Harper Naughton ‘30 Addresses Peers

Harper Naughton ’30 spoke to her peers on the first day of the 2025-2026 school year at a Middle School assembly in Mary Eliot Chapel. Here are her remarks.

Hi, 7th and 8th grades, I’m Harper.

To all our new students, welcome to MICDS. To all our returning students, welcome back.

While I’m sad summer has come to an end, I’m excited to start a new year. If you’d asked me last year at this time, I would NOT have said the same thing. My sixth-grade class was only 17 people. Jumping from 17 to over 100 made me really nervous. I didn’t know anyone in my advisory, I would rarely see any of my friends from before, and there were a LOT of new faces.

But everybody was really nice and welcoming, which made me feel comfortable. When you have that kind of vibe, it helps to make new friends and even connect with the teachers (who are also nice). Even people I didn’t know would take time to help me figure out assignments, how to work the computer, and, most importantly, they helped me with directions. I had NO idea where I was going.

That’s because MICDS is big. But being big means there are more paths you can take, more opportunities, and more options that are open to everybody. These paths come in all sorts of varieties. They can be in sports, music, clubs, and also in academics.

One of the things I was, and am, most excited about at MICDS is that there are so many different sports to try. Last year I did cheer, lacrosse, and track all for the first time. I had friends who tried swimming and basketball and soccer. This year I am thinking of maybe playing volleyball, or even tennis.

If music is your thing, we got you covered. You can join Ram or Concert Choir. You can play in Ram or Concert Band. Or, if you have never played an instrument before, you can do what I did, and learn to play music in Intro to Band. Saxophone is the best.

And after school there are a ton of different clubs where you can meet people who share your interests in knitting, sewing, board games, anime, or even astronomy. If you have something that you love doing or talking about but there is no club for it, you can even start your own.

But with all these extra-curricular activities, we can’t forget the regular curricular activities. It can seem like a lot, and at times, you can feel overwhelmed (especially with all the email). However, the teachers are very helpful. Between study period (H block for us last year) and ASAP, the teachers are available when you have questions, need something cleared up, or are just lost.

And P.S…between the study period and ASAP, if you are focused, you can get your homework done before you ever get home.

Finally, the cafeteria is REALLY good. They make something new every day. And even if that days menu isn’t for you, you can alway get soup, grab a salad, make your own sandwich, or visit the carb bar. And there is ALWAYS dessert.

I am very excited to start the new year. So whether you are coming back to MICDS middle school like me, or you are coming here for the first time, there is always more to discover and experience. Take advantage of the opportunities MICDS has to offer and have a great year.