Monday Morning Assembly, April 13
As Class I is nearly off on their projects, my chance to offer thanks and thoughts to all of you

What I hope to remember of your class, the Class of 2009, and this year, is your creative and well thought out senior pranks.  Bad pranks are easy but good ones take planning, team work and care.  Few classes manage to design and implement successfully even one such statement of class pride.  You have brought us many.  Each one showed consideration of the people who live and work here and of the school – none destructive or dangerous or insulting.  Instead, they were whimsical and clever; they brought smiles to our lips and wonder to our minds.  And – you remembered that cleaning up was part of the plan.  I appreciate the time and spirit behind these ventures.  You have set a bar few others will reach.

I hope I will also remember your thoughtfulness to each other in the tricky days surrounding the college letters.  I know that all of you will leave Milton for wonderful institutions or adventures and that you all are ready to take advantage of the opportunities your next step will offer.  Still, you don’t have my years or my perspective so, when the news from colleges came, you might have voiced your reactions without considering those around you.  You did not.  You were kind and you know I value that. 

Class of 2010 – I have great hopes for next year.  You came back from Junior Leadership Weekend with a sense of purpose and unity that you displayed with pride and dignity last week.  You showed an appreciation for the work Class I has done and presented yourselves and your objectives graciously.  This extends to the preliminary co-head monitor speeches.  As a whole, they were the most constructive and articulate that I remember.  The selection of your next school leader has not and will not be easy.  From what I can tell, the school cannot lose – every one of your finalist candidates has qualities that will help us move towards being the best school we can be. 

Classes of 2011 and 2012 - the older students can be an inspiration to you.  Admire and emulate their best qualities and forgive them for the moments when they cannot live up to your expectations – and take the time to figure out the difference.  Most of them understand that you might blindly follow their lead even in errors of judgment, but all of them hope you will be more discerning than that – they don’t want you to emulate traits you don’t actually admire.  Above all – remember that you, too, will earn a place as the leaders of the School.  Think about how you might make yourselves ready to meet that challenge.

So, for all you have done this year, thanks to you, Class I and to your class leaders whose candor and passion I have enjoyed.  Thank to those whose honesty and hard work have been a model and thanks to all of you, I hope, for a graceful and positive end to your Milton career.  I know you’re not yet done but, as I said, this is my last chance so — go forth and make the most of the time that remains.

 

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