by Yusra Husain ’22

Former Sherwood Principal Dr. Eric L. Minus is set to be the graduation commencement speaker for the Class of 2022. Earlier in the school year, the Class voted for the speaker to be a member of the community rather than a staff member at Sherwood. In February, Minus was selected for the honor through a nomination form open to seniors and their parents or guardians.

Minus came to Sherwood at the same time as when this year’s graduating seniors began their freshman year. Many community members believe that this makes Minus an excellent choice for commencement speaker because he was the Class’s first principal. “It is almost poetic in the way that he commenced our high school career and is the one to send us off into the next stage of our lives,” explained school-wide SGA Vice President Ariana Welch.

Senior class sponsor Jenny Davis, who is a member of the graduation committee, also considers Minus as the perfect person to send off this year’s graduates. “He’s so energetic and gregarious, he can captivate an audience, and he knows the school,” Davis conveyed. “I like that he’s got the connection, and he knows what we’re all about.”

Minus “knows what we’re all about” particularly because of the Sherwood values he instilled into the school during his two years as principal. After holding individual conversations with more than 100 school and community stakeholders, Minus created Sherwood’s Five Pillars of Excellence: Achievement, Civility, Engagement, Unity, and Integrity. These Pillars are still utilized at Sherwood today when administration makes a general announcement to students or addresses a specific conflict or situation, and they are actively being adjusted to adapt to the ever-changing student body.

Another popular idea that Minus left behind is the concept of ‘One Sherwood.’ The expression is utilized constantly throughout the school, particularly on social media as a hashtag and at the conclusion of the daily morning announcements.

“I am extremely proud of the work that we did in my two years at Sherwood,” said Minus. “We focused on bringing the community together as one, raising the level of expectations for all students to achieve at high levels, challenging ourselves as professionals to provide a world-class education for our students, and dispelling negative stereotypes about our students and community.” He said that the Pillars are a direct reflection of what the students, staff, and community shared with him and therefore are a collective vision for the school.

Minus’ efforts during his tenure still reflect heavily on the student body today. “In the short time that he served as principal at Sherwood, he truly made every student feel seen and valued. Everyone respects Dr. Minus because he made the effort to understand and build genuine relationships with his students,” said Welch.

Sherwood has utilized a nomination form to determine the commencement speaker for years. “We want the seniors to have a voice on who is going to be appearing in front of them,” explained technology teacher Pamela Johnson, who as the graduation coordinator oversees details such as the program, tickets, caps and gowns, and speakers. “This is their last piece of guidance that they get from anyone before heading off into college, the workforce, or wherever they choose to go, so we want the message to be impactful.”

Other candidates that students selected in the nomination form included Sherwood graduate and ESPN sportscaster Scott Van Pelt, Sherwood graduate and professional drummer Allison Miller, Montgomery County councilmember Evan Glass, and D.C. chef and renowned activist José Andrés, to name a few. Presented with a printout of the nominations, the graduation committee focused on the reasons why people nominated Minus in addition to the number of votes he received. Afterwards, Principal Tim Britton approached Minus about being the graduation speaker and when Minus received the call, he was “overwhelmed and very excited.”

In the spring of 2020, Minus made the decision to leave Sherwood and Montgomery County Public Schools to pursue professional opportunities to lead on a larger level. He now works as the Executive Director of Research & Data Analytics within Baltimore County Public Schools. Two years later, he has “absolutely no hesitation” to speak at this year’s graduation. Minus hopes to share a message with the Class of 2022 that is “challenging, affirming, and inspiring.”