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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2022
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Eighth Grade Recognition Day The Class of 2026 selected Middle School teacher Kristyn Polucha as the faculty speaker for the Recognition Ceremony held on June 6, 2022.
Good morning, everyone. My name is Kristyn Polucha, and I teach eighth grade science and coach three Middle School sports. This is my third year here at Hackley, and my first time writing one of these recognition speeches. So, to you, rising ninth graders, Class of 2026, I mean this when I say it is an honor to be up here speaking with you today. There is no question we all expected last school year would be difficult given the circumstances. But this school year, we were faced with a different set of challenges. In the fall, we started school hopeful that we were on track to getting back to normal life. But, in reality, we were still living in a very active pandemic. Both you and your teachers were trying to navigate through the new and everchanging rules about masks, COVID-19 testing, quarantine, and a long list of other things. But, after a long nine months of tests, homework, and papers, we finally made it. Here you are, sitting under this tent today, before your teachers, your parents, family, and friends, getting ready to write a whole new chapter in your lives as Hackley Upper School students. It is crazy to think that your time here in the Middle School is coming to a close. You’ll be leaving Hackley’s campus for the summer as ninth graders. And your teachers will be enjoying summer vacation with a few more gray hairs. But mostly, we will be concluding this year together with a ton of great memories. Some of my favorites include discussing the heartaches of playoff hockey with Zena, or learning how to do the Griddy dance from Jelani and Micah, or receiving an email attachment from Ben, and Julian eating McDonald’s after our nutrition unit. I’ll definitely remember these for years to come. But I also want
Kristyn Polucha addresses the Class of 2026 at their moving up ceremony held June 6, 2022 on Pickert Field. During her speech, she explored what it means to have a growth mindset and she asked students to consider how they would want to be remembered.
to express how much your teachers and I appreciate and will remember the times when you greeted us in the hallways with a good morning; or thanked us at the end of class; or invited us to cheer on your games and performances. You shared with us your interests, activities, and goals. The things that make you who you are. But really, as we, your teachers, reflected back over the year, the one thing that stood out the most to us was your growth and maturity during an unusually difficult school year. I want you to take a moment to understand just how far you and your peers have come, and all the adversities you have faced together. Look around you. You have all gotten stronger as a group over these last few years. You even made some wonderful new friends along the way. But, as you begin writing the next chapter of your life, over the course of the next four years, you will experience new hardships. You will meet new people and be faced with new challenges. And it is how you handle those challenges that will demonstrate your character.
