Home Class of 2026 – Evie Freedman, 8th Grade Elected Class Speaker
Good afternoon, friends, family, faculty, and fellow graduates,
My name is Evie Freedman, and I am representing the class of 2026 and our eighth grade year. Before I start, I want to thank a couple of people. Thank you to Matthew for always being there to listen to us rant about anything and everything on our minds, and also for teaching us Algebra along the way. Thank you, Hal, for assigning us projects that truly made us think deeply about our opinions and how they align not only with the history of our world but also with our society today, and how we want to shape the future we will grow up in. Kendyl, thank you for working constant double time to catch us up to where we need to be for science next year, as we would have definitely been behind without you, and for always being around for those who needed help. Jen, thank you for raising the bar and always helping us reach it. Though the jury was biased because the defense totally deserved to win, I still loved The Outsiders project and finding meaning in the book in such a fun way. Finally, thank you to my parents, and to the parents of everyone else on this stage, you all gave so much for us, you all are the reason we are able to be here today, and for that, we owe you our greatest appreciation.
Two years ago, I sat in those very chairs, which you are all occupying now, and listened to all the eighth graders of that year deliver their speeches. I left that ceremony dreaming of what I would be like in eighth grade, and hoping that I would get the opportunity to recite my own speech for my class. If there is anyone out there today who has a similar dream, I would say go for it, but be prepared to actually work a bit while the rest of your classmates are almost entirely free from school. I figured it would be centuries till I was up here myself, but of course, time flies. Now, I stand here today, and wow, I sure am nervous. Little me had no idea what it’s like to stand and talk in front of this large a crowd. But if I really think about that feeling, being nervous, isn’t that what all of eighth grade has been about? When we re-entered our classrooms this past fall, we knew the expectations of our teachers would rise. We would also balance that higher bar with the pressure to complete the applications that would determine where we end up in high school. Also, for the people who didn’t apply, the job of supporting their friends through that process was a whole other form of pressure. All of this would bring substantial nerves to each and every student, but we got through it.
That perseverance is apparently required from all eighth grade students, whether they are applying to high schools or not, but I think the way we grew up at Park Day School made it easier. Park Day has helped us to rise to where we all are today, no matter if you started in kindergarten, sixth, or any grade in between. This school has taught us to ask for help, to advocate, not only for ourselves, but for those who are silenced around us. Park Day has taught us to be changemakers. But above all, we have learned to be kind and caring before anything else. These lessons help us support friends through disappointment and to help out if anyone close to us is struggling, and that sense of community alone is what lifted a little of the looming pressure of high school.
That spirit pulled us through late fall and most of winter, but after March 20th, we faced a different problem. The realization dawned on us that, despite having almost completely processed the idea of where we will spend the next stage of our lives, we still had two months and fourteen days left of school. Or seventy-five days, like the trackers on our phones told us. The senioritis hit hard and fast; the days felt long and never-ending. Of course, time worked its hilarious tricks and sent us hurdling through the only break we had at lightning speed, and dumped us out on the plane to New York City, or, more the alarm at 3:30 AM, telling us it was time to wake up that morning. Also, I’m sure everyone was nervous before that trip, because who wasn’t terrified of catching the plague that is flu-B, again. In New York and Boston, we spent time with friends, acted like annoying tourists, and experienced freedom, fun, and at times pure exhaustion. At least for me, I felt as if we were done, we had finished the year and gone through all of the hard times, and this was our reward.
When we returned, school felt less magical, but easier in a way. We all let go of our nerves, and yes, sometimes that meant slacking off a bit, sorry to all the teachers affected by that, but for us students, it meant embracing the time we had left, the way we wanted to. Those nerves will continue to follow us around for the remainder of our lives, but this last year has taught us that, like Michael Jordan said, “Being nervous isn’t bad. It just means something important is happening.” The pressure we faced helped us to grow into the people we want to be for the next chapter of our lives. Because the true magic of 8th grade is that you realize that through that pressure, through all of those expectations and nerves, you face freedom.
Thank you.