Remarks from Prefects, 2008

Here are the prefects’ remarks at the opening ceremony.

Beau P.

It is easy to be kind to your bosses – they pay you.

It is easy to be kind to your teachers – they grade you.

It is easy to be kind to the “cool” kid – he/she might be your friend, and he/she is cool.

On the other hand, it is harder to be kind to the kid who has no friends, because you kind gesture might be considered “uncool.” It is easy to be unkind to bus drivers or tollbooth workers, because no one will really notice.

If you are truly kind, then you will be kind when no one is looking, and when you don’t receive a reward for being kind. I challenge everybody here to be kind when you don’t have to – that is a true test of your character.

Michael L.

I sat at my computer late one night after football practice, finishing the English assignment I was given: to read the short story “Sonny’s Blues” and to write up answers to about fifteen or so questions. The final question has inspired this speech and much of my thought both that night and many hours since: “Who is best suited to tell Sonny’s story?” it asked. Who is best suited to tell my story?

I believe very much in the hope that anyone I meet should be able to tell a story of me that preaches only good works. A hope that everyone I come in contact with is left with a positive impression of me and what I stand for. The only way to achieve this goal is to treat everyone, even strangers, with the same kindness that I hope to receive from them. I try to be an honorable opponent on the football field, an entertaining role in a musical, an inspiring prefect, a loyal friend, and a dedicated camp counselor.

In addition, I absolutely see that kindness is one of the most contagious things on this earth. As this year begins, consider the way you want your story to be told, and know that the smallest shred of generosity you can give may just inspire others to reciprocate and make their story a classic.

Anna S.

Since our early childhood years, we have been instilled with the indispensability of kindness. The greatest acts of kindness are often bestowed in small benevolent gestures, rather than in monumental deeds. I was taught this lesson by a single bag of rice. This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Tanzania with nine other University School students. In Arusha, a northern town, we helped medical assistant deliver rice to families in the slums, who were often plagued by AIDS. We were graciously welcomed into their tine one-room homes, composed of little more than four dirt walls and a tin roof. I will never forget the gratitude show by each of the families who otherwise had no other source of inseam with which to buy food. We could not alleviate the families’ oppressive poverty nor could we deliver the means to cure AIDS. However, the simple act of coming into their homes, speaking with them and showing them that there is someone who cares was incredibly meaningful. One bag of rice conveyed a message of hope and compassion to three families in the slums of Arusha.

Eddie B.

I knew very few people at the start of my high school career at USM and it wasn’t until the beginning of my very first football practice where a sophomore approached me and asked me what I was doing after practice. Being slightly caught off guard by his question, I immediately replied with a quick “nothing.” After a brief pause in conversation with my teammate, whom I had never spoken to before asked me if I could go to the pool with him. I of course said yes, not only because he was the only person who wanted to reach out to me, but also because I was looking for someone to reach out to as well, and since that day we have stayed friends. After that moment, I made a vow to myself that I would never leave the person who is standing alone out of the conversation. The experience that I had on my first day of football practice has given me a whole new understanding to the definition of the word kindness. Kindness isn’t just being nice, it is exemplified by the actions that we all make towards a certain person or a group of people that gives others a boost of confidence or at least puts a smile on their face. So all that I can ask of you, the student body, is that when you walk by both new and old faces in the hallway you greet them with a kind hello, a smile on your face, and a helping hand.

Welcome back.

Robert P.

This summer, at the local Pick ‘n Save grocery store, there was an incident involving a cashier and a customer that tested the cashier’s kindness. A customer came in after hours when a manger was not on duty. Once all his groceries were rung up, the customer realized to his dismay that he accidently left his wallet at home. Now, the cashier alone couldn’t cancel the order and that night, the store was surprisingly busy with impatient customers. The cashier didn’t know what to do. So he grabbed his wallet and paid for the customer’s groceries on the spot. He then asked the customer to come back and pay him the $25 he loaned him for his groceries.

Most of us would have never done such a generous thing. The cashier took a risk by loaning a stranger a considerable sum of money. Now isn’t that kind?! By adopting a kind-minded attitude, all of us will undoubtedly make our school community a positive place that will be conducive to a very successful and memorable year. So this year, try to do little acts of kindness like helping a classmate struggling with homework, or including someone during four square at recess, or just asking someone who his or her day is going. After all, as the novelist George Sand once said, “Sometimes when we are kind in small, barely detectable ways, it can change a person’s life forever.”

Lane F.

The first people who came to mind when I thought about kindness are the initially intimidating table of upperclassmen who involved insecure me in conversation and insisted we all sit together on free seating days my freshman year; the Quik Mart worker who gave me a twenty-five cent discount on my ice cream and seemed so genuine when telling me to have a great day; and the future friend who smilingly approached me, introduced herself and asked if I wanted to share a bunk on the first day of camp.

These are the people I thought of because they were all strangers whose friendliness caught me off guard. I think that all too often kindness in routine interactions becomes a welcome bonus, rather than a norm. USM is such a solid community that I think can be a starting ground for everyone who wants to make kindness a personal standard. So this year, and in future years, I challenge you to exceed expectations and treat both those you know very well, and those with whom you are less familiar, with kindness.