Class President Riley Crawford ‘26 Speaks at Senior Night
As per tradition, the senior class chair addresses their peers at Senior Night, the penultimate gathering for each class. This year, the Class of 2026 heard from Riley Crawford ’26. Here are her remarks.
When I first ran for this class president gig, this was one of the things I did know I had to do, and somehow I still only began writing this speech on Monday. I guess senioritis is a real thing. Just a warning, there’s a chance that at any point during this speech, I might cry, so if so, just bear with me.
Out of the many possible themes I could’ve picked, I chose Olivia Dean’s song A Couple Minutes. I listened to this song for the first time in November. And while at first this song sounds like a love letter to a failed partner, this song is much deeper than romantic love. For the people not familiar, Dean writes, “Love’s never wasted when it’s shared. Although it’s over, I’ll always be there.” Class of 2026, we sure have shared a lot of love. From hoco week, to senior chill day, to spring break, to our last day, I could feel our time together slowly running out. Although we all had been counting down to the end, once it finally came, it still didn’t feel like it was really over. The bittersweet feeling growing as every ‘last’ milestone passed…and now look around. We finally are at the end. Not without a lot of trials, tribulations, and many long rants from Dean George. The highest expulsion rate to date, fully getting a quiz removed from our grade book—what was in the air freshman year? No, but seriously, we have come a very long way, and if you’re sitting here right, now then clearly you did something right.
On the first day of high school, I was so nervous. Not because I was new to MICDS or anything, but just because I couldn’t imagine going to school with 18-year-olds. I mean those are adults…now here I am about to be 18 in a week and speaking to a room of nearly all 18-year-olds. I eventually got over the fact that we were fresh meat and leaned into MICDS as many of us did and found a family on campus. A family in cheer and the basketball team, in theater and acting class, in ‘The Spot,’ and in every single class meeting that STUCO gave us. Outside of everyone’s individual friend groups, though, there are also a lot of memorable members of our community, too. Shoutout to Nevin & Ev Ott for holding the door religiously, walking into assembly and Olson. What will we do in college when we have to open doors by ourselves? The emergence of the Big 7, hi ladies! And the emergence of the goon squad & goonettes; as my coach likes to say, senior shake-up always brings about new friendships, and that it certainly did. Thank you to Athreya’s basement for many memories during sophomore year, Sam’s parties (don’t worry, the Black people forgive you), both the girls and boys lax teams—genuinely how do y’all always go to State? Shoutout to my entire friend group for not doing anything at lunch freshman year but shadow box everywhere. Whoever came up with pumpkin bowling: such a goated community time. Shoutout to our first community day as baby freshies, when every advisory went on stage and performed a song—such a canon event. Lastly, the incredible renovation of Olive that gave us 7Brew, CFA, Canes, and Chipotle all before graduation! These were some of the highlights I couldn’t help but let shine on this final event before we are officially MICDS alums.
While these are all individual memories and memories shared perhaps only with some of the class, our entire class shared Hearth. While MICDS shaped us into the individuals we are today, and the leaders who will be walking onto college campuses in just a few months, Hearth fused our grade together. For someone’s ALT Journalism article, they wrote about Hearth and asked if it was a place that brings us together or reinforces cliques. A senior privilege, as it should be, Hearth is a safe haven for all seniors. A privilege, not because it’s the most extravagant room on campus (Blanke definitely has us beat), but because it is exactly what every senior needs. A place to laugh, to nap, to decide where you and your friends are gonna go for lunch, to plan your week, or just idle. I can’t even name the amount of time I escaped to Hearth after absolutely bombing a chem test (thanks to all my friends who listened to me rant in A free & Dr. Meg…sorry…I love you). The times I’ve felt exhausted and fled to Hearth. Was napping and was awoken to 1) my friends all shaking me or 2) the hysterically loud assembly songs (thank you, Carrie and Sean). Or just walked into Hearth and my mood immediately got brighter because I got to spend another day with my best friends. Hearth isn’t a great place because there’s a fireplace and a projector; Hearth is a great place because that’s where home felt on campus. In the chaos of quarter grades, ED deadlines, ALT, and senioritis, Hearth became home. A place where someone could walk halfway across the room just to say hi to a person they only just started talking to this year. And of course, the place where you 100% can hear everyone else’s conversation, especially in a quiet free!
Hearth and MICDS have given me and you not just a place to come into every morning at 8 a.m., but a home away from home. A home where we were free to create, learn, and grow together. This constant we’ve had for the last four years is now ending, and we will all be on different journeys, in different places, without each other. From just baby freshies, to young adults about to embark on the biggest transition of our life, in the least corny way possible, Rams, we’re at the end of the movie. Like the credits are literally rolling.
As Olivia Dean said in A Couple Minutes, although it’s over, I’ll always be there. Thanks for taking a chance on me and making me the first Black female senior class president. Thank you for believing in me, and I am so blessed I had the chance to believe in you all. Continue to be the leaders, changemakers, and showstoppers you are. It was a pleasure to serve as your class prez.
Thank you.