Make Your Mark
(Head Boy Andrew Youngson gave the following speech at Crescent School's Opening Assembly on September 8, 2016.)
Ten years ago I sat in the front row of this gym trying to make sense of the words that the man in the blue blazer was saying. Besides, I had bigger fish to fry. My life was a constant relay of SpongeBob, GameCube, soccer, cheese strings, sleep, and repeat. The man in blue was a speck of dust in my galaxy.
I recall the headmaster at that time, Mr. Roberts, referring to us as the graduating Class of 2017. What an insane thing to say! 2017 was as meaningless to me as the year 2026 must be to our Grade 3s here today. But each year I would move a little bit further back on this gym floor and be able to understand the Head Boy’s message a little bit better. Each year the number 2017 became less and less absurd, and here I am today, completing the full circle as the man in the blue blazer.
Ten years ago I sat in the front row of this gym trying to make sense of the words that the man in the blue blazer was saying. Besides, I had bigger fish to fry. My life was a constant relay of SpongeBob, GameCube, soccer, cheese strings, sleep, and repeat. The man in blue was a speck of dust in my galaxy.
I recall the headmaster at that time, Mr. Roberts, referring to us as the graduating Class of 2017. What an insane thing to say! 2017 was as meaningless to me as the year 2026 must be to our Grade 3s here today. But each year I would move a little bit further back on this gym floor and be able to understand the Head Boy’s message a little bit better. Each year the number 2017 became less and less absurd, and here I am today, completing the full circle as the man in the blue blazer.
Mr. Fellin, members of the platform party, staff, and my Crescent brothers, welcome to the 2016/2017 school year. My name is Andrew Youngson, and I have the privilege to serve as your Head Boy. After a summer spent serving five-year-olds an outrageous number of bagels with cream cheese at Bayview Glen Day Camp, I can honestly say that Crescent School has never looked so good.
If there’s one thing I have noticed about this place coming back each September, it is that change is to be expected. Since Grade 3, I have seen a grass field become a FIFA-grade turf, world-class learning spaces come into existence, and chocolate milk disappear from the lunch menu, only to make a miraculous return.
There is but one thing that stays constant at Crescent School, and that is our culture. Each September, you can count on a warm greeting from a whirlwind of familiar faces. The truth is that despite being a massive school, we are quite a small population. It is this compact, comfortable size that allows each Crescent boy to be himself year after year. We are not a blue army like UCC; we are a Crescent family.
This idea of sustaining and promoting Crescent’s culture was at the forefront of the discussion for this year’s motto: Make Your Mark. The best way to explain this motto is to analyze each word individually.
First we have “make,” the process of creating something. The greatest inventions in history were not made in a snap; there was always a trial and error process. This year, there will be ups and there will surely be downs. It is all part of the process of creating something amazing.
Next, we have “your.” We were all admitted to this school because we offer something unique that benefits our community. Ask yourself, what can I contribute to Crescent School? This year, the prefect team has made a goal to offer opportunities for the student voice to be heard like never before. With your voice and your actions, make your own individualized mark on our community.
The final word in this slogan is “mark.” If at the end of this year as you prepare for your summer vacation, you leave knowing that you have left your legacy somewhere in these walls, then what a year it will have been. Make your mark.
Crescent brothers, I have sat where you now sit.
To the Lower School, smile, laugh, sing, and play. Your energy really does power Crescent. The teachers that see you grow and develop in these years will be some of the best mentors you will ever find. The friendships you make will last for your entire career at Crescent. Savour those grey flannel shorts, 11:45 a.m. lunches, and recesses while you still have them.
To the Middle School, treat one another as you would want to be treated. A lot of changes can happen in two years, but your brothers should never be left behind. As my mentor told me back in Grade 7, if a Canada goose falls, other members of the flock will fly down to protect it until it heals and is ready to join the pack again. Like geese, fly together.
To the Upper School, ever heard of coffee? Many times this summer I have woken up in a cold sweat with the image of Haiku telling me that there is homework to be done. One could claim that I am psychologically scarred, but I think that I have just come to miss the grind. Hard work pays off. If you learn to love it then nothing will be able to stop you. You have all of the resources you need to succeed in the classroom and elsewhere, use them to your advantage.
To the faculty, what sets Crescent apart is the fact that you don’t just look at us as students; you care about our life beyond the classroom. When I have felt overwhelmed in the past, it has always been a teacher who has taken the time to talk with and encourage me. We as students understand that you really do care about us. Early morning practices, extra-help, BEAR week and even casual jokes and conversations in the hallways are what make our student-teacher relationships so special.
But it isn’t just the teachers; it is the lunch staff, maintenance staff, administrators, and the many departments of people in the Manor who a student can connect with at any given time. You truly do round out the Crescent family, not just as the adults in our community, but moreover as the mentors.
To the Class of 2017, we are one of the most multitalented grades to ever go through Crescent. We have all had time to find our area of the school that we excel in. Now let’s hit the ground running and commit 100% to whatever it may be. Let’s role model what it means to be a man of character and inspire the grades beneath us to follow. More than anything, let’s unite as a grad class of Crescent brothers.
To everyone: Make Your Mark.
Thank you.
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Back
If there’s one thing I have noticed about this place coming back each September, it is that change is to be expected. Since Grade 3, I have seen a grass field become a FIFA-grade turf, world-class learning spaces come into existence, and chocolate milk disappear from the lunch menu, only to make a miraculous return.
There is but one thing that stays constant at Crescent School, and that is our culture. Each September, you can count on a warm greeting from a whirlwind of familiar faces. The truth is that despite being a massive school, we are quite a small population. It is this compact, comfortable size that allows each Crescent boy to be himself year after year. We are not a blue army like UCC; we are a Crescent family.
This idea of sustaining and promoting Crescent’s culture was at the forefront of the discussion for this year’s motto: Make Your Mark. The best way to explain this motto is to analyze each word individually.
First we have “make,” the process of creating something. The greatest inventions in history were not made in a snap; there was always a trial and error process. This year, there will be ups and there will surely be downs. It is all part of the process of creating something amazing.
Next, we have “your.” We were all admitted to this school because we offer something unique that benefits our community. Ask yourself, what can I contribute to Crescent School? This year, the prefect team has made a goal to offer opportunities for the student voice to be heard like never before. With your voice and your actions, make your own individualized mark on our community.
The final word in this slogan is “mark.” If at the end of this year as you prepare for your summer vacation, you leave knowing that you have left your legacy somewhere in these walls, then what a year it will have been. Make your mark.
Crescent brothers, I have sat where you now sit.
To the Lower School, smile, laugh, sing, and play. Your energy really does power Crescent. The teachers that see you grow and develop in these years will be some of the best mentors you will ever find. The friendships you make will last for your entire career at Crescent. Savour those grey flannel shorts, 11:45 a.m. lunches, and recesses while you still have them.
To the Middle School, treat one another as you would want to be treated. A lot of changes can happen in two years, but your brothers should never be left behind. As my mentor told me back in Grade 7, if a Canada goose falls, other members of the flock will fly down to protect it until it heals and is ready to join the pack again. Like geese, fly together.
To the Upper School, ever heard of coffee? Many times this summer I have woken up in a cold sweat with the image of Haiku telling me that there is homework to be done. One could claim that I am psychologically scarred, but I think that I have just come to miss the grind. Hard work pays off. If you learn to love it then nothing will be able to stop you. You have all of the resources you need to succeed in the classroom and elsewhere, use them to your advantage.
To the faculty, what sets Crescent apart is the fact that you don’t just look at us as students; you care about our life beyond the classroom. When I have felt overwhelmed in the past, it has always been a teacher who has taken the time to talk with and encourage me. We as students understand that you really do care about us. Early morning practices, extra-help, BEAR week and even casual jokes and conversations in the hallways are what make our student-teacher relationships so special.
But it isn’t just the teachers; it is the lunch staff, maintenance staff, administrators, and the many departments of people in the Manor who a student can connect with at any given time. You truly do round out the Crescent family, not just as the adults in our community, but moreover as the mentors.
To the Class of 2017, we are one of the most multitalented grades to ever go through Crescent. We have all had time to find our area of the school that we excel in. Now let’s hit the ground running and commit 100% to whatever it may be. Let’s role model what it means to be a man of character and inspire the grades beneath us to follow. More than anything, let’s unite as a grad class of Crescent brothers.
To everyone: Make Your Mark.
Thank you.
Read more Crescent Voices posts
