Eighth Grade Recognition Day

16 HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2022 click here for photo gallery  click here for video 

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 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.

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 .

EIGHTH GRADE RECOGNITION DAY

To quote Caitlyn Jenner, “Your ability to grow is directly related to the amount of insecurity you can take in your life.” We all know middle school is full of insecure moments, and quite honestly, the same can be said about life in the Upper School. Knowing this, your teachers and I encourage you to enter ninth grade with what we call a growth mindset. A growth mindset is freedom; it allows for perseverance in the face of failures; find inspiration in the success of others; embrace challenges, accept criticism, and engage in a desire to learn. We don’t want you to shy away from what is difficult; instead, we want you to welcome it. To challenge yourself; to find solace in your hardships, and to foster a desire to grow. It is these things that will truly make you better people, for today, tomorrow, and your future. As we depart today, I want you to know that you have four years to create your legacy here on the Hilltop. And while it is clear you’re becoming your own people now, advocating for yourselves and learning lessons along the way, I ask you, Class of 2026, after those four years, how do you want to be remembered? What do you want your legacy to be? I think, four years from now, it would be pretty cool for you to be known as the group that cultivated that growth mindset, and welcomed new friends as they arrived on the Hilltop and shepherded them into the fold. You made it this far together. Continue your growth and maturity together, and if you can’t picture it clearly now, I promise, in four years, you will.

18 HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2022 click here for photo gallery  click here for video 

Eighth Grade Recognition Day

The Class of 2026 selected Ben I. ’26 as the student speaker for their Recognition Ceremony held on June 6, 2022.

Hello students, parents, and faculty! For those who don’t know me, my name is Ben . I am a member of the eighth grade Community Council and was elected to give a speech to the Class of 2026 . First off, congratulations! We did it! We finished our time in middle school . A lot has happened around the world in these past four years, but we got through it together . So at this moment give yourself a pat on the back and a round of applause for your fellow students .

I would first like to start off with a story I think we can all relate to. I remember back in fourth grade feeling like a boss. Like the top of the food chain. I was a senior in elementary school—that is boss-level type of stuff. I remember the feeling of going into the Middle School. I remember all my teachers hyping it up. This is the pinnacle of independence. This is where that Spider-man quote, “With great power, comes great responsibility,” comes into play. And I remember feeling so strong, so confident, so cool, walking into the Saperstein Arch and up those stairs. And then I ran into an eighth grader. Three times bigger than me. And at the moment, all the confidence, strength, and coolness, just disappeared. I was petrified. I’m going to be in the same school as this giant, and it wasn’t just one, there were tons of them. But then at the end of the year they left. And the new eighth graders weren’t as scary or big to me anymore. Same height, same attitude, but something was different. And it wasn’t them. It was me.

The next year the same thing happened. As time passed in Middle School, that confidence from fourth grade started coming back; sadly I'm still waiting for the strength and coolness, but hopefully next year. So now being the eighth grader that I had so much fear of makes me realize something: We are growing up.

Ben I . '26 addresses the Class of 2026 and urges his peers to take time to live in the moment .

Now, you're probably thinking, “Obviously. That's how time works.” But we are growing up. We are getting older and some of us are getting more mature. Not me and my friends, but some of us. We are growing up. College, yes college, is as close to us as Lower School was. We are going to be driving soon. We are growing up. And if I am going to be honest, I feel like nothing has changed about us. To me, you all are the same as you were when I first met you. And that is so weird. Because when we think about growing up, we see ourselves as a completely new person, but that's not how it is.

I realized something else, too. In that moment of thinking of the future, of what is going to happen. I understood something. I was thinking this exact same thing in fourth grade. About this moment. And I understood that if we keep focusing on Upper School, college, and driving, we are going to miss what is happening right now. You are going to miss watching you and your fellow classmates grow and all that comes with it. Now this does not mean we're not excited for Upper School. We are overjoyed, even though we all know that it is going to be difficult and a bit scary. We are excited. But, don’t obsess over what junior year is going to be like, don’t drive yourself crazy over your GPA and what college you are going to go to, and don’t think about what's going to happen at prom. Work hard, dream big, and remember to take care of yourself, because though grades are so important, there is nothing more important than your health and well-being.

And Mr. King, I just want you to know that this class is made up of strong, kind, talented, and intelligent students, and I could not have asked for better classmates to enter the Upper School with. United, we will help one another next year.

Now, with my last few seconds, I am going to quote one of the most interesting, powerful, and original movies of all time—Kung-fu Panda. Apparently Bil Keane is credited with this quote and Eleanor Roosevelt made it popular. But I learned it from Kungfu Panda. Master Oogway says, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” Enjoy your last moments as a middle schooler, enjoy your summer, enjoy Upper School, and enjoy the present.