Betsy B. ’31 Welcomes Classmates at Middle School Assembly
Betsy B. ’31 spoke to her peers on the opening day of the 2026-2027 school year at a Middle School welcome assembly in Mary Eliot Chapel. Below are her remarks.
Hey middle school! I’m Betsy, one of the recipients of last year’s Eliot Award, and I am here to tell you all about what makes MICDS special! I have been a student here for three years, but even now I still am a bit nervous for the year to come. Since I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s nervous for this school year, I want to talk about what has helped my nerves go away every year: The community here at MICDS.
The community at MICDS is very special and unlike any other community I have experienced before. The thing that makes MICDS’s community this special is how everyone is willing to make new friends. I have made so many new and unexpected friends over my years here, and it’s not because I reached out to all of them or because I made connections all by myself. It’s because the people here actually wanted to become friends with a new person or someone they hadn’t talked to before. And the new and unexpected friends you will make throughout your time here will support you and help you out with things you might not see coming. They will encourage you to try new things you never thought you could do or be brave in situations that you never believed you could be brave in. Without the friends I have made here, I don’t know where I’d be. And that is what makes MICDS so special!
It’s not every day that you get to start a new chapter in your life surrounded by a community as special as this one. Because of that, I fully encourage you to take advantage of it! For example, talk to someone you haven’t before! Try to make a new friend because I know that doing these things now will help you out so much in the future. I know that I am super excited to start this year because I’ll be doing it with our community.
What community means to me is having people around you that will support you whenever you need it. I remember one time last year, I really needed support leading up to a science test because I was really nervous about it. My friends supported me by helping me study and encouraging me, and my teacher helped me out by providing good study materials and answering my questions. Another time I needed help was when I was completing my math homework, and my friends immediately helped me out and explained it to me, which led to me doing better on my next quiz. That is why community means so much to me and why I chose for it to be my topic today. It’s what has helped me get through the tough times throughout my years here and what I believe will continue to help me throughout the rest of my years here. Ultimately, I completely believe that the community here will be one of the things that helps you out the most here at MICDS.
Thank you for listening and have a great year! Go Rams!