Alex Pelletier took his classmates for a trip down memory lane.
Teenagers clad in the brilliant green robes and gold stoles indicative of a Bishop Brady High School graduate were instructed to close their eyes. Ignore the creaking floors of the gymnasium and the hard seats, Pelletier told them, and think of the blissful times of childhood: A cool breeze, or the familiar smell of your parents cooking dinner.
Then, recall high school: Finding your first class, facing more rigorous academics, passing your driver’s test, staying out past your curfew. Many of these memories, Pelletier said, are the “perfect melting pot of joy.” Others, they may wish to forget.
“Sometimes we jam up this pain into a dark place, choosing to be numb. But take it from me, that is the worst option. We are human, and we feel, and I am telling you right now it is always better to feel than become a robot,” said Pelletier, the salutatorian. “God didn’t put us on Earth to be perfect. He put us here so that we may live and learn from our mistakes — to better serve others, ourselves and Him.”
His speech struck a chord with his 70 fellow graduates on an emotional Friday evening. Students spent their last hour of high school congregated in the library, affixing their caps and gowns and giggling as they took selfies and signed yearbooks. Some teared up as they marched through a cheering audience to their seats. Others opted for a silent squeeze of their parents’ hands as they passed by.
For retiring Principal Andrea Elliott, who choked up as she bid the school goodbye after 12 years, Bishop Brady’s everyday moments, more than the big ceremonies, will stick in her mind: Laughter pouring out of the classrooms. A teacher staying late to help a student.
“I witnessed resilience in the face of challenges, kindness and compassion when it was needed most and growth that often happened quietly, without recognition, but [that] mattered deeply nonetheless,” Elliott said.
The evening’s message focused not on academic successes or big dreams but on leading with kindness and compassion.
Ryan Casey, the valedictorian, said his dad sends him the same text almost every day: “Be great today.”
By all accounts, he is. Casey plays on the Bishop Brady basketball team, attended a youth program at the U.S. Senate and served as class president. He plans to study mathematics and economics at Harvard University this fall.
“For a long time, I thought greatness meant achievements, awards, victories and recognition. But Brady has taught me something different,” Casey said. “If I had to summarize the greatest lesson Brady has taught us, it would be this: Do more than is required.”
Work harder than is required, he said. Be kinder, more generous and more humble than you have to be. Above all, act with integrity.
“In a world increasingly divided by politics, outrage and constant criticism, kindness has become a surprisingly powerful act,” Casey said. “Every person we meet carries burdens we cannot see and stories we cannot know. Our faith has taught us not to merely tolerate one another, but to actively serve one another.”
