Remarks from Prefects, 2009

Respect

The entire student body and faculty began the year with our annual gathering in the circle. A highlight of the program was hearing our six prefects speak to us about Respect. Below are remarks from three of the prefects.

Danny C.

Competition is a basic part of our lives that we all must come to terms with.  Every day we’re expected, as individuals, to confront and overcome others working towards the same end or goal.  It can be extremely uncomfortable to rise above a complete stranger; in a place like USM, where competition in the classroom and on the sports field is often redoubled, it can be paralyzing.  All things considered, the stress and anxiety promoted by open competition seem to outweigh the benefits of any contest.  But abandoning competition would eliminate any reason to improve ourselves.  We are driven to the limit when we go head to head, and this can never be sacrificed.  The answer to this dilemma lies in how we view competition itself.  Painting a black-and-white picture of a contest, one with a definite winner and a clear loser, promotes guilt for one participant and hard feelings for the other.  Viewing the two parties as equals, however, and by upholding mutual respect between competitors, we can afford to do away with the negativity and stress that typically go hand in hand with competition.  Respect your opponent, in sports and in school, and all that will remain when everything’s said and done is the tired satisfaction of an effort rewarded and the easy knowledge that both the winner and the loser made each other a little bit better.

Emily S.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T (it was only a matter of time before a reference to Aretha Franklin was made.)  Thanks to the “Queen of Soul” we know how to spell the word respect.  However, being able to spell something is far from understanding it.  People often believe that respect requires some grand or spectacular gesture. However, respect for those around you, your school and community is really a simple thing involving kindness and consideration. One morning last year, as my day continued to go from bad to worse with two papers, and a test to yet look forward to I remember walking in the hallway with my head down feeling overwhelmed and stressed.  A senior passed me from the opposite direction and with a sincere smile on her face, said hello and that everything would be okay.  This student was simply intuitive and recognized my mood and treated me how she would have wanted to be treated herself. I instantly gained her respect as a friend who was able to change my outlook on a hard day.  You too can show your respect by introducing yourself to a new student, giving teachers every ounce of your attention, helping a freshman find bio, give a teammate a high five and accepting your peers for their varying opinions. As soon as the bell rings and our school year has officially begun let’s make it all our missions to take simple actions to show respect. If we come together with that goal at heart imagine what an amazing year we have to look forward to.

Charlie W.

Jackie Robinson, one of the greatest and most influential baseball players of all time, once said, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me…all I ask is that you respect me as a human being.”  When Robinson played, racism was a large problem that hindered the development and progress of baseball, and the fact that he became the first black man to play in the major leagues was monumental.  Aside from his social impact on sports, he also was an exceptional player and was inducted into the hall of fame in 1962.  Not all people are Jackie Robinson’s number one fan, but all that know of him respect him. USM, like every other school, is no idyllic institution where everybody likes each other equally, but with the help of the student body, USM can remain a great place where every student and faculty member can feel good knowing that they, and their opinions, are respected by all.  So, let us take a step on the right foot into the new year by paying homage to the words of Jackie Robinson; respect everyone, no matter your differences, as a person.