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Good morning
Sister Catherine, Mister Rickbeil, parents, teachers, faculty, staff, and
students of Trinity School, especially the Trinity Class of 2015. I am
incredibly honored to have been asked to come back and speak at this ceremony
just four years after I myself sat in those seats as an eighth grader. I can
remember feeling incredibly accomplished as I walked out of those gym doors
after my own graduation, diploma in hand. And I hope you all feel the same
way. You’ve made it; and that was no small task. Believe it or not, you are
all incredibly well prepared for high school. It may take you some time to
realize it, but the academic rigor and the constant demand for personal
excellence at Trinity will come in handy this fall and beyond. But this is
not to say that there will not be some adjusting that needs to happen. After
all, you’re about to become freshmen.
And as a fellow Trinity alum (I always keep my alumni card in my wallet), I
thought I could give you some useful advice to help ease the transition into
next year, and the next four years of your lives.
First, the nerves. Granted, it
took me all summer to even become the slightest hint of nervous to start high
school. But after that first day, man, I was a wreck. I was so overwhelmed by all the packets of course
syllabuses and the new teachers and the unfamiliar faces and the lack of
friends that I was done. After my first day of high school, I wanted to quit.
Needless to say, though, I didn’t. Looking back, the best advice I think I
could give myself, and the advice I’m giving to you all, is be yourself and
don’t be shy about it. Stay true to who you are and to the values that are
taught so well here at Trinity. High school is a big place with lots of
people and so many unknowns, but I’ve found that if you just be yourself,
you’ll find people with similar interests. With so many people at one school,
I can guarantee that you’ll find a group of friends. Even I did, and I’m a hard-core
nerd. I can draw the chemical compound 2,5-dimethyl-3-propylnapthalene or
rattle off the fundamental theorems of calculus like nobody’s business, and
one of the greatest things about high school is that no matter what interests
you, there will be people just like you. People you can identify with and
people who will open up to you. In short, don’t be afraid to be yourself next
year, because you’ll fit in.
Second, the workload of high
school may seem incredibly daunting. By now you’ve probably all heard some
horror stories of students staying up all night to finish their homework or
study for a test on a topic that the teacher never taught. But I wouldn’t
characterize high school like that; it’s absolutely manageable and fair. Notice
how I said manageable and fair, but not easy. It’s hard work for
sure, but I’m certain that the teachers at Trinity have done an excellent job
at teaching you what it means to work hard in the classroom. I know that was
the case for me, and I was all the better in high school for it. This is not
to say, however, that there won’t be a few nights when you’re burning the
midnight oil trying to finish an English paper or those math problems or the
history outline. And sometimes all three. But it’s absolutely doable. There’s
a certain person in my mind who best illustrates this idea for me. In the
summer of my sophomore and junior years, I attended a swimming camp at the
University of Virginia, and I had the honor of being coached by a Mr. Don
Easterling. Some might say that he’s crazy, some that he’s senile, and others
that he’s absolutely insane. If you don’t believe me, he made us do
handstands with a partner before every practice. Keep in mind, this is a swim practice. One time, he told those
of us in his group to “have fun” because we were finished our practice and
had extra time, so a few of us jumped in the pool. Not two minutes later,
however, he yells at us to get out of the water because we were “having fun
wrong,” then made us take our goggles off and swim underwater to the other
end of the pool and back. Now that was fun.
He’s a role model of mine, and easily one of the wisest people I know. After
a particularly difficult workout in the pool, he sat his group down and
talked about how hard swimming is. And he concluded it with the words, “I
never said it was going to be easy. I only said it was going to be worth it.”
And I feel that adequately sums up a good portion of high school.
For my final piece of advice to
you all, I would like to also give credit to another mentor in my life who I
believe has made a world of difference. There was a teacher here not long ago
by the name of Mr. Thomas Lauth, who taught social studies in the middle
school. I know I haven’t been gone long, but I’m not sure if any of you
remember him or have seen him at the fall festival. Mr. Lauth was a very
commanding presence in the classroom, always demanding excellence of his
students and serving as a stellar role model. His favorite mantra was, “Pay
attention to detail,” which is the first of two important lessons he taught
that I’m giving to you today. This lesson has saved me countless times in
many different classes, as details are often all that matter. Pay attention
to details, and the rest will fall into place.
When
Mr. Lauth retired, he gave a speech that has stuck with me to this day, and
quite honestly, it has made all the difference in my life. If it could be
pared down to two words, his speech said, “Have passion.” And I think that is
the best piece of advice I can offer to you today, Trinity Class of 2015.
Have passion. Fully invest yourself in all that you do. Put your heart into
your work, whatever it may be. Because it is with passion that you can
accomplish whatever you set your mind to. It is passion in life that makes
all the difference. Trinity School has so well prepared each and every one of
you to follow your passions during the next four years and beyond. And that
is such a gift.
If
I remember correctly, on the very last day of Mr. Lauth’s class, he projected
that day’s homework onto the white board. In all caps, the homework was,
“Have a great life!” and those are the words I would like to leave you with
today. Be yourself. Work hard. Pay attention to detail. Have passion. And
have a great life. Best of luck, Trinity Class of 2015. God bless.
Connor Ganley
Trinity Class
of 2011
Mount St.
Joseph Class of 2015
UMBC Class of
2019
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