Mya Scott, student government president of the class of 2021, recently gave a speech to her class at the Saint Patrick Academy 2021 student graduation. She spoke about her positive experiences as a New Hampshire preschool student to 8th grade and the memorable times she shared with other students during her time at the independent catholic school.
“11 years ago, I was handed a timer with 1,980 days on it. Now, to be clear, I don’t mean a literal timer – I mean a metaphorical timer. When I started at Saint Patrick Academy in EC 3, that was my first day of 1,980 days at Saint Patrick Academy. As the years went on, I started to comprehend that my time at Saint Pat’s was finite. For many years, I dreamed of getting my days down and move on from preschool and elementary. I couldn’t wait to start middle school. Then, I couldn’t wait to be an 8th grader, and then to graduate and begin high school. I was excited for the changes and privileges that come with getting older. But anxiety also began to creep in as my days at Saint Patrick Academy became numbered. The thought of having to leave this safe place scared me in a way that I find almost hard to explain. But with the help of my friends, family, and teachers, I have become a more compassionate friend, a stronger student, and a ready leader, and I know that I will carry the heart of Saint Patrick Academy with me when I leave. So here I stand before you, with my timer at zero, ready to take on the world.
When everyone came to the private independent school in sixth grade, I was nervous, to say the least. The thought of all those new people scared me because my 5th-grade class only had 4 people in it. My school world had always been small, and what if these new people didn’t like me, or I didn’t like them? As I walked into homeroom that year, I immediately found Gabe and Neomi and sat with them. But soon after getting to know all the new students, my opinions changed. Suddenly all I wanted was to become friends with all these cool new people. And now, those cool new people are some of the best people and friends that I’ve ever met.
If I had to explain our class in one word, I would say that we are competitive, almost to the extreme. But in the end, we always come together. To further explain this, I will use the example of our Earth Day field trip to a nature area for a cleanup. Half of our class went searching for trash with Mr. Snyder, and the other half went with Ms. Murphy. Ms. Murphy’s party got lost and Mr. Snyder’s group had to go and find them. There was a moment of panic, but eventually, we found them, and everything was fine. Naturally, afterward, we went to go get ice cream, even though it was snowing outside. That’s New Hampshire for you, I guess. It was overall a great day, and looking back on it, I think it captures how even when we disagree, we always seem to come back together. We may get into heated debates about the proper way to eat a cupcake or the rules of foursquare, but in the end, we learn from each other and grow from our differences in opinions.
To my fellow students and friends, I would like to thank you for everything that you’ve given me. We have been through a lot together. We’ve faced the same academic struggles. We’ve studied together and made Quizlets together. We played knockout and 4-square during recess together. When Covid-19 hit, we had to adjust to our new reality quickly. But luckily, we had Mr. Whitmore’s amazing camera angles and cookies to keep us sane over the quarantine. In the end, while we may attend different high schools and no longer see each other day in and day out, we will always have these memories and each other.
If Saint Patrick Academy has taught me one thing, it has taught me how to be myself. The people here have always given me an opportunity to be me, and having that growing up really helped me to discover who I am. I would like to express my gratitude to all of the teachers and staff here. They have supported me in all my time here, and I know that any of them would do anything in their power to help a student. Because of them, I know that whatever high school throws at me, I will be prepared and ready to take it. And if I ever need help, I know that any one of them is just an email away. So to our wonderful teachers and staff, on behalf of the students, thank you.
As I was writing this speech, I couldn’t help but feel overcome with a feeling of bittersweetness. This school has always been my home. It’s the only school I’ve ever known. But now, my time is up. While I have to leave, I know that the lessons I’ve learned and the ways in which I’ve grown at Saint Patrick Academy will forever be with me. We may not be together in person, but we will always have our memories. While it may sound corny, I truly believe that the best is yet to come. I cannot wait to keep in touch and see how you all go out and take on the world in high school and beyond. It has been my honor to serve as your student government president and to speak at this ceremony. Congrats to the Class of 2021! Thank you.”
– Mya Scott, Class of 2021
Saint Patrick Academy congratulates the class of 2021 and wishes them the best of luck in all their future endeavors! Contact us to learn more about enrollment opportunities and admissions.
