In his welcome to the students, families, friends and faculty gathered for the 49th Commencement Ceremony at Saint Edward’s School, Jack MacMullan, associate head of school/head of upper school, said that in many ways he viewed the 56 members of the Class of 2022 as being “the right class at the right time for the school.” After the previous year’s triumphs and tragedy, he said they needed a class that was adaptable, that cared and that was resolute, and they got one.
“The Class of 2022 entered this school year absolutely determined to make their senior year the best it could be. They brought energy, they brought a positive attitude, and in many ways, they served as the catalyst for getting things more or less back to normal around here. In my mind, the Class of 2022 will forever be the bounce-back class,” said MacMullan. “We are forever grateful to them for that, and we wish them the best as they go forth to make their mark in our greater world.”
Head of School Stuart Hirstein paid tribute to the families and friends of the Class of 2022, and to the dedicated faculty for their roles in helping the students get to the finish line.
“Education is meant to take us into a future that is uncertain. This class of graduating seniors will retire around the year 2070. Nobody in this room has a clue what the world will look like then, yet our job was to prepare you for a future that is this giant question mark,” said Hirstein.
“It is inevitable that things will look dramatically different in your lifetime, as they have in every lifetime. Embracing innovation can open up many doors and opportunities.
Change makes many things possible,” said Hirstein. “This class sitting behind me is full of future leaders. I have no doubt that they will all be very successful in life.”
By tradition, seniors select a guest speaker from the faculty, and this year they selected Aaron Lee, who has taught history, AP economics and AP government classes.
“My first piece of advice is this: Sleep more and stare at your phone less,” said Lee, who went on to say that who we are is more important than what we do.
“You will sometimes need help. Other people will sometimes need your help. That’s just how it works, and it will work better if you can manage to both give and accept assistance. Nothing among people can survive for long if one side always insists that things must be done their way,” said Lee.
Abigail McGee, class president, was selected by her classmates to be the senior class speaker; she was also the recipient of the school’s Spirit Award.
“This year, we were asked to perfectly balance two things, looking back and looking forward.
Looking back at something isn’t the same as living in the past. Look back at these years and smile when you think about all the amazing people and beautiful things you learned and experienced,” said McGee.
“You have to look back and learn, and then move forward. I expect great things from this class, and I know you all expect greatness from yourselves as well. I wish you all the best of luck in the best of times. We did it!”
Photos by Kaila Jones
