Why Prep

May 29, 2024

Hello Sandia Prep Community, 

Happy summer! It’s hard to believe we have come to the end of the year. And what a year it’s been. All of our students have been actively engaged in the Five A’s - Academics, Arts, Athletics, Activities, and the Atmosphere, and it’s been so fun seeing them grow over the course of the year. It’s been especially rewarding getting to know our senior class and seeing them explore their passions and interests through the Odyssey Scholars Program and the Senior Capstone Experience. And then to get the chance to hand them their diplomas as they walk across the stage was a pure delight. I know they leave Sandia Prep truly prepared and ready to take on the world  - and have fun doing it! 

Some of you have asked me to share what I shared with the Class of 2024 at graduation, so I’m including the text below. I hope you all have a summer that has the perfect combination of relaxation and adventure. I enjoy the slower pace of the summer - it’s a time to read, to talk with colleagues and other school leaders, and to think. And of course it’s a time to plan for the year ahead - August will be here before we know it.

All the best,

Heather

Hello, everyone. Thank you all for being here - families, faculty, and, of course, the Class of 2024. I’m thrilled to be here with you to celebrate this important milestone. I hope that as I speak, you’ll be able to take some time to reflect on your journey - remembering how far you've come to get where you are today. And I hope you’ll have some time to think about the future - where you are going and what you hope to accomplish. And finally, I hope you’ll be able to think about the present - to truly be in the present and relish this moment.

Let’s begin by looking back to 2006, when you were just being born. The Winter Olympics took place in Turin, Italy, the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie topped the charts, and Pluto, which had been considered a planet, got a downgrade, being named a dwarf planet. I have to admit, I’m still Team Pluto. Meanwhile, something much more important was happening for all of you. You were beginning to experience the world, and the journey that brought you to this point had begun. With each door you opened and each path you walked down, you learned something new, and you began to grow. You learned, after many games of peekaboo, that when you cover your eyes with your hands, you’re not actually making the world disappear. You learned that playing with a present isn’t nearly as fun as playing with the box that holds that present. And most importantly, you learned that there were people around you who would always be there for you; people who love you unconditionally and would do anything for you. Those people, your families, are sitting here today, and I want you to take a moment to look over to them, and to silently thank them for all they have done for you. And be sure to give them a huge hug when this is over.

As you entered kindergarten in 2011, the final Harry Potter movie came out - I hope you weren’t watching it when you were five, but I hope you have seen it (or more importantly, read all of the books - best books ever) since then. Meanwhile, you were all discovering passions of your own.  Some of you picked up a tennis racquet for the first time and felt a thrill, while others went on your first hike, and still others built intricate Lego designs. As you explored these new paths, you took some detours and sometimes strayed down the wrong path, but each adventure and each mistake helped you grow. Through these experiences, you developed a stronger sense of self. And through it all, those same people I mentioned earlier were there, and this time there were more: teachers, coaches, and friends in addition to your family. They helped you up when you fell down, they gave you a shoulder to cry on, and they reminded you that they believed in you, no matter what.

And then you hit middle school. Many of you began that journey here at Prep, and others would join us later. When I interviewed each of you the night of the senior lock-in, a number of you spoke of experiences in middle school as turning points. One of you said that the Great Sand Dunes trip was the most memorable moment because you were there with your best friends. Another of you spoke of your eighth-grade math teacher, who helped you see math in a way you never had before. Another of you told me of your very first day, walking around at lunch, not knowing where to go, and being invited by a group of friends to join them. You said you had never experienced such openness and kindness before. An overarching theme of so many of your responses involved connections with people. Whether you spoke of lifelong friendships or impactful teachers, it was clear to me that the relationships you’ve developed in your time at Prep have been invaluable in shaping who you are.

And of course, your middle school experience ended in a bizarre way, with the onset of a global pandemic. You missed out on the typical end of middle school and start of upper school experiences. And yet, you persevered, and the world gradually returned to a new normal. Throughout upper school, the relationships you have developed with your teachers and friends have helped get you through the harder moments and made the fun moments all the more fun.

And then we arrived at senior year. We started the year at senior camp, an experience that I’ve learned was particularly meaningful for many of you. Perhaps it was the free time you had in the pool. Perhaps it was the conversations during the campfire. Or perhaps it was the karaoke (that’s what it was for me!). Actually, I think it was all of those things - just having the chance to be, and to be together, as you launched into your final year.

I have had the great pleasure to get to know all of you over the last two years and to work more closely with you this past year on your Senior Capstone Experience. I can say without hesitation that you are extraordinary human beings.  Your interests have developed into full-blown passions, and your ideas have become ideals. The other evening, when I watched your Odyssey Scholar and Senior Capstone Experience presentations, my heart soared. Every single one of you had an opportunity to explore something you love or are interested in pursuing. Some of you looked at careers - in museum education, medicine, law, and mortuary science, to name a few. And some of you created - making skis, paintings, videos, and furniture. Whatever you did, you did it with gusto, and you reflected on the experience thoroughly and thoughtfully.

I spoke with many of you during and after your presentations, and I asked you about your biggest takeaway from your experiences. Some of you mentioned ideas about future careers or hobbies. Others reflected on skills gained and habits understood (procrastination came up a lot). And still others talked about the people you encountered and connections you had made. 

As I have thought about it, I realized what my biggest takeaway was, and I think it’s a takeaway not just from these experiences but from your time at Prep. On the one hand, you’ve all gone through these last seven years together, experiencing similar things and creating these amazing relationships. On the other hand, you each bring something new to the whole - whether you’re the star athlete or the avid fan; the guitar aficionado or the expert rock climber; the budding microbiologist or the budding novelist. You’ve created this beautiful, complicated ecosystem of the Class of 2024, and each of you, by being you, plays a key role.

As you head into this next chapter of your life, I hope you can remember to be yourselves. You’ll be in situations where people are asking you to be something you’re not, and the more you can stay true to who you are, the stronger you will become. My hope for you is that you can live your lives deliberately – really taking the time to make choices that work for you. After all, Taylor Swift tells us, “Just be yourself, there is no one better.” You didn’t think I would go through this whole speech without a Taylor Swift reference, did you?

I also hope you will remember you all have an incredible network of support. Your families, your teachers, your coaches, and your friends are all looking out for you. And knowing when to ask for help is a crucial skill.  Don’t be afraid to reach out when you need extra guidance.

Finally, I don’t just hope, I know that you will go on to do great things. I can’t wait to see what those will be in the years to come. I know I’ll hear about published books, art openings, and exciting scientific discoveries, just to name a few. I hope you’ll come visit and share your highs and your lows (because those will happen, too, and those are, again, part of what makes you you). All of you will get the chance to continue to explore your passions, and when you combine this with being yourself and getting support from others, the sky's the limit. Congratulations to the Class of 2024!