• ParkBulletinCover - The Park School

Ben Logan
I will take away my confidence in my
opinions.
I will leave a tight-knit community.
Henry Lucey
I’m taking my self-knowledge.
I’m leaving my teachers.
Isa Moss
I’m taking the kind words I received from
my teachers and classmates.
I’m leaving my childhood experiences in my
nursery to fifth grade classes.
Class
Graduation
Speaker:
Josh Ruder
W
hen Mrs. Connolly asked
me to come into her office
this spring, my first reaction was to
think, what did I do wrong As I
was walking in, I realized that
there was nothing that I had done
wrong, so I was wondering why she
wanted to talk to me. I was utterly
shocked and honored when she
asked me to speak on behalf of my
amazing class at graduation. I
didn’t even have to think before I
answered that I would of course
accept. Leaving the office and for
the rest of the day, I spent every
free moment that I had thinking
about what to speak about. I came
up with appreciation.
I think that sometimes the students
who go to Park don’t appreciate
how special a place this is, and
how lucky we are to come here each
and every day. You might think that
school is boring or not fun, but here
you are surrounded by adults who
want to help you enjoy school as
much as possible while also teaching
you things that will remain part of
who you are forever. At many other
schools, there is more emphasis on
work, work, and more work, and not
on using effective and interesting
methods of teaching. Park does its
best to make school engaging for
everyone and is open to new ideas. I
can tell you from experience that at
other schools, students have virtually
no say in what they would like
to learn or what would be good ways
to keep class interesting.
Entering Park after a terrible
sixth grade year in public school,
I was so glad to get away from
that school, and I immediately fell
in love with this one. Project
R.E.A.S.O.N. is probably my best
memory of my first year at Park,
because it allowed me to connect
with and learn more about my
sensational classmates. Project
R.E.A.S.O.N. is a trip that the seventh
grade takes to a camp in New
Hampshire; they climb Mt. Monadnock,
play games, and do group
bonding activities. There are countless
other memories that I have
of this school that give it a special
place in my heart: Stump Sprouts
and the trip to Spain, to name a
few. For both of these events, I have
amazing memories of hanging out
with everyone in our class and doing
funny and sometimes stupid things.
At Stump Sprouts, we would all
go lie down in the field and just
stare up at the sky and the stars.
We played manhunt in the complete
dark, played tons of “catchphrase,”
and so many other things that
brought us closer as a class. In
Spain, I remember sitting in the
plaza in Salamanca, drinking Fanta
and eating ice cream, talking and
laughing, and all of the people
who lived there were walking by
probably thinking that we were crazy
Americans, but we didn’t care,
because we were enjoying spending
time together.
It’s not only the trips and bonding
time I spent with my classmates
that I will remember, but also the
big projects that I did and other significant
pieces of my learning experience
at Park. One project that I
remember was the poetry anthology
that I did in eighth grade. A memory
that stands out is, the night before
it was due, I stayed up until about
midnight putting the finishing
touches on it, gluing things
together and making the cover. It’s
these moments that we will remember,
not what we did in math class
on April 15 th , and they are also what
make Park such a special place. Park
gives us all a unique experience that
we would not have at any other
school, and it is important to appreciate
everything that the faculty,
other staff members, and parents do
to make every moment that we
spend here fantastic. For all of the
effort and time that they put into
organizing events for us, I think
that we have to give them a hand
for doing everything in their power
on our behalf.
Park does its very best to instill
its values in each and every one of
its students, whether your first year
is in Nursery, eighth grade, or anywhere
in between. These values
include that friendships should not
be affected by racial, economic, or
religious differences, a love of learning,
being yourself, taking risks; I
could go on for much longer, but I
won’t. Park has left its mark on all
of us, and once we realize how much
it has done to make us who we are,
we will fully appreciate its impact
on our lives. Finally, I would like to
thank everyone who has made it
possible for me to be here speaking
in front of all of you: my parents,
grandparents, other family members,
teachers, friends, and the phenomenal
Class of 2009.
14 The Park Bulletin | Fall 2009