From the Head of School

The following is an excerpt from Mr. Mooney’s remarks at this year’s graduation ceremony:

In his commencement address at American University in 1963, President John F. Kennedy spoke about what he called “the most important topic on earth: peace” and going on to say: “I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, and the kind that enables men and nations to grow, and to hope, and build a better life for their children—not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace in all time.”

Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict; instead it is more like a verb, peace is about doing. Peace is about understanding, it’s learning the struggles of someone else and imagining yourself in their place, it’s listening, it’s putting aside your own fears in order to get to a better place. Peace is not a political process; it is not something that someone else does. You can’t look at the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, or the president, or the UN and say, “well that’s their job.” It’s not. It’s our job.

We live in a divided nation and a divided world. Over the years, at this point in many graduation speeches, I have heard people my age telling the graduates something along the lines of “and it’s up to your generation to solve these problems.” Isn’t THAT something. How wildly unfair. It’s a reality, but it doesn’t have to be the only reality.

You all came here from all kinds of different places, parts of the world, with different experiences, opinions, and beliefs. We built this thing called “The Bridgton Academy Class of 2022” from nothing, except yourselves and the folks in this room. We made something unique. It was not easy. We did not always agree, we did not always understand each other, we did not always listen to each other, and sometimes we just didn’t want to be in the same room together. But our bonds of community and friendship were–and are–stronger than any obstacle life would throw at us.

Pakistani writer Uzla Aslam Khan said “the opposite of peace is not war; the opposite of peace is inertia.” That is, doing nothing; remaining unchanged. How often did we work through our differences and disagreements through active and deliberate work? How often did we speak with our teachers, coaches, teammates, and others to solve problems, to work things out? For ourselves, our friends, and our community. It would be difficult, I believe, to go through one day at Bridgton and do nothing–and remain unchanged; over the course of a year, it would be impossible.

The mission of Bridgton Academy is to prepare young men for the rigors of college “AND BEYOND.” While many of you are thinking about college and the next immediate steps, the fact is that the great majority of your lives will take place “AND BEYOND.” In that “beyond,” I pray that you will find the same support and belief in who you are and what you are capable of as you found here. I know that you will take the lessons you have learned here to do your parts, both large and small, to make a better and more peaceful world.

Martin J. Mooney Head of School

Bridgton Academy

summer 2022 today

Molly Barker Michelle Cross Ben Custer Martin J. Mooney Jessica Priola contributors

Arizona Cardinals Ben Custer Dan Egan Jesse Logan Syracuse University photography

Dianne Lewis design

Jessica Priola director of institutional advancement

Martin J. Mooney head of school

Bridgton Academy Today is produced biannually as the official publication of Bridgton Academy and is distributed to alumni, parents of alumni, and friends of the Academy. We welcome your feedback and encourage you to reach out to us at alumni@bridgtonacademy.org.

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