Our Students Teach Each Other
Matilda Scholl addressed her fellow students at the May, 2024 Graduation Ceremony, on behalf of CASPN’s first three graduates…
As graduates, Bernadette, Mary, and I want to thank all of you for the gift of this school. We want to especially thank our families for all their sacrifices and love. I have been given the task of sending out the charge to the juniors. So first order of business: You are now the senior class of 2025! Here we are at the end of the year, heading into summer break! We made it! No words can sum up how grateful I am for my time here. I am thankful for every single one of you. I am blessed to be able to say that I made at least some sort of connection with almost every student here.
There’s a lot about this upcoming year that will be different, Seniors. New teachers, new roles, new students, a new floor; things are changing, and that can be scary. In addition to all the new beginnings, two of the most uplifting and encouraging young ladies I know aren’t gonna be here next year. This is why I want to leave you incoming Seniors, you leaders of the school next year, with some encouragement.
You are remarkable men and women of Christ, and I am truly blessed to know you all. You have a joy and love that is attractive, inspiring others to grow in their relationships with God, including me. When I was asked to write this charge to you, I was at a little bit of a loss for words. How do you sum up two incredible years in a few minutes? How do you inspire and encourage a class that has already been such an inspiration to you? But that's the very thing that I find beautiful about this school: the fact that we all inspire and encourage one another to be our best.
Ladies of the new Senior class (and beyond), you are loving, genuine, and joyous. You have the incredible ability to brighten the rooms you walk into and to change someone's day for the better. I cannot count the number of times I walked into school, ready to have a bad day, and by lunch was smiling and laughing again because of you. The way you uplift everyone is a gift from God and it is one that you should never cease to thank Him for. Always be on the lookout for one another and keep each other in prayer. Stay positive. Negativity spreads fast. Keep it out of your conversations and thoughts.
Gentlemen of the new Senior class (and beyond), you are hardworking, strong, and honorable. I feel so grateful to know you all and to be able to call you my friends. You show what it means to have real child-like (not childish) maturity and good humor, and what it looks like to strive for manhood whilst not taking yourselves too seriously. This is your duty, to remain as humble and joyful as a child, but ready to watch over others and lend a hand as a man. Uphold and protect positivity. We need more servant leaders like you in the world.
You Seniors all have the ability to make people feel loved, seen, and most importantly, known. I want to encourage you this upcoming year to actively look for Christ in others and to deepen your friendships with one another. After all, you are only here for a short time. The influence you have on the school and the younger classes should not be taken for granted. Ladies, you should be uplifting and kind, knowing when to offer help, and when to ask for it. Gentlemen, you should be strong and encouraging, building one another up and challenging yourselves and others to be Christ-like. I encourage you all to compete to be men and women of virtue. All of you are gifts to this school, your peers, your teachers, your families, and to the world. What you do here makes a difference. How and what you say is important. How you treat one another matters. It isn’t up to the teachers or administration–You have the power to lead and model with love. Each day is a new day. Always begin again. Look for the good in each other, in your readings, and in your conversations. Find the beautiful and the true. It is here if you only look.
With all these upcoming responsibilities, always remember: You are never alone, you are never invisible, and you are never a burden. God always sees, always knows, and always loves.
Thank you, Chesterton Academy of St. Philip Neri. You have been such a blessing in our lives and have helped us more than you will ever know.