Welton Academy

1400 Lake Willoughby Drive

Westmore, VT 05822

Dear Headmaster Nolan,

Words cannot express how much we all love this school. I personally have been attending Welton Academy since I was 12 years old. I have enjoyed the excursions to Stowe, Mt. Snow, Smugglers Notch and other local ski areas. Skating and playing hockey on Lake Willoughby during weekends when we weren’t skiing was a great deal of fun. Waking up in the morning to the sound of the bagpipes echoing over the lake through the valley was a calming presence in our rigorous studies. Much has happened since those days of childhood innocence.

Sadly, all these wonderful experiences have been diminished by the dismissal of Mr. Keating. I feel responsible because of the document me and my fellow students, who are members of the Dead Poets Society, were forced to sign. Yes, we were all members of the Dead Poets Society. Yes, Mr. Keating founded the Dead Poets Society when he, himself, attended to Welton Academy. Neil Perry found Mr. Keating’s old year book describing his time at Welton. Mr. Keating had nothing to do with the re-birth of the Death Poets Society. He had no idea of our re-creation of the Dead Poets Society.

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We re-created the Dead Poets Society on our own. It was Neil’s idea actually, and we all supported Neil because we saw how important this was for him, but also for ourselves. We were all drowning in our parents’ hopes and dreams and were desperate to do something for ourselves. In the document, it said alcohol was consumed and that girls attended the meetings. Admittedly, that happened on an occasion and we regret that we used the Dead Poets Society to explore our new-found confidence and hope in that way. Drinking alcohol and seeing girls was not the aim for our meetings.

We needed the Dead Poets Society for ourselves. It was a place where no one was expecting anything in particular from anyone, no one was judged. It was a place where we could relax and be ourselves. It helped us and kept us from drowning. It gave us confidence.

It is this confidence that gave Neil hope. Neil struggled a lot with communicating with his parents, and Mr. Keating was a great deal of help to him. If it had not been for the Dead Poets Society, and Mr. Keating encouraging Neil to communicate more with his parents, this tragic event would have occurred sooner. Neil was depressed and was desperately trying to find his own answers. Mr. Keating’s support and guidance gave Neil strength. Neil’s death is a family tragedy that has nothing to do with the Dead Poets Society or Mr. Keating.

Mr. Keating gave us all so much, he taught us about honour. He taught us that it is important to talk to our parents, communicate with them and not hide things from them. Is honesty not an honourable legacy to pass on to both students and teachers?

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Not only did Mr. Keating teach us about honour, but also about discipline. He taught us that it is important to know when to act and when to step aside, that it is very important to know when to discipline ourselves. It is what makes us who we are.

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Seeing the tradition of Welton Academy being carried on from Mr. Keating truly taught us about the school’s four pillars. That it is important to follow the traditional rules and respect them. It’s not only about disciplining ourselves which makes us who we are, but also about how we respect the rules, others and ourselves. We strove after excellence in his class because he made it so exciting and fun. English became quickly everyone’s favourite class because of Mr. Keating’s creative way of teaching. He taught us that everyone is important, that we all matter.

During Mr. Keating’s time as an English teacher at Welton, he taught us what the school’s four pillars really stand for. He taught us about tradition, honour, discipline and excellence. We learned how to be men in his class.

You cannot blame Mr. Keating for Neil Perry’s tragic suicide, and if the four pillars really mean anything then we need the example of Mr. Keating at Welton Academy to carry on that legacy.

I think you can agree with all of us that we should all seize the day with tradition, honour, discipline and excellence. CARPE DIEM!

Sincerely,

Biff Carrington

Franklin H. Carrington

Suffield, CT