“Or, maybe it wasn’t. The awkward looks passed. Finals always ended and the SAT didn’t kill any of us. Now, it’s senior year and we’re the top 103 kids of the school. There’s no doubt we couldn’t have gotten here without our nagging but loving parents, without our caring teachers and especially without each other. We kicked the year off with a bang at the Senior Retreat and left with a “Whirlpool of Memories”…but that was just the beginning. I think we finally came into our own this year. Each of our 103 personalities has found our niche and found our way to shine. It’s each of us, though, that makes up the whole. That lets our class be the “mooshka” that it is. “And, who we are is something special. As indefinable as we may think we are, we are unique. Take for example this story of how we came up with the theme for this year’s Senior Spirit Week. “I had originally suggested Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban, but somehow Blakely convinced me that “Cowboys and Indians” was the way to go. We shared our idea and everyone agreed. With enthusiasm to spare, we charged forward. Well…things happen and somehow “Cowboys and Indians” turned into a hangman vote between “Communism” and “Woodstock.” In the end, we all decided as seniors, we’re going to “Rock Woodstock.” “And, we did. We rocked it out. We had an RV in the Senior Quad, stacks of hay, and made the freshmen think they had to use porta-potties. It was a free spirited kind of spirit week; definitely our style. “Even though the chickens have since been caged and school is now coming to an end, we’re still finding a way to make these last few moments distinctly our own. Circling up in the Senior Quad to count down the last seconds of high school, blasting music, throwing water bottles—having fun. That’s what this class is about. It’s about our unique personalities all coming together. It’s about the fact that I, the dramatic one of the group, could totally be myself. Crying, well…wailing included. “After the last day of school, I remember going to my best friend Sarah’s house and woefully crying to her mom, bawling, ‘I feel like my puppy just died.’ Well, I’ve never actually had a puppy, but I’m pretty sure I love this class just as much as any furry little doe-eyed pup. We’re each other’s friends, our family, our tribe. We’re the ones that have experienced some of the best and most embarrassing times of our lives with. We all know there’s a great big endless world full of possibilities out there, and that’s exciting. But still, leaving each other is going to be harder than we think. Clichés are cliché for a reason and we can find comfort in knowing that from every end, there is always a new beginning.
“Next year, St. Margaret’s future classes won’t graduate on this field. Instead, the seniors of years to come will walk across the steps of the new Performing Arts Center. They will reflect upon their time at St. Margaret’s—just as we are now—there. Therefore, what better gift can our class give than a small token of wisdom and comfort to let them know, we know how they feel. “It’s big. It’s life-changing and it’s hard to put it all into words. We tried though. “We didn’t use our words, but instead found a few by Louis L’Amour. The famed western novelist wrote, ‘There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.’ These encouraging words will be engraved on these steps, proudly from the Class of 2011. “Seniors, we are going our separate ways next year and are eager for what’s to come. Let us remember our times together at St. Margaret’s and be proud of the distinctly unique legacy we’ve left. We rocked it till the end. And now, I will throw one last shakkah sign for us all and say, ‘Let’s continue to Rock On!’” After the presentation of the Senior Gift, Associate Headmaster and Upper School Principal David G. Boyle took to the podium to introduce the Valedictory speaker Jonathan F. Li: “Our Valedictorian Johnny Li stands out as the most talented and accomplished students I have ever encountered in all my years here. While his stellar undertakings in academics and national recognition in math, physics, chemistry and science research are talked about widely and win praise in many venues, Johnny is also a humble and immensely likeable person. As a St. Margaret’s “lifer” in his 14th year at the school, Johnny absolutely lives up to our core values in terms of character, involvement in the community, development of personal and academic talents with balance and breadth, and meeting high expectations. He exemplifies our standards of excellence and makes significant contributions to the life of the school as a leader in and out of the classroom. “Johnny’s record in our Upper School is hard to define. After all, he completed the entire Upper School math curriculum by the end of seventh grade and finished both Advanced Placement physics courses before the completion of eighth grade, in part by self-study, mentored by Mr. Ingalls.
Commencement 2011
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