Looking back on your time at Blair Academy, what is it that you want to remember? Will it be the friends and connections you made along the way? Perhaps it is the achievements that dotted your time in the classrooms of Clinton and Bogle that will stand out. Will you look back at the mistakes you made as lessons learned? If you ask a Blair alum, it will probably be a unique blend of all of it wrapped up in memories you cherish.

The Senior Speech Contest prompt asked members of the Class of 2026 to reflect on these facets of their time here and share how they have grown through one of the four interconnected habits of mind: empathy, creativity, confidence and self-awareness. One by one, 13 soon-to-be graduates took to the stage, sharing personal trials and tribulations they’ve endured at the School and how they have become all the better for it, paving the way for the person they are today.

“This year's contest highlighted our seniors’ profound capacity for self-awareness as they shared pivotal life moments that shaped their core values,” celebrity judge and Associate Dean of Students Rod Gerdsen shared. “Their speeches gave our community a powerful glimpse into the deep character and maturity defining the graduating Class of 2026.” While the speakers dissected moments in the classroom that changed their outlook on life, connections they made with faculty and friends, and even the appreciation they found for dining hall food, they shared pieces of themselves with the audience gathered in DuBois Theatre to take with them long after their graduation next week. 

In the end, Liam Green ’26 claimed third prize and Luke Antoneck ’26 was awarded second. It was Jimmy Gibbons ’26 who won over the judges and the community with his letter to his 8-year-old self, outlining the major life lessons he has learned over the last 10 years: Never let another’s actions dictate your own, show up for yourself and appreciate the joys in your life while you have them. “These lessons are important,” he begins his letter’s conclusion. “And while I can’t tell you the reasons you had to learn them were happy, I can tell you that you will be fortunate to have understood them. I hope you will be present and in the moment when they occur.”

Jimmy’s words will undoubtedly ring true to seniors over the next week as they soak up their last bit of life at Blair through next week’s Commencement ceremony.