roller coaster and motorcycle was patented and a samurai became prime minister of Japan. Things that seemed so archaic occurred over 125 years ago…and the CBE was technically there to witness all these things. So, in this perspective, 125 years is a long time and is more so indicative of sustaining for a long time, and the CBE deserves all the accolades in the world for pushing the boundaries of success, staying relevant and current for such a long period and motivating youth to do great things for our community over these 125 years. Calgary has lots to be proud of in this organization.