Mr. Viotto’s CHALLENGE for the Start of the Year: choose the harder standard

Every day, you encounter athletes, celebrities, creators, politicians, business leaders and online personalities competing for your attention. Some are thoughtful. Some are entertaining. Some are brilliant. Some are simply very good at being noticed. There is nothing wrong with entertainment. But we should not confuse visibility with virtue. Having followers does not make someone a leader. Charisma is not character. Confidence is not wisdom. And influence is not the same thing as integrity. 

 

One of the great challenges of your generation will not be gaining access to information. You already have more information available to you than any generation before you. The challenge will be deciding what deserves your attention, your trust and, ultimately, your imitation. That requires discernment. 

Before you admire someone, ask harder questions. How do they treat people when there is nothing to gain? Do their actions align with their words? Can they admit when they are wrong? Do they use their influence to elevate themselves, or to elevate others? 

 

This past Friday, our school community came together to raise funds and honour Terry Fox. What made Terry extraordinary was not simply that people watched him. It was what they saw when they did: courage, perseverance, humility, compassion and a willingness to use his own struggle in service of something larger than himself. That is real influence. 

 

We are also reminded that education is not only about preparing you to achieve. It is also about preparing you to judge wisely, act responsibly and contribute meaningfully. The more freedom you have to choose what you watch, believe, follow and amplify, the more responsibility you have to choose well. 

 

So this year, I want to challenge you to choose the harder standard. Choose intellectual honesty over easy certainty. Choose restraint over reaction. Choose courage over conformity. Choose integrity over applause. But I also want you to know that choosing a higher standard is not only about resisting what is wrong. It is also about recognizing and creating what is good.

 

I was reminded of that this summer in Italy. What stayed with me was not only the beauty, the history or the food. It was the way people acknowledged one another. Our guides reminded us that before asking for a cappuccino, an espresso, a pizza, or help in a shop, you begin with Ciao or Buongiorno. At first, that may sound like a small thing. But after spending time there, it did not feel small at all. There was something deeply human about it. Before the transaction, the request or the service came the person. You looked at them. You greeted them. You acknowledged that another human being was standing in front of you. And I found that incredibly uplifting. It reminded me that a good life is built not only through major achievements, but through the way we make people feel in ordinary moments. 

 

The world does not need more people competing for attention. It needs more people worthy of trust, and more people willing to see the humanity in others. So choose the harder standard. But also choose joy. Choose connection. Choose kindness. And wherever you go, make people feel seen. That is a kind of influence worth having.”