Brother Kenneth M. Hoagland, S.M.’s Graduation Address
Dear Members of the Class of 2022, Parents, Friends, and Faculty,
Two Words come to mind as we gather today to celebrate this awesome accomplishment of the Class of 2022: Resilience & Responsibility
Resilience, because of what you have managed to cope with over the past four years; responsibility because rather than feel sorry for yourselves over these past four years you have been responsible students in your academic work, and in your service to the school and to other students.
Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness; the ability of a substance to spring back into shape; elasticity. What does it mean for a person to be resilient?
It is the ability to produce a successful outcome by adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences, especially through mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adjustment to external and internal demands.
That about sums up what all of you have managed to do over these past four years. As Megan stated in her speech, none of your four years of high school were structured the same. Each year you and the faculty had to adapt to a different way of teaching and learning. May I digress for a moment here and thank the faculty for their outstanding response to the needs of their students during the pandemic. Your teachers always went above and beyond the call of duty, teaching remotely, teaching simultaneously in school students and remote students, offering virtual summer camps when real summer camps were shut down, and always checking in on how you were doing through it all. Our faculty provided you with great examples of resilience and responsibility. Thank you, faculty, and staff, for your commitment and dedication.
Class of 2022, do not forget the lessons of resilience that you have learned over these past four years. Although every high school graduate experienced the challenges of the pandemic, your experience at Kellenberg Memorial has been unique, an experience that was very different from most other high school graduates this year. You have had the benefit of a Catholic Education in the Marianist Tradition.
Your high school education has been experienced through the lens of the Catholic Faith, our belief in Jesus Christ. As Ryan just mentioned in his speech, you studied Math and Science “To Know the Thoughts of God.” By the way, so did Albert Einstein. You know the history of humanity from the perspective that all of us, men and women, throughout all time, are created in the image and likeness of God. Being created in His Image is the source of our dignity as human beings.
You have also been educated in the Marianist Tradition. The model of discipleship that we have held up to you over these past four years has been Mary, the Mother of Jesus. When our Founder, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade said, “You are all Missionaries,” he meant that you are all called to continue Mary’s Mission in this world, namely, to make Her Son, Jesus Christ, known in the world.
There are three qualities of Mary’s resilience that you also have demonstrated and now have a responsibility to witness to in the world. Mary is Resilient because she possesses the virtues of docility, fortitude, and courage.
Docility means easily taught, in other words, receptive to knowledge. Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel was “I am the Handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word.” Your response to the changes in life over the past four years demonstrated your docility. You were not going to stop the pandemic, but you were docile enough to make the changes to adapt to the situation and rise above it.
Mary’s fortitude is demonstrated by her immediate response of visiting her cousin Elizabeth and traveling into the hill country of Judea when she heard that Elizabeth was expecting a child in her old age. Being of service even though Mary herself was pregnant with the Son of God is a sign of Mary’s fortitude, her willingness to be tough, to do what needs to be done, to be of service even when she might not want to be bothered or would rather attend to her own needs.
You too have been of service to your school and community over these past four years, not feeling sorry for yourselves but rather being responsible to the needs of others.
Mary’s courage was demonstrated not only in her FIAT, her yes to the angel Gabriel, not only in her travels to her cousin Elizabeth’s house but most especially at the foot of the Cross, being present at the crucifixion of her Son, when Jesus gave her to us as our Mother. Your courage over these past four years will serve you well as you continue to live life with its crosses and challenges.
I leave you with one final image of Mary that should remain with you as you move forward from your Marianist Education at Kellenberg Memorial. Mary was observant of what was lacking at the Wedding Feast of Cana. They ran out of wine. Always be observant of the needs of others around you.
Mary also knew who to ask for help, namely, her Son, Jesus. Always turn to Mary and Jesus when you are in need. And she told the waiters “Do whatever He tells You.” They are the last recorded words of Mary: “Do whatever He tells you.” She is saying those words not only to the waiters at Cana; she is also telling you and me to “Do whatever her son Jesus tells us to do.”
Your parents have given you a unique gift, a Catholic Education in the Marianist Tradition. Continue to be Responsible for that gift. First by being grateful (be sure to thank your parents today) and then being generous by sharing the blessings you have received.
Noblesse Oblige: Nobility Obliges. The gift you have received, give as a gift. You are obliged to be responsible in this world because of the gift you have received.
Our prayer for you today is to continue to be responsible and resilient by living a life of virtue especially with virtues of docility (keep learning), fortitude (be strong), courage (have a heart on fire with the Gospel).
I conclude with St. Paul’s words to the Philippians
And I am certain that God, who began this good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
And May the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit be glorified in all places through the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Amen
Ryan Christopher Gerhart’s Valedictory Address
Hello everyone, it is an honor to be speaking to you today. Congratulations for your hard work and accomplishments, you have proven that you are capable of adapting to whatever lies ahead. Thank you also to the faculty for their dedication and commitment to the school, ensuring that the student body has the best experience possible. While no school is perfect, the students and teachers of Kellenberg help to make our school so unique.
When the sun rose on our experiences at Kellenberg, some of us may have been overwhelmed by the amount of opportunities offered. I began to focus more heavily on academics compared to elementary school, motivated by my mother who had graduated Magna Cum Laude from Medical School. She always had high expectations of me which propelled me along an academic path of rigorous work from 7th grade to the start of the pandemic. Over the years, hours were dedicated to achieving academic success but this brought me no true fulfillment. I began to view the world more cynically and with a lack of color. It wasn’t until the summer of quarantine, when I really became passionate about math and science, that this began to change. What once were minor interests developed into passions. I began to fall into research and independent science education throughout Junior year. Finally, the work I was doing felt meaningful and worthwhile. Beginning in 12th grade I became a member of the Science Olympiad team in which I made some of my best memories. Like many of you, life was beginning to look up and gain new meaning. As the sun was beginning to set on our days at Kellenberg, we were all incredibly excited to see our hard work finally pay off, to finally see the results of our dedication. I had set my eyes on some of the best engineering schools in the world, MIT being my top priority. Unfortunately, the results were not what I was hoping for. Despite being granted admission to multiple excellent universities, my dream of attending MIT or my runner-up top choices was crushed. Like those of you who may not have gotten into your top choice, my efforts felt wasted.
With the sun setting low above the horizon, there were two ways to view this situation. The first option would be to regret our experiences at Kellenberg, wishing we had gone to a different school that might have brought different results. On the other hand, we could choose to find value in the most important part of our time at Kellenberg, our relationships. The people you meet and the memories you make with them are far more valuable than anything else in life. The unique connection between two people in any type of relationship is what makes that relationship so beautiful. We may have forgotten much of what we learned in high school, but for me, I will never forget Mr Cicalese’s passion for teaching Latin or Brother Nigel’s physics demonstrations. Academics are important, but they should not be all there is. Instead choose to embrace the memories of times spent walking with friends to the taco truck or learning with smaller classes as one big family. We are so fortunate, and should be so grateful, to have had the opportunity to make these memories. When you think about it, all life really consists of is our memories and the relationships we have. It is crucial for us to see the magnitude of our memories, that is, to understand what it means to be able to forever cherish our good experiences and to have the ability to appreciate the depth and history of our relationships through these memories. Our parents worked incredibly hard for us to have the opportunity to attend Kellenberg. They made a decision that they did not have to make in order to better our futures. To continue into the next stage of our lives without being grateful for, and reminiscing on the good times we have spent together, would be a waste of our time.
Similarly, to how we as Christian’s strive for sainthood, our ultimate goal as members of the human race is individual success. This success does not fit the traditional definition which includes a six figure salary, large home, and lucrative career. It is rather a feeling of accomplishment and meaning on the most unique, personal level. Success to one person may be a wasted life to another. It is only important that you yourself feel you’ve triumphed over whatever goal you may have set, however big or small.
For some success equals money, fame, being well-liked, and the typical grandiose image of “making it big”. Assessing my skills, I realized my avenue to what many blindly define as “success” would be through academia. This caused me to put almost the entirety of my life, and ultimately my genuine happiness, on hold while I made it my goal to have a three-digit grade on every exam I took. It took a global pandemic for me to realize that my efforts were in the right place, but my goals were clouded and my motivation flawed. Academics are a good path to follow, but working hard to achieve “picture perfect success,” is not always sustainable and is definitely not healthy. Thankfully, through some pandemically-quarantined and self-imposed reflection, I was able to determine that this mirage of success I was chasing was not what I truly wanted. Success should be the ability to maintain relationships on all levels, as they are the highest good. We must recognize the true value in relationships and our connections with people, as there is nothing as uniquely wonderful and beautiful as the bond which humans can share. But success isn’t one dimensional, it is stratified. The next layer of what makes a life meaningful is the continued development of the self. While I never really had a specific passion for any subject in my early years of education, I always loved learning. There is something so satisfying about being out of touch with a concept and mastering it through hard work. During the pandemic I fell in love with the mathematical realm and the natural sciences. I see math and science as God’s code for the world, and I find indescribable meaning in trying to unravel this mystery which he has placed before us. Over the next four years you will begin to discover the subjects that you feel passionate about, that will grab your imagination.
The final level of success is simply enjoying life and seizing the day. God made us so that we may be happy. He wants all of us to do the things in this life that bring us joy, as there is frankly only so much time to be alive. Be thankful for every time you wake up in the morning, as each and every day is a gift (that’s why it’s called the present). All you ever have is now, and if you don’t make the most of it, you will have wasted it.
We should measure our success by how we maintain our deepest relationships, how we can become the best version of ourselves, how we can pursue our interests as individuals, and how we can continue to be grateful for what we have and for the memories we have made. What exactly gives each of our lives meaning will never be exactly the same for any of us. However, whatever it is that makes you feel whole, whatever makes you feel childlike wonder again, whatever passion drives you to wake up in the morning and start writing, learning, cooking, painting, singing, studying or whatever your passion dictates, pursue it while you still have the chance. Live not the unchanging life of the Ancient Greek Narcissus, but rather the adventurous journey of the brave Odysseus. Life isn’t always going to be fun and at times it won’t be easy. There will be days where you may even feel overwhelmed by all there is on your plate. You may even question whether the good days are worth the bad ones. Some days the light at the end of the tunnel may just appear as a fading match. However, don’t let this stop you from diving head first into life. Take risks and take chances. Live with confidence. Do not live the passive, digital experience which many of our generation have chosen to live. Instead, pursue an active life of endeavor, make the beautiful existence which you know is out there a reality. Take life one day at a time, but know that there are only so many days to achieve whatever your version of success may be. Cherish the relationships that you have today, because while they are the greatest Earthly good, they are very fragile and may not be here tomorrow. Most importantly, know that you are loved by your Creator and that you have a place on this Earth, that no matter what, God will be with you every step of the way. Be brave, be bold, be daring. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Today, the sun finally dips below the horizon on your Kellenberg experience. As a new day begins with the sun rising on your college years, I ask you to go about your days with passion and purpose from the start, as it is never too early to live. As the great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius once said, “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
Once again, congratulations to all of you on your outstanding accomplishments. I am humbled to stand before such talented individuals across such a wide variety of talents, abilities, and skills. I truly believe that you all have what it takes to not only discover but also attain your version of success. Let us go forth into the next days of our lives with purpose. There is such life to live in this world. We just have to be brave enough to seize the day.
Megan Catherine Monaghan’s Valedictory Address
Good afternoon family, friends, faculty and my fellow graduates of the class of 2022. It is truly an honor to be speaking in front of you all today. On behalf of my class, I want to thank our parents, grandparents, and teachers for their encouragement and support over the past 4 years. Today is the day where we leave the bird’s nest and begin the next chapter of our lives.
In these next few years, we will be faced with many questions. Throughout our lives many of us will ask ourselves, What if?…and think of how our lives would be different if we made different decisions. Sometimes even asking ourselves, what if I had turned left instead of right? For me, I often think to myself what if I had never attended Kellenberg?
When I was younger I always said I never wanted to go to Kellenberg. Since my dad and my cousins had all attended this school, all I ever heard was how it was the best high school ever. It was constant! No other high school could compare to Kellenberg! Since this was all I ever heard, I swore that no school could really be that exceptional, that it was all a trap and I wasn’t going to get caught in it. This all changed the summer before 8th grade. I reluctantly attended a Kellenberg volleyball camp, but only because all of my friends were going. That first day of camp changed my life. I started to see why my family members were such cheerleaders of this amazing school. The overwhelming support and guidance led by the coaches and former volleyball players was something I had never felt before. Some of the people there, from the coaches to the players, became a pivotal part of my life. I vividly remember the passion and enthusiasm Mrs. Von and Mrs. Strauss had during the camp. After being at Kellenberg for only those few short days, I instantly fell in love with the school and knew I wanted to become part of the Firebird family. Now 5 years later, I am so glad I happened to go to that camp because I do not know where I would be today if I hadn’t.
Even as I started writing this speech, I could not find the proper words to describe the past four years of our lives. Freshman year was filled with many new adventures like Triple A, the freshman dance and retreats. We met new people every day and some of those people became our best friends. We learned new things about the school: how to sing the Salve Regina at mass, the three o’clock prayer, or even…how to drown out the birds. For many of us that was the first time we have ever heard of DJOB who was a staple part of Kellenberg events. Never could I have imagined that a teacher would DJ for school events on a Friday night. However, he made every single one a blast. As freshman year came to a close, we had no idea that it would be the only normal year of our high school experience. Our time at Kellenberg would be like no other.
Sophomore year began like any other year, then this all changed for us in March. Life as we knew it came to a halt. Who would have ever thought we would be sitting in our houses online learning for 6 hours a day. We were constantly faced with the question what if….? What if the pandemic never hit? What if Covid only lasted for a few weeks? However, we had to avoid thinking like this and rise to these challenges. We all prevailed, but we couldn’t wait to get back to normal and see our friends and teachers every day.
Then for our Junior year we were placed in cohorts, isolated with the same 35 faces every day sitting in the same classroom. Some of us loved being with our friends all day, while others were upset with the hand they were dealt, but we all decided to make the most of this difficult situation. Faith Fridays and Junior Spirit Days were an escape from the reality of the pandemic that we were facing. We were able to spend time with our friends and make our experience worthwhile. Even the teachers tried to lighten our spirits by going on walks during class. Our new normal became begging our teachers to go outside just to leave the confining walls of our small classroom.
Finally, it was our time to step up as seniors. We all were so excited and hopeful that we would have the best year possible. We had normalcy this year by switching classes and seeing our friends in the hallways. Against all odds we had our senior trip which hadn’t happened in a few years. Even though we barely slept, we created memories to last for a lifetime. We had a bunch of lasts, like our last lunch, last pep rally, last day of classes, and last ever comp. These moments were bittersweet because even though we were excited for the future, we knew we were leaving a place we loved behind us.
Now we are graduating, and will be moving on to the next chapter of our lives, and we will have to choose how we react to certain situations. We all have great memories, and have learned valuable lessons these past four years, and we will carry them with us into our future.
We have all persevered through the unique challenges that were thrown our way over the past few years. Even though there are many what ifs in life, we must make the most of the present. (slower) Albert Einstein once said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” We will ask ourselves what if, but we must not focus on regret or the past. As we move onto college, we must embrace the opportunities in front of us without dwelling on the what ifs. We must keep moving forward. Congratulations class of 2022 and thank you.