Graduation Speakers

Hadley Newton ’12 and Nolan Doyle ’12 will be speaking at commencement as student-elected representatives of the senior class on May 27th. They will speak to Deerfield students and parents with a general reflection on their Deerfield career, and hopefully offer advice for younger students.

Though the speakers are still uncertain about what the content of their speeches will be, Newton said, “I’ve gone through some of the speeches from previous years, but I’m mostly mulling it over right now.”

“I will be steering clear of generalizations and overdone things, like the Rock and the river. It’s just going to be a surprise.” she continued.

“I’ve been working with Philosophy teacher Michael O’Donnell on mine, and I’m really excited to be presenting the finished product very soon. There’s a lot of pressure to relate to a lot of different Deerfield experiences, but I hope it will do just that,” said Doyle.

On the other hand, a self-reflection may not correlate with others’ thoughts.

“You can’t really please everybody.” said Newton.

When thinking of their Deerfield experiences coming to a close, seniors taste a bittersweet nostalgia.

“It’s weird to think that, after all we’ve heard about senior spring, this is it,” reflected Doyle.

“Has Deerfield changed me? I don’t know. So far, these four years have been the best. I guess I’m excited to be speaking, but it feels like everyone else is more nervous about my speech than I am.” continued Doyle.

Newton added, “Senior spring is overwhelming. You’re trying to hold on to something even as you’re experiencing it-which is hard.”