The following is an edited transcript of the speech given by Mrs. Maggie Crain, dean of the Class of 2023, at the Awards Ceremony on June 1:

Here we are on the eve of Graduation. I would like to extend a warm welcome and congratulations to the family and friends of our graduates. I would also like to extend a note of gratitude for sharing and entrusting your kids to us. There is so much to celebrate around these wonderful Seniors and if you are here to honor them tonight then no doubt you are an important part of their journey and indeed their success. Seniors, look up and look around and applaud those who supported you from near and afar in your Hotchkiss journey. 

As many of you have heard me say, my new mantra for the last few weeks when feeling frustrated has been “I choose joy.” And I feel a lot of joy. Because the tone you have set in the past three weeks has shown how present you are in this community. I have yet to overhear, “I can’t wait to get out of here” or “There is nothing to do.” In the last three weeks, you have acted for the first time in a Black Box production, participated in the color run, played Bingo with more focus than a Friday night at a retirement home, you have presented your art to each other with a stunning Senior art show, you have sat on a Friday night eating baked cookies and writing letters to each other, you have played in the orchestra, you have won a Founder’s League title you have put on a talent show, and you also had tests and papers due. 

It didn’t matter whether it was a mandatory requirement for a class or an optional activity, you have shown up, you have engaged and you have reveled in each others’ talents and joys. Sound simple? I don’t think so. In fact, it is much easier to leave this place if you feel agitated or disconnected. Yet somehow, you knew that the more you were engaged in the celebration of each other, the less you would regret. You may not remember this, but at our very first meeting together, when we welcomed the twelve PGs who make us complete, I challenged you to show up with optimism and joy, and inclusivity. 

I was not being flip when I quoted the Dalai Lama, who said, “Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.” 

I took a leap of faith in front of a group of 18 year-olds, who could so easily roll their eyes and brush off my requests as cheesy. You see, all I can do as your dean is put you in the way of opportunity. I needed to show up, show you I care and delight in your shenanigans, I also had to hold you accountable. And you know why I hold you so accountable – because you are too good not to be great. I have held you to a standard not of being the best, but of getting better every day. 

I make a lot of mistakes, but hope you know what a privilege it has been to be your dean. You are loved. When I said my door is always open to you I meant it. You have walked through it and taught me just as much. I will admit that I would like a little more time with you. You have surpassed all the directions and wishes I put in front of you at our first Senior dinner and certainly in the last three weeks since Induction Dinner. 

So as we sit here in the most stunning building, with a breathtaking backdrop, surrounded by an embarrassment of riches and top-tier facilities, remember that the best facility in any school is its students and this year, the best facility at Hotchkiss was certainly all of you.