portsmouth abbey news
A Raven Reflects: On Cherishing shared memories and community
At Portsmouth Abbey School’s 96th Commencement ceremony on May 24, student-elected speakers Miles Ventura '26 and Kasey Bernat '26 delivered heartfelt speeches reflecting on friendship, faith, resilience and the lasting impact of the community formed within the Class of 2026. Their addresses balanced humor and nostalgia with thoughtful reflections on how quickly time passes and what memories endure long after graduation. Below are their addresses.
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Kasey Bernat '26 urges her classmates to "redeem" the time. Kasey's Speech: Hi everyone! I wanted to thank you all for being here today, and I wanted to especially thank my classmates for allowing me the opportunity to represent us. Almost 100 days ago the entire senior class gathered in the student center to celebrate our nearing towards this exact day, time has truly flown by. During this, Dr. Zins delivered a speech where he talked about the concept of redemption, saying this: “Humans aren’t defined by efficiency or status. If you can REDEEM your human time, you can change the world, even if you only change yourself.” As Jay would say, “wow”...that’s really deep, and in all honesty, this quote flew right over my head when I first heard it. Though, as I thought about it more, I slowly started to realize that Dr. Zins was not just showing off his profundity, but it seems as if he was also warning us. To me, his message exposed the delicacy of time, how quick a moment can vanish, impossible to ever get back, unless you're Michael G. who re-appeared like time never changed at all. Soon enough, this will be just another “remember when” story. Do you remember freshman year when we would stay in Tuck for hours, camping out every Saturday to play pool, watch movies together, and listen to horrible karaoke. Well, now it will be, “do you remember our last Tuck dance, the one where we all left drenched in sweat, along with the realization that karaoke is still, and will probably never be our thing, or more so Haydn and Joey’s thing. It will soon be, remember our slip and slides, playing manhunt during power outages, the most insane snow storm we’ve ever seen, our days at the bay, and those late nights in the dorms that were filled with laughing and screaming, met with the houseparent knocking on the door, sending the noise into silence. Remember when you made those small memories with your friends, the ones that you will never forget, unaware that they would slip through your fingers just as fast as they’ve disappeared into the past. Time can sometimes feel like theft, stealing the joy of the present moment, serving as a brutal reminder that it’s impossible to make anything last. I wish I could make my time here last longer, and I think I can say the same for a vast majority of you, definitely not all of you, but most of you. But our time here passed by quietly, without us really noticing, too bad we didn’t catch it. But I want to tell you, redeem your time now, the little that we have left, we still have this moment to enjoy. But seriously, if there’s anything the Abbey has taught me, it would be to hold, and I mean hold tightly, onto fleeting seconds, onto outstretched hands, and onto each other. We have all had those times where we felt like we were falling behind, beaten down by mental battles, insecurities, and the weight of grief. But I promise you to trust me when I say that when you feel like you are falling, fall forward. Fall into the open arms of your friends who will always be there to catch you, who have shown you compassion even when they might not have had any for themselves, and this instinctual selflessness is what brings our meaning of family to life, it’s what has made you all stronger, whether you’ve realized it or not. It may seem like you're one amongst the many, hidden within the crowd, but the honest truth is that I have been inspired by all 90 of you sitting here right now. I must admit, my favorite part over the past four years has not only been watching us grow, in of course knowledge and grace, but also the small things that shape us all into the community that we are. It’s like when Brigid Dowd took a chance on herself, having no expectations to join the play. She has said that it terrified her, yet she did it anyway, and not only did she do it, but she acted as the lead role But it is not just these highlights that reveal the character of our class, as I can confidently say that all of you have made an important contribution to the Abbey. You have served as multi-sport athletes, hardworking students, prefects, mentors, and, most importantly, you have I am proud of you all for putting your best foot forward every day, despite sometimes feeling homesick, exhausted, or emotionally drained. You have shown up for fellow teammates when they felt like they were not good enough, you have shown up for the younger students who are still trying to navigate through the Abbey, and you have shown up for faculty when they needed you most. However, you have also shown up, in times of distress and in times of happiness for yourself. All of you possess a drive that can not be taken away nor replicated, you are ambitious and determined, refusing to allow yourself to just meet the expectations, but rather break right through them. Setting athletic goals and records that motivate us to perform at a higher level, striving to be vocal and attentive in the classroom, and trying to be a better person overall because you simply know that you can be. It is already hard for one to recognize their own potential in itself, but it is another thing to challenge your own boundaries and discover how far you can actually go, because you are going to go far. (and I do say that in reference to Noah Kahn). So, are you surprised? When you first came to the Abbey, did you ever think that you would evolve into the person sitting in your chair now. Jay, when you came last year, did you ever expect to step up and lead our school as headboy, alongside Tilly? Andrew, would freshman year you believe that you are soon to attend the Coast Guard Academy? Keynan, did you always know that you were going to do amazing things with track and field? And to all of the girls, who have more coffee in their body than blood, Evie, and have dedicated their nights to studying, did you ever think that everything would actually be okay? No. We didn’t know any of these things, nor was there a way to predict these outcomes even if we tried. You have put in the physical and mental work, and you have done so while thoughtfully investing in deep-rooted bonds that will be with you forever. You have done your job, and you’ve done it well. Be proud, it wasn’t easy. It’s the ways in which you’ve presented yourselves, and I don’t just mean through appearance and clothing, yet I can not dismiss the subtle significance of dresscode. We come to class in the same clothes, different colors. We have all been through the francescas dresses and doc martins era. And for the boys, most of you have had those moments when you need to quickly change into your friend’s blazer that is two sizes too small, sleeves up to the elbows and pants up at the shins. Hey, it happens. Despite our uniformity, we still manage to express our cultures and personalities. Even some of you are wearing your country's flag on bracelets, I find great beauty in that. It is not easy to leave your home and your people behind, traveling great-distances to come here. You have taken a courageous leap, with nothing but a few suitcases and the wish of being welcomed. I hope that you found stability, a place to quiet your mind when life gets too loud. I hope you have found a steady support system, one that has covered you with the comforts of guidance and relief. I hope you have found a home away from home, a second family who will be close by your side no matter the distance or time. I feel lucky to have seen different parts of the world through you, sharing special traditions, dishes, music and your stories with us. It is an honor to have crossed paths with you all, if it wasn’t for the Abbey we would not have met otherwise. I hope you have the feeling like you belong here because you do, you deserve the spot in your seat. You have given up a great deal for your success, it was difficult but in the end, you put yourself first, and that is something we all owe to ourselves. I hope that you believe it was worth it because seeing you all here today proves to me that it has been. Our lives have been intertwined by chance, and now our friendships will keep us connected. Some of you have known each other since childhood. You may have lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same middle or even elementary school. These people have been the ones who have witnessed every single version of you, the good and the ugly. It’s not easy to always be a constant in someone else’s life, we change and grow every day, yet we have those people who have never left even through those transitional times. I may not have grown up with any of you, and that might be the case for a majority of us, but I think that’s what makes it even more special. A lot of us did not know each other early on in life, and we might have even just met this year, yet I don’t think we could have come into each other’s lives at a more perfect time. We did not have to know one another since childhood to be considered family, we did not have to know one another’s past, but the truth is that none of that matters. In the end, it is how you are accepted in your present form, and for those of you who have come across the world to go to the Abbey, yes, I am interested in your stories, tell me about your experiences. You may have deeply buried secrets, pieces of your past that you don’t want to define you. Well guess what, at the Abbey they don’t, and we as a group have made sure of that. Who you are is who you are right now. We have ultimately chosen the version of you that you choose to be now, and we will always accept and understand the version that is soon to come, because that is what we do best. And for that I applaud us as a class, I applaud you, that’s a skill that’s not easy to come by. I am so beyond proud of you all and I mean it. Though, I must also congratulate all of the parents and family who have come here today to celebrate these amazing students, this is also your moment just as much as it is for us. You all have sacrificed more than we could ever know and trust me, it does not go unnoticed. You have always dedicated your lives for the future of our own, so be proud of yourselves too, you did this. From all of us to all of you, thank you. Thank you mom and dad for selflessly devoting yourselves to me always. Thank you to the St. Mary’s prefect group and all of the girls in the dorm, all 38 of you have truly become my little sisters, I’ll miss you guys. And to all of the seniors, thank you for these past four years, it’s been crazy at times, but it’s also been nothing short of life-changing. I can whole-heartedly say that I now know what love, and friendship, and family, and home is because I know you. I hope when you leave the Abbey you feel like you’ve found a place and people to settle a piece of your heart with, I know you will always be in mine. Thank you.
Miles Ventura '26 reflects on the idea of "My 5%." Miles' Speech: To help young men and women grow in knowledge and grace; a phrase we’ve all heard on repeat since stepping foot on campus, but what does that actually mean? Well, over my two years here at the Abbey, I’ve grown a whole lot of knowledge. I’ve taken English with Ms. P and read authors like Kingsolver and Adichie. I’ve taken calculus with Mr. Moffie and learned formulas like the FTC and the chain rule. And I’ve taken two years of Chinese with Dr. Qu and can now read and write some basic Mandarin. And though I’ve had the opportunity to be taught by such amazing teachers in the classroom, the most important lessons I’ve learned here come from talks with teachers outside of them. A reason why being a part of A-Town is so much better than having to live in Leo’s is because of our houseparents: Mr. Pittman, Mr. Sprague, Mr. St. Thomas, and Mr. Benestad. It is in the countless interactions with them where I’ve learned more about life than what simply being present in a classroom can teach you. About a month or two ago, I was hanging out in the common room right after classes, too lazy to walk upstairs to my room. To give you a little more context, it was a Thursday, and it just so happened that every Thursday this year, I ended my day with econ and stats back to back, both of which Mr. Benestad teaches. Now, as much as I love and respect him, hearing him talk for two hours straight is definitely a challenge; and if you think I’m kidding, go ask his sister, Ms. Benestad, and I’m sure she’ll back me. A group of us seniors were talking about how little time we had left before today, commencement, when Mr. Benestad walked in. Apparently thinking he hadn’t lectured enough in class, he walked over and joined in on the conversation. He went on a little bit about what memories he had of high school and his senior spring, but then he said something that caught my ear; something that is now– post AP exams– more important to me than anything he’s ever taught me in Room 14. He said: “You guys have lived through millions of different moments in your time here, Shortly after, he went into his apartment and I went up to my room, and then I kind of just sat there in my chair for a while. I took this idea of “my 5%,” and I started to think about what it might look like one day: Drake’s homecoming proposal to Lev’s during assembly, a completely original piece. Jack Smith, or should I say Adolfo, in the winter musical. Directly after that in the student center, when the entire girls varsity soccer team couldn’t stop laughing at the picture of Dr. Zins’ student id from his freshman year of high school that he willingly chose to project in front of our entire class. Of course, there’s all the nicknames Liam Daly came up with for Liam Fitzgerald, like Fitzy, Pitzer-Yuh, Shredder, Cisco, and The Best. You know, Daly, I feel like I’m missing one? “Chicken Head” Bang, that’s it. Speaking of you Daly, I can’t forget the lax bros starting fashion trends around campus with the hats, sunglasses and jorts. Thanks to that, I will never be able to look at Jay and not envision him with his stupid orange hat on. Study halls spent joking around with Mr. Sprague, the A-Town prefects, and Haydn, who wishes he was in A-Town. And of course, the blizzard, where if I wasn’t trooping through the snow to get my hands on three plates of Father Benedict’s curry, I was watching a Marvel movie with Alex, Kasey, Jessy, Jenny, Georgia, Chloe, the Chileans, and my brother, Andrew Foley. Letting go of all other concerns, I sat in my chair thinking to myself: “These laughs, these faces, these moments of pure joy, these are the memories that will one day make up my 5%.” The A-Town Lectio group will be a part of that too; Colin, Tomlin, Bosco, Chambo, Max, Tomas, Borja, Jaiver, and all the underclassmen. These weekly meetups are, in many ways, the reason why my faith in Jesus Christ is what it is today; they are my growth in grace. In one of our first meetings this year, Tomlin shared a reading with us that I would now like to share with each of you. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 says: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 We as a class have had countless good times, but like anyone else, we’ve had our bad ones too. For many of us here today, that empty chair, assigned to Mick O’Hara, brings back many memories, both full of joy, and full of sorrow. But if there is one thing we can learn from our friend, teammate, classmate, and brother in Christ, it is that there is never a time to waste time. Every second in your life has value. Some moments will feel more important than others, like right now: seated in alphabetical order with your blue blazer or white dress on, trying your very best to deny the fear you have of finding out what comes next after crossing this stage. The only reason I know what you feel, is because I feel it too. It’s real. It’s scary. But it’s good. It’s a feeling that reminds you how to take advantage of all your moments, like we as a class have done all week long. It’s a feeling that reminds you to never waste any time, for time wasted is far worse than no time at all. Feel that fear and learn from it. The reason I wish to speak to each of you here today is to not only reflect on the memories we are leaving behind, but also to remind you of what we must do as we take this leap of faith into our futures. You must always work hard to achieve your goals, no matter how scary or impossible they may seem. And as crazy as our collective senioritis makes it sound, you must gain the strength to try in school again; Grayson, I’m talking to you. But above all else, you must always remember that one day, all you will have left in life is your 5%, and its content will be determined by your decision to either take advantage of the many moments God will provide you with, or to simply waste them all away. Choose wisely, for your 5% depends on it. With that said, I’d like to congratulate each and every one of you and wish you Godspeed with whatever your future has in store. Thank you. |
