Belichick reminded the graduates there is no "I" in "team" but there is one in "win," and a team wins when individual players do their jobs.
Suffield Academy Graduation - Here, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick delivers the commencement address.
SUFFIELD – New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick told Suffield Academy graduates Friday morning to follow their heart, their passion and their curiosity in life, and not to worry about what everyone else is doing.
Belichick, a parent of graduating senior Brian C. Belichick, gave the commencement address to 127 graduating students and their friends and family in an outdoor ceremony on Bell Hill.
Belichick made several references to his dedicated NFL players as he urged students to work hard and be a team player.
He reminded students that in the past decade, no championship team in professional football, baseball, basketball or hockey has also claimed the most valuable player of the league that year.
“There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is an ‘I’ in win,” he said. “That stands for individual achievement. You need to do your job, because without it, there’s no leadership.”
Belichick told students that they should always do what’s right for the team, whether or not they want to do it.
“The greatest leaders I’ve coached just go out there and do their job with a good attitude,” he said.
Belichick also urged students not to lose touch with their childhood friends or their siblings, as their lives pull them apart and longtime friends grow fewer.
“Your mission in life is to love life,” he said. “Chase the dreams you have, not somebody else’s.”
Senior Class Speaker Patrick J. Tolosky, of Longmeadow, an honors student and athlete, was chosen by his peers to address them. He reflected on the fun he and his classmates had over the past four years.
He told students how Suffield Academy taught them all “to be, rather than seem.”
“Be what you are and don’t pretend to be anything else,” Tolosky said. “When we go on to college, jobs, starting a family and becoming successful, it’s because of this idea of being rather than seeming.”
Tolosky also urged students to follow their passion.
“Each of us has a dream,” he said. “While I’m quite concerned about some of these dreams you have, I still think you should pursue them.”
Cahn closed the ceremony by telling graduates that they have made him proud.
“You have shown tremendous cohesion, loyalty to each other and to Suffield, and compassion as people,” he said. “I am optimistic that you will have fruitful and interesting life journeys, and I am appreciative of your many contributions to this great school.”
Of the 127 students graduating this year from the private high school, 24 are from Massachusetts. Students in the 2011 class hail from 15 states and 20 countries.