Class of ‘22 Grad

It’s April of 2021, I’m covered in water, and I’m in the middle of the soccer field. As water balloons flew across the sky, and disco music blared into my ears, I looked around. Everyone was soaked, covered in glitter, and smiling with unadulterated childlike joy. We had been back on campus for months, but this day felt different. As we slid and danced with each other, it began to feel like we were officially back. Not only that but we were closer to one another than ever before. People whom I had never interacted with, or only seen on a screen, approached me to talk, or to dump a bucket of water on my head. While it may have looked, and smelled like a third grader’s birthday party, it felt like growth and maturity. We had made clear our eagerness to step up to the role of leadership that comes with being a senior. And boy, did we do it. Step-Up Day was just the first of many occasions where our class proved that we were determined to bring this community back. Just like that little freshman boy, our grade took a challenge, and turned it into a stepping stone. And we did it again, and again, and again. Each time we faced loss, or uncertainty, we stayed resilient and came out stronger. Whether we intended to be or not, each one of us became a leader. We helped lead amazing theatrical performances. We hit the dance floor with Kenny Bourchesne. Our senior choir members didn’t let masks muffle their voices and sung their way to countless awards. Our senior athletes led their teams through uncertain seasons, some even winning the SPC Championship. In just a few months, we will go on to join new communities. As we engage in them, let’s remember what happened during our time here. Don’t be that careless student, don’t be that passionate person who hides behind a facade of themself. You will find that many communities were not as well equipped as we were to handle the challenges we all faced. Many grew apart, not together. So it is our responsibility to continue our leadership. If we find that there are issues, things that need change, let’s speak out. Because, as we are repeatedly and painfully reminded, change will not happen unless action is taken. We will all be faced, yet again, with the same two paths that I was once faced with. We must be vulnerable. If you were unable to hear clearly through the scattered screaming, the hymn “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God,” number 293, tells us to be patient, brave and true. None of which are traits that describe freshman Leo. But those values are key to personal fulfillment. So going forward, we must be patient with ourselves, and those around us. We must be brave, follow our interests, and speak out when nobody else will. In doing those things, we will become the truest version of ourselves as we navigate this increasingly chaotic world. Seniors, thank you for showing me what it feels like to be in a place where my peers encourage each other to be themselves. If you encounter someone in your journeys ahead, who is new, scared, and confused like I was four years ago; Show them what it is to be true. And God helping, they can be one too. Thank you. Leo Vernor Class of 2022