By Molly King
GA Class of 2021, you have earned our honor, respect, and affection like few others before you. Your academic prowess and widely recognized talents as writers, musicians, actors, artists, and athletes have all contributed to a remarkable legacy of achievement at Greenwich Academy.
Think back to September, when none of us had any idea what this year would look like. We can all remember wondering how it was all going to work—the masks and the distance, the tents and outdoor lunches, the remote classes, the one-way paths and cohorts, and yes, the weekly spit tests! But all of this and some construction were just background noise when your class determined that you were going to bring as much enthusiasm and energy as humanly possible to GA’s opening day of school.
In one of my favorite improvisations of a most improvisational year, you reimagined our traditional opening day assembly senior gauntlet and lined the Upper School circle to welcome the rest of the student body back to school as they arrived on campus. With that joyous, clever, perfectly executed act, you found the sweet spot between celebrating the spirit of your class while promoting community, and set the tone for all of us, teachers and students alike, for the entire year.
Another tone-setting moment—literally—was back in October, when you performed GA’s first outdoor musical on the turf: Songs for a New World. No fancy costumes or staging, a turf venue not known for its acoustics, and the directive to mask up and socially distance. But the cast was undeterred, performing with talent and passion. Another great example of the Class of ’21 leading the way to turn an enormous challenge into a total victory.
You did the same in athletics even though you had precious few games, were masked up the majority of the time, and played under a variety of conditions and in multiple venues (erging on the tennis court and playing volleyball outdoors to name a few). Sometimes teammates were in quarantine and you had to play without them. No matter the obstacles presented, you were fierce competitors and achieved tremendous victories in every sense of the word for yourselves, your teams, and for GA.
And your elected student leaders perfectly captured the indomitable spirit of the senior class. They consistently strategized ways to build class unity and school morale, planning Spirit Week and the spoon game, all the while leading and listening with equal amounts of empathy and confidence.
It’s a common graduation trope that the path through life is rarely linear. You already know that. There will be unforeseen obstacles and impediments along the way. You already know that, too. More than any class I’ve ever encountered, you have been tested. You have been faced with an unprecedented number of challenges and you have met them all, head on, with grace and grit, ingenuity and humanity.
At GA we love to invoke our motto, Toward the Building of Character, because it’s forward-looking, hopeful, always growing, always improving, ever-aspirational. I might typically send a class off with a note of confidence that when their paths do take an unexpected turn they’ll be able to draw on their character and their community. You, however, already know that. You know it because you’ve done it. In fact, you’ve crushed it. You leave GA with a singular legacy of fortitude and fun, of daring and determination, of achievement and unlimited potential. And I cannot wait to witness all the promise and purpose that you will bring to your next life adventure.
I am deeply grateful to the Class of 2021 for your lasting legacy of good at Greenwich Academy. Congratulations!
