Willa Cohen, Graduation Dinner Student Speaker

Shaping new people is something that Graland excels at. As Ms. Champion recently told us, “Graland tries to take learning beyond just walking into a classroom and listening. They take it past the fourth wall to create a memorable experience.” Graland has given us so many memories that will help us to go the extra mile later on.

One of my favorite memories was a more: the Civil Rights Trip. The trip took all 65 of us eighth graders on a two-and-a-half hour long flight to Alabama. That long, exhausting week of in-depth learning was quite unique, and I know I’m going to remember it for a long time. Not only was the content on the trip valuable, but just being around all the people we spend most of our time with was also a really special way to create new kinds of relationships with them. Some of my favorite memories from the trip involve running through a hotel trying to get back to our rooms before we were straw’d in for the night, or eating food as the sun set in the Deep South of the United States. Creating deeper connections with my peers is something I will never forget.

For those of you who were here in fifth grade, you probably remember the crush towers. Mr. Dodge would have you work for weeks on making what you thought to be the perfect tower that could hold the most weight, only to have it be crushed in a matter of minutes. And, although initially disappointing, the towers would get progressively better. My favorite part and what made this project so memorable was not only the construction and subsequent destruction of my own tower, but also watching others react to their towers being crushed, too. And over time, the failure we all experienced united us and made the project seem less like an individual effort, and more like a team effort, because we were all rooting for each other’s towers to not fall, as well. 

The same sense of group support can be said for the egg drop. It has been four years since we completed that project, and I still remember it vividly. We were told to construct a structure that could ensure an egg would not break when dropped from the flagpole. My favorite part of the project wasn’t constructing my own, but, rather, watching my classmates succeed and fail, and I think we all built more of a sense of community, throughout all our attempts at the drop.

Let's go back to another memory: in third grade, our most exciting field trip was the Chief Mountain hike. We all packed up our trail mix, got on the bus, and were taken to Chief Mountain, where we had the mandatory opportunity to go on the famous Chief Mountain hike. I still have well-kept memories of that day many years ago. Although I can remember the gorgeous views, my favorite memories from that day consist of the voices of my classmates complaining about the hike, and the relief we all felt when we made it to the top of the mountain.

There are many things I remember from my sixth grade year in 2019. One of the most memorable was our first big trip of the year where we were all shipped in two giant buses to Keystone to spend a few days hiking and exploring the area. For each meal, we would all gather together and eat the questionable food in a dining hall. Keystone was the second real trip we had gone on, and since by then we were all used to bunking with each other, we got to focus on the more important things; namely, smores. Every time I think of that trip, I am reminded of the stories we were told in the dark. How we would all laugh and say we were fine, but secretly all be too terrified to sleep all night. It was the first time I really got to talk and bond with some of my classmates. There were lots of new people that year, and being forced to sleep in a giant cabin with them made it so they were able to become a part of our community.

A big part of our Graland Middle School experience consisted of VAPA and ICE classes. As we got older, we got more freedom regarding which classes we took, but at the beginning, we all did the same things. I’m sure everyone here remembers our early VAPA classes. Choir, art, band. Ms. Phelan, we love you and we are sorry you had to be the one teaching us in choir. I personally enjoyed choir. Not just because we were singing, but because everytime I walked into the classroom, someone would be laughing. The same goes for the rest of our VAPA classes. They were a wonderful break from the stresses of the day. I appreciate how Graland gave us the opportunity to explore our interests as soon as we entered middle school.

As I reflect on all of my Graland memories, I look back with fondness. For some, and maybe most, of us, this is the only school we’ve really ever had an experience with. All of those memories we made here will be kept forever, and I think that’s valuable. We are also all grateful to this school for preparing us for life from an academic standpoint, as well, and I think that will be valuable in the long run. Graland has made it so much easier for us to succeed in the next four years and beyond. Now, I know they’re important, but I’ve noticed that for a lot of us, Graland wasn’t necessarily about the experiences they gave to us; instead, it was about experiencing them with others. It was about creating valuable memories with the people we spend the most time with. So, thank you Graland for giving us something to remember. And with that, I will give a big “Congratulations” to the class of ‘22, and I am so happy for all of you.