Graduation 2021
At last week's graduation, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. A different faculty member made a short speech about each student. Below are excerpts from their remarks. But first, from Mrs. Jekel's keynote address:
"Charlie, Pia, Elizabeth, Hannah, Faith, Julia, and Sophia: you are loved, you are loved, you are loved. The world is a better place because you are in it, and I am a better person because I have had the joy of knowing you. God loved you into being, he chose you to be a co-founder of this school, and each day he gives you the opportunity say yes to being a co-creator with Him in all areas of your life. Through pursuing truth and asking questions, through pursuing beauty and giving beauty back, through pursuing goodness and bearing your cross each day, each hour, each minute. Today is the end of doing these things in the halls and classrooms of this school, it is a goodbye to the classmates and teachers who have done this work alongside you. But the work itself goes on. Well done, class of 2021. You have done good work. It is time to go onwards and upwards, and there is great work still ahead."
- Mrs. Jocelyn Jekel, Director of Classical Education,
commencement address at the first Martin Saints graduation
"I have taught Charlie most days of the week for the past four years....He is respectful and honest; there is no guile in him. He is a deeply charitable young man, with tremendous compassion for the needy. He is quietly creative young man with a deep sense of beauty and love for it; he has music talent and writes poetry in his spare time. He is a sensitive and observant student, and a concerned friend. He is faithful, in the truest sense of the word.
- Dr. Rebecca Cherico, Charlie's Spanish teacher
Elizabeth, your hope, resilience, courage, and perseverance in the face of immense obstacles, your commitment to friendship and your dedication, are all inspirations to our community....Newly aware that your heart is full of an infinite longing, you can enter into a dialogue with the Mystery, asking Him to reveal Himself to you, and search for His face. You can grow in tenderness and mercy towards yourself and others, acknowledging that each of us is like you, wounded, in need of healing, and looking for the Savior.
- Ms. Rose Tomassi, Elizabeth's philosophy teacher
Pia radiates joy to others, whether she is walking down the hall between classes or sharing her talents through song. I have seen Pia helping a friend by making them feel loved, valued, and at ease. Pia has endured her own share of suffering, but she has fortitude. She is quietly persistent in pursuit of excellence, and is not afraid of hard work. She delights to discover the truth, goodness, and beauty in everything, to bring something from outside of school and connect it with her formal learning.
- Mrs. Keara Mooberry, Pia's math teacher
Gifted with enthusiasm, gentleness, a quick wit, and quiet determination, on every level, it seems that Hannah is looking for and finding ways to connect and to draw out of situations – be they conversations, meetings, or classroom discussions – the good in the experience, the truth of each person engaging with one another, and the beautiful. She seems to do these things with the grace and ease befitting a dancer. Thank you, Hannah, for your authenticity, your friendliness, and your commitment to God, neighbor, and self.
- Sr. Marganne Drago, SSJ, one of Hannah's theology teachers
One day my students wrote sonnets. Nobody wanted to read aloud. I almost gave up. Then Faith volunteered, inspiring the rest. It became one of those special classes, with sharing, questions, laughter. Faith was our catalyst. That's her character. She goes for it, with humility and enthusiasm. She founded Craft Club; originally the only member, now a quarter of the school shows up. She would have preferred volleyball, but she joined cross-country to support our sports program. Her courage is contagious.
- Mr. Sheehan Clark, one of Faith's literature teachers
Julia is an elite student not just in school but in life. She has her official notebook for each subject, but then she has this personal secret, scribbled notebook too. When Julia has the personal notebook out in class, as a teacher, you know you’ve struck to the marrow. She has this smile that is full of wonder. She asks teachers what music they listen to, what books they read, what movies they watch. She’s hungry for cultivating her soul. She is richly endowed by the Creator, and I hope she pays that forward.
- Mr. Adam Franz, Julia's history and literature teacher
Petite in stature, Sophie is blessed by a tall order of wit and spirit. She graciously lent her powers to our school play as actress, seamstress, and constant source of entertainment. Just last week, I was Sophie’s “canoe buddy” on the Schuylkill. She paddled well and laughed hard, and I was SO darn proud of her; it was a great testament to her fierce, open-hearted spirit. Dear Sophie, you will be in my heart and my prayers long after you walk out these doors today.
- Ms. Laura Lindmeier, Sophie's theology teacher.
And a final word from Mrs. Jekel's speech:
"The day of one’s high school graduation is always an important day, but today is particularly special because it is our school’s very first graduation. And any group of seniors should be proud of all that they have accomplished in their four years of high school, but you, our very first graduating class, have a particularly unique accomplishment to celebrate. You have labored alongside the board members, donors, parents, administrators, teachers, and staff to build and sustain this school. You said yes to this radical idea of a family of families. You said yes to being the first class, with no model to look up to for what it means to be a student here. You said yes, sometimes through gritted teeth, sometimes after long nights of studying, sometimes in the midst of difficult circumstances… but you kept showing up.
More than that, you have thrived. There was no limping to the finish line. Just think of the work you have done for the past four years: reading these texts, discussing them inside and outside of class, writing thoughtful essays; designing experiments, constructing mathematical proofs, singing in choirs, painting and drawing, learning the craft of woodworking; founding, leading, and participating in clubs, sports teams, and our student government; playing monumental roles in nearly every extracurricular event or activity our school has hosted; embarking on countless field trips, paddling down rivers in canoes, and entering into the mystery of the Mass and other prayer devotions each day… You have left your fingerprints on every single part of this school and this community. We would not exist without the work you have done. And so, it is no exaggeration to say that you have been co-founders of Martin Saints Classical High School. This has given you invaluable practice what all of us are called to be in a deeper, more cosmic sense: that is, co-creators.
Yes, God created the world and everything in it, all the beasts on the land and birds of the air and fish of the sea. But then he gave Adam the task of naming the animals. And yes, God created the Garden and all its plants, and water and the sun to nourish them, but then he gave Adam and Eve the task of tending the garden. And yes, God created you, he stamped you with the divine imprint by making you an Imago Dei, a person made in the image of God. And yet, it is your task, for the rest of your life, to throw yourself upon the grace of God, to love him and to love others, to begin again through confession, repentance, and prayer whenever you fall or whenever you fail. As Josef Pieper says, you must become what you already are. For while you are made in God’s image, even still God has given you the freedom to say yes and become this more fully. To become an even more radiant image bearer of Christ. To be fully alive."
