It is a John Bapst tradition that the Student Senate President greet all students in an address at the fall Convocation. Senior Jane Branch delivered the speech below on August 27 in Sekera Auditorium before all students, new and returning.
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My name is Jane Branch, I am this year’s student body president. I would like to welcome you to John Bapst, to both new and incoming students. I am excited for this new year, and I hope I can uphold the duties of my position well.
This year we have 450 students, 137 freshmen, 59 international students, 24 of whom are new to John Bapst. One of the great things about Bapst is its diversity. We are all being given a great opportunity to break the language barriers and learn new cultures. Reaching out to others, I believe, has become almost a culture of its own at John Bapst.
I think its important for all of us, new and returning, to know and truly understand what John Bapst stands for. The school motto has 3 words – integrity, achievement, and respect.
The school philosophy states:
People of integrity can be counted on to do the right thing for the right reasons. Courtesy, kindness, fairness, tolerance, acceptance, helpfulness, and honesty are the principles that govern everyone’s personal conduct.
In my opinion, this brings up the point of community. These characteristics are the cornerstones to a safe and friendly community, which I’ve personally seen every single day these past three years at John Bapst. To continue this balance, the easiest thing I’d say all of us could do is to just smile at someone in the hallway, pick up a fallen book for someone in a hurry, or invite someone who might seem lonely or be new to sit with us at lunch. Although these acts seem small and insignificant, they probably aren’t to those receiving the kindness.
The school philosophy also states:
The school’s focus on achievement reminds us that academically, artistically, athletically, and socially, we are all here to learn, to grow, and to better ourselves and our school.
Most returning students have learned (through the Ethical Literacy Training the freshmen will receive soon) that a person does not have to be a good person — an ethical person — in order to value achievement. Although this may be true, Bapst chooses to keep this word as a part of its philosophy. It is there to remind us we’re here to learn and to feed our passions and aspirations with the many opportunities Bapst provides us with. John Bapst is a great school with teachers who care about their students and what they’re teaching. To me, not taking advantage of what our school has to offer seems silly.
The third and last word on the school motto is respect. In the student handbook it states:
The respect we agree to show one another brings about the cooperative spirit necessary for successful education. Our relations with one another are founded on the trust that comes when we assume good will and good intentions.
I hope you take these three words and keep them in mind throughout your time here as a student. John Bapst hopes to mold and shape us into individuals who value integrity, achievement, and respect.
On another note, I’d like to give some advice to each of you as we begin a new school year. To the freshmen: Get involved! There is not better time than now. Join a club or a sports team. I know there are some of you who believe you need to “get settled” before you begin committing to anything other than school, but a huge part of getting “settled in” is getting involved, meeting new people, and being exposed to great opportunities. To the sophomores: Keep trying new things, keep meeting new people, and don’t forget to help out the freshmen, they might need your help. To the juniors: Don’t get too stressed. It is a hard year, but you’ll get through it. Try to have some fun! To the seniors: Well, I haven’t been a senior yet, so I probably am not the best person to give advice. But, I would tell myself to make sure I have fun, relax, and enjoy my last year in high school.
I wish you all the best of luck. I’m really excited about this year, and I can’t wait to get to know all of you better. Thank you.