Written by Ethan F.,
Grade 8 Student
Good evening, esteemed faculty, proud parents, and the graduating Class of 2026. My name is Ethan, and I have the privilege tonight, on behalf of my grade, to reflect on the past three years we have spent together.
These years have been ones to remember. Along the way, we faced tougher classes, formed lasting friendships, and grew not only as students but as people. Not only have we grown since the beginning of the year, but continuously throughout our time in the Prep.
We came into Grade 6, and for the first time in a long while, we were the youngest in a division. Everything was new except for the people we came with, so we leaned on each other to make it through our first year.
Then we pushed through Grade 7 — not the oldest, not the youngest, but somewhere in the middle of this great middle school. And it was at this time that we grew in comfort and confidence, but still had a lot of questions to ask.
And then came Grade 8. We were finally the people that we looked up to in Grade 6, happy to be at the top of the division, and getting ready to be the youngest yet again.
We made it, but did not get here alone, so I would like to take a moment to recognize all the people who made this possible.
Thank you to Mr. Lee. Your inspiring words reminded us how to push our limits and reach higher.
Thank you, Ms. Astrella. These years would not have been the same without you; your faith in all of us helped guide us through the prep and has brought us all to where we are today.
Thank you, Mr. Ryerson, Ms. Blair, Dr. Mantie, Ms. Morgan, and Ms. Woodard, for teaching us about the world around us and our place in it, for always having a compassionate ear that listens, and for giving us a place to shine athletically.
And to the teachers, your patience, dedication, and hard work made it so we could reach our highest potential and succeed. And to those who stayed overtime to help us with our little problems, thank you. And a special shoutout goes to our Homeroom Teachers, Mrs. Iafrate, Ms. Keyworth, Ms. Lanci, and Mr. Freeman. We know we were not the easiest group, but you accepted and saw us for who we are.
And of course, the parents. For all the early morning drop-offs, late afternoon pickups, amazing birthday dinners, for the last-minute assistance on projects that were due the next day, and for loving us unconditionally. We don’t thank you enough for all of this, but know that we notice how you always find ways to put us before you. So, thank you!
And finally, a big thank you to my peers: the Graduating Class of 2026. Together we have created a sense of community over these past three years, which has included students new and old together, and I thank you for that. I know what it means to have brothers and to have a supportive family, and so many of you have created that same sense of belonging for me here at school, and I know that I am not alone. We are one inclusive group.
This year was a special one. One of the absolute biggest moments happened in December, and this is a moment that I know the teachers had hoped that we would have forgotten, but we didn’t. It was the day that, after 20 years of intense rivalry, the students actually beat the teachers in the annual student-versus-teacher volleyball game. It was a nailbiter. Throughout the entire game, we were losing by just a little, but we persevered and recreated history at the Prep!
But don’t get me wrong, we are not just amazing athletes. Put a guitar and ukulele in our hands, and we are better than Bruno Mars. Every year, the Prep School takes a trip to Muskoka Woods. Usually, there’s a talent show, activities, and some team-building games, but this year we added a new event during the campfire. The Grade 8’s took it into their hands to assist Mr. V and Mr. Tan in helping to create an amazing night for everyone. The skits, the songs, and the singing of Sweet Caroline. That’s right! Good times never seemed so good.
And then there was last Friday, the Grade 8 Dance. For me, and I’m sure for many of you, it was one of the most memorable moments of the year. We danced, sang, and laughed nonstop for hours. Nobody wanted the night to end. In the back of our minds, we all knew that these were some of our last moments together as a full grade. But that didn’t affect how much we celebrated, holding on to a night that reminded us just how much this Grade and the people in it mean to each other.
Along with these fantastic memories, I was thinking about how to sum up the amazing talents and skills of this grade, and one word came to mind. Prodigy. A prodigy is a person, specifically someone young in age, who has exceptional abilities and skills, and the Class of 2026 is filled with prodigies.
We have swimmers with Olympic dreams coming closer in reach every time they get in a pool. We have runners and jumpers who break limits and records with ease, as they shine on the track. We have tennis, hockey, soccer, baseball, and fencers — all players whose skills are unmatched and who have dedicated their time to becoming some of the greatest nationally.
We have the readers who have read billions of words this year, two of whom have vocabularies so extensive that they are back-to-back, undefeated Scrabble Champions.
There are coders and robotic experts whose innovative thinking and skills have brought numerous titles back to Bayview Glen. We have dancers, singers, and visual artists who create art and beauty as effortlessly as breathing.
This list goes on and on and is too long for me to read and share with you tonight, but it is clear that our class never takes anything halfway. We challenge ourselves, persevere, grow, and achieve things that we never imagined we were capable of.
At the start of the year, Ms. Astrella welcomed us into this new role of being a “Grade 8 Grad.” Not only was there a weight of responsibility that was added to our shoulders, but we were also challenged to “level up.” So, we did exactly that. We became leaders of the Prep School, understanding that leadership is more than just a title. We leveled up academically as we took on credit courses that pushed us to do more work and study harder than we had before. We leveled up athletically, understanding the full extent of what it means to be a Gryphon. We leveled up personally, in terms of appreciating our friendships and expecting more of ourselves when it comes to our character. Tonight is the ultimate moment for us to level up together. As we reflect on the past, we cannot lose sight of what our future holds in store.
The word graduation comes from the Latin word “Gradus”, meaning to take a step, or to improve your rank. That is exactly what we are doing tonight together. We are all taking a step forward, some on the path we are on right now, and some in different directions. No matter what, we have this moment to step up and out of a division where we certainly have left our mark in a positive way.
Next year, we will be the youngest in a division, and once again, everything will be new. So we will lean on each other to make it through our first year of high school. The next chapters in our lives won’t always be easy. As Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” But nothing is impossible for this class right here. We have already faced challenges, learned from our mistakes, and achieved more than we thought we could. The best is still ahead of us, and I cannot wait to see all we will achieve by the time we are the Class of 2030.
Congratulations, fellow graduates. Thank you for giving me the honour of speaking on your behalf this evening, and thank you for being such excellent friends and classmates throughout the years.
Thank you!