Commencement Address

nick cornell ‘ 08: the commencement address

Thank you Mr. Hoeniger for the very kind introduction and for inviting me to speak today; it is an honor and a privilege to be here.

As mentioned, my name is Nick Cornell and I am the Permanent Class President of the Class of 2008. Some of you are from as far away as New Zealand, Korea and Mexico. I, however, had the privilege .... or the curse, of being a student that grew up right here on Romford Road. Rumsey has been a fundamental part of my life. My father, uncles, aunt, brother and sister all graduated from Rumsey, many of whom are here today. My dynamic cousins John and Mary Houldin, or as our family calls them “The Twins”, will also join us today as Rumsey alumni. I am lucky that my grandparents are also here today. Year after year, they have sat through countless Rumsey graduations since 1974. They have all offered me similar advice regarding my speech today that boils down to the following: please keep it short. I’ll do my best to fulfill their wishes.

Being a graduate of Rumsey Hall is something I am extremely proud of and I am sure you all will be too. I am so excited to be back at Rumsey today, because this is the place where my story started, just like all of you. I assume my experience here was not much different than all of yours; the old

Rumsey Bell rang at the end of each academic period and Rumsey athletic victories, the loudest ring echoing through the valley after a win against Indian Mountain School. We all memorized declamations each spring from our favorite authors, poets or journalists and recited them in front of English class or Morning Meeting. Mr. Craft led clef club and the annual musical; doing his best to develop eager Justin Timberlake wannabes like myself. As it was in my case, there is sometimes just no hope. We all swam in the river on the first hot day of spring and then uncomfortably sat in senior square soaked in our only clothes. And finally, the annual senior trip was filled with amazing memories and an overdose of sugar from the candy bought at Six Flags.

However... some things are bound to change. Mr. Perreault, who was our Athletic Trainer and a bachelor right out of college, is now married with three children, two of whom are students. New Dorm was one of the oldest dorms on campus and was a relic from when my dad was a student. Now that it has been rebuilt, it actually lives up to its name. We had chalkboards rather than SmartBoards and we had to travel to The Gunnery or Taft for hockey practice due to the fact that Lufkin Rink had not yet been built. Mr. Waller was not faculty, but a classmate and great friend of mine whom we nicknamed the Wallabeast, and yes, he also cried at Varsity Banquet like all of you seniors did last Friday evening.

And last but certainly not least, I do hear that with the new dining hall, the food offerings are a bit different than what we used to have. On a monthly basis, we were served fried dough, all-you-can eat pizza and, of course, we had fresh chocolate chip cookies each and every day at recess, which I was always first in line for. Unfortunately, this didn’t serve me too well in the weight department. On a regular basis, I indulged in probably far too many cookies.

This led to my dad deciding I needed some exercise intervention. His answer to me burning a few extra weekly calories was in the form of dropping me at the end of Romford Road and then continuing to follow me in our family car down the road back to our home, which is just beyond Cottage. Some might call this parental encouragement; I would argue it was more like torture.

Geared up with my first generation iPod Nano, I remember listening to a hit song while I was at Rumsey called “No Air” by Chris Brown and Jordan Sparks. The lyrics of the main chorus which asks the listener, “Tell me how I’m supposed to breathe with no

air” rang a bit too true as I was already winded just a quarter of a mile into this run. Mr. Ketchum and Mr. Kolpak, do these lyrics exemplify ‘irony’ or a ‘coincidence’? As I ran, with the low-beam headlights of my father’s Acura lighting my way, I had absolutely no idea how I was going to make it all the way back to our house. I would periodically pause to look up and find a tree in the distance to focus on. As I struggled to catch my breath and get rid of the stitch in my side, Mr. Tuff’s voice would echo in my head from advice he’d given me one afternoon during tennis practice.

Let me give you some background to this advice – while I was a member of the Varsity B Tennis team, Mr. Tuff decided our warm-up one day would be a run to Beaver Pond and back to the tennis courts. For those unfamiliar with Beaver Pond, it’s a picturesque trail that runs through the woods and along the old Washington railroad track

Frankie McAloon ‘27, Atticus & Vesper Wheeler ‘27

that is around one and a half miles round trip. I think Mr. Tuff could see the look of terror in my eyes when he gave us this seemingly easy task. He laughed a little and gave me the following advice, “Nick, just focus on making it to the next tree and once you get there, find the next one to focus on, you will be back here in no time”. And from that day on, I did exactly that when I’d be forced into cardio by my dad. Each and every time I’d run, I’d find my tree to focus on, just ahead, not too far, not too close, and I’d get there. This small piece of advice while a bit sappy (pun intended), has stayed with me throughout my life to where I live now in New York City, and ironically loving to run each day in Central Park, not coincidentally the only place in the city that is home to an abundance of trees.

This also reminds me of where you all are right now. Right at the start of the next exciting journey in your life, ready to get set and run. Whether you’re looking forward to the run, or you’re feeling as though someone is chasing behind you with headlights, all you need to focus on is the next tree. The next event, the next moment, the next challenge, and the next triumph is only a few strides ahead.

The time spent in between each tree will bring you many joys, lots of achievements and successes, but will also be combined with many hardships and challenges to overcome. Rumsey has given you the foundation and the tools you need to be successful for this run, to overcome any obstacles and appreciate all the successes. You have been given the study skills, learned the proper etiquette, and what I would consider to be the most important, you are a part of the Rumsey family which is filled with lifelong friends to celebrate your successes with and to lean on when times are tough. Just ask Wallerbeast if you don’t believe me.

As you continue your jog through life, it’s important to remember the many lessons you learned here, the small moments and the challenges you overcame. These have helped you overcome adversity and leave a positive mark on the trail. I remember being in your position, not sure where the journey would take me next. My advice to you is to look forward to this run, keep a positive attitude and remain calm knowing that you get to choose the

Alexander Novak ‘18 with his parents

course. You get to choose the next tree to focus on and determine

Lauren Brooks ‘18 and Grace Yang ‘18

what this run will look and feel like. Explore new paths and take big risks. Before you know it, you will be where I am, at the beginning of a career. You will get there by discovering and developing your passions, evaluating your strengths and weaknesses and fostering great relationships with family and friends. Albert Einstein once said, “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal.” Without goals, you are destined to become lost.

I wish you all the best success and I am confident you will be proud to consider yourselves Blue Dogs for life. Never stop learning, enjoy each moment and always have your next tree in focus. Thank you very much. You should all be very proud for finishing what you have started!

Nick Cornell ’08

The Edward B. Whitney Prize for Excellence in Declamation: “My Year of Saying Yes to Everything” Eva Millay Evans ’18

The Prize for Neatness in School Work Upper Forms: Fangyan Wendy Huo ’20 Lower Forms: Tanya Muangman ’22

The Annual Dining Hall Prefect Award: Renata Ibarra – Rocha ’18

The Prize for the Greatest Improvement in Scholarship: Aliquea A. Williams ’18

The Richard M. Wachcic Junior Athletic Award: Radley Grace Cherosnick ’22 Kip Michael Stone ’21

The Charlotte Underwood Library Award: Yoonji Kelsie Choi ’19

The Best All-Around Male and Female Athletes: MacQuarrie Stone-Folmar ’18 Mack Scott Segalas ’18

The Prize for The Boarding Scholars with the Best Conduct Record: Rachelle Ihnhye Cho ’18 Peter Thomas Lyon ’18

Greatest Improvement in Athletics: Alexis Ann Delmore ’18 Jack Kreisberg ’18

The Cody Montana ’08 Memorial Paddle Out Award: Marcus J. Duell ’18

The Prize for Outstanding Scholar-Athlete: Mari Hall Leonard ’18 Hanzhong Mei ’18

The David Loyd Memorial Prize: McKenna Elise Rook ’18

The Marjorie Hull Barr Prize: Samantha Shelden Brooks ’22

The Lawrence Larkin ’16 Computer Achievement Award: Yunqi Richard Li ’18

The J. Mitchell Magnoli ’77 Memorial Award: Sawyer Cole von Jess ’19

The Scott Evans Seibert ’92 Memorial Scholarship: Chloe Roberts Coffin ’20

The Faculty Cup: Benjamin Adam Weiss ‘18 The Memorial Award: Hunter Prescott Guillet ’18

The Duff Community Service Cup: Seongha Elina Choi ’19

The Alfred L. Hart II ’65 Fine Arts Prize: Hannah Hope Hanson ’18

The Ryan J. Whelan ’89 Memorial Scholarship Prize: Sophia Gianna Maselli ’19

The Award for Excellence: Eva Millay Evans ’18

The John F. Schereschewsky, Jr. ’47 Memorial Award: Maegann Mae Thompson ’19

The Gabriella Bass ’94 Art Award: Benjamin Adam Weiss ’18

The Rose Algrant Memorial Scholarship Award: Victoria Weirich-Freiberg ’20

The Henry B. Van Sinderen Memorial Award: Ava Eliana Wishkoff ’19

Prize for Perseverance and Worthy Endeavor: Aliquea A. Williams ’18

Award for Leadership: McKenzie Blair Doyle ’18

Award for Merit: Sage Anne Pottbecker ’18

Headmaster’s Cup: Haruka Masamura ’18

CLASS OF 2018 SECONDARY SCHOOL MATRICULATION

Avon Old Farms, CT Berkshire School, MA (4) Canterbury School, CT (5) Chase Collegiate, CT Cheshire Academy, CT Community School of Naples, FL Forman School, CT Governor’s Academy, MA The Gunnery, CT Hotchkiss School, CT Kent School, CT (5) Kimball Union Academy, NH Lawrenceville School, NJ Loomis Chaffee School, CT (4) Middlesex School, MA (2) Millbrook School, NY Milton Academy, MA (2) Miss Hall’s School, MA Northfield Mt. Hermon School, MA Phillips Exeter Academy, NH Pomfret School, CT Portsmouth Abbey School, RI (3) Putney School, VT St. George’s School, RI (2) St. Paul’s School, NH Salisbury School, CT (3) Stevenson School, CA Suffield Academy, CT Taft School, CT (6) Trinity-Pawling School, NY Western Reserve Academy, OH Westover School, CT (3) Winchendon School, MA