PETER SEELMAN

my peers during online chemistry labs, student council meetings, or band classes, I felt like a valued member of the community. And life continued, as it always does, resilient and undeterred.

On the first day of my junior year, when I stepped foot inside the building for the first time since that fateful email, there seemed to be a world of possibilities ahead of me. The return to in-person learning brought about a renewed energy that was palpable in every hallway, every classroom, and every conversation.

On my first day of high school, I ate lunch alone at a seemingly forsaken table in the cafeteria. As I looked around at other tables teeming with people laughing with the energy of the new school year, I could not help but think that my situation was so comically depressing that it belonged in a movie. And there I sat, with an everincreasing feeling of dread for what the next four years had to bring.

Despite my misfortune on the first day, the beginning of high school wasn’t entirely doom and gloom. Within the first week, I was sitting in Mr. Neblett’s office fervently advocating for creating a video game club and a GCS E-Sports team. While that didn’t pan out as intended, it was the beginning of a passion for leadership that would tremendously impact my life trajectory. I started building a group of friends, loving the social learning environment in classes like Dr. Sinkinson’s Honors Algebra II and Mr. Conroy’s Ancient Studies. I began adjusting to life as a high schooler. And then, just as my peers and I were settling into our new reality, we got an email announcing that Spring Break would start early to prepare faculty for possible online instruction due to COVID-19.

What started as an exciting extension of Spring Break turned into a monotonous and isolating slog during what was supposed to be one of the most exciting social times of my life. Yet, due to the herculean effort of the faculty and staff of Glenelg Country School, I always had something to look forward to. Whether it was collaborating with

I was back in a world of buzzing minds, diverse perspectives, and creative ideas. It was a world where I could both learn and teach, both listen and speak, both follow and lead. Gone was the monotony and isolation of the pandemic. In its stead, countless treasured interactions, from things as grandiose as discussing the fundamental nature of our universe to things as seemingly minor as a spontaneous piano duet wherein more was communicated than hours of talking ever could.

I began my high school journey alone at a lunch table, filled with uncertainty and dread. Because of Glenelg Country School, I stand before you today, no longer alone, but part of an extraordinary community. This transformation is a testament to our time here. We’ve not just survived historic times, we’ve thrived, and in doing so, we’ve evolved into versions of ourselves we could have hardly imagined on our first day of high school.

Now, as we each embark on our paths as our better selves, we carry with us the lessons, the resilience, and the spirit of community we’ve fostered here. We’ve learned to adapt, innovate, and stand tall amidst uncertainty. Let’s take these with us as we step into the future and become the pioneers, the changemakers, and the leaders the world needs.

And lastly, let us never forget that the power of the Glenelg Country School community will always be with us, wherever we go, whatever we do. It has shaped us, and it’s part of who we are. Here’s to our future and all that it holds. May it be as unpredictable, rewarding, and transformative as our time at Glenelg Country School. Thank you.