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Welcome Address, Anna Yost Class of 2021

Good morning students, parents, faculty, friends, and graduates. I would like to welcome you all to the graduation of the class of 2021 from Mount Royal Academy. 

Some of us have attended this school for nearly our whole lives up until this point, while others have arrived later in life from other backgrounds and places. No matter when or from where we came, we can all agree that Mount Royal Academy has left a lasting impact on our lives. The most notable characteristic of this school is, of course, that it is a catholic liberal arts school. It has nour...

What were our goals going into this school year?

1. Increase individual student support mechanisms by adding faculty members and expanding our repertoire of creative and effective ways to inclusively support all learners in our classrooms via the Barton program, NHS tutors, targeted curricular implements, and more. 

2. Implement the recently board adopted graduation requirements that align with mission-driven goals and increase course rigor. This includes requiring an additional credit of humanities-based electives.

3. Finalize our revision and realizatio...

“Lord, it is good for us to be here..” -  Matthew 17:4

If my memory serves me correctly, I ended my first newsletter message of the year, way back in September, with this quote, “Lord it is good for us to be here..” Now, eight  months later, I can enthusiastically agree with my earlier assertion.  It has been so good for us to be here, in school, in person for the entire school year.  God has been gracious, indeed.

Real learning has happened here.  Minds have expanded, thought processes have been refined, skills have been strengthened, knowledge has been gained.  More importantly, ...

“I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life…
Even if I do bear witness to myself, my testimony is true,
for I know where I have come from and where I am going…” - John 8:12-13

We made it to May! Sometimes I honestly find it challenging to consider how much do I disclose and how much do I not disclose.

Ever since the questions were shoved in front of us last spring, questions that seemed so bizarre because our humanity was jeopardized, I struggled mightily inside myself. I thought, “How are we going to pull this ...

“When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours.  More than performing works of mercy,
we are paying a debt of justice.” - Pope St. Gregory the Great

One concept I found myself repeatedly explaining to my children over the years, and later to my students, was the idea of justice.  Every parent of more than one child has heard the cry, “It’s not fair!” Children are very sensitive to the concept of justice, or maybe it is injustice they are so attuned to.  It seemed to come as a shock to them when I informed them that fairness, or justice does not mean e...

I often think to myself when considering the gravity and circumstances of a particular issue or decision, the truth that makes the most sense often requires the least amount of convincing. This corroborates with the nature of truth - the knowledge that does not require human ascent because it stands on its own. We don’t have to believe it, but that doesn’t make it any less untrue. It is true independent of what we perceive, feel, or conjecture based on our own assumptions. The more one has to argue for a position, the more likely it may not be based on common sense. 

I also think that we all ...

“And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” - Luke 2:33-35
 

Forgive me as I may be a little biased just coming off completing the 33 day consecration to St. Joseph, but I think given that we are in the Year of St. Joseph, it is worth reflecting on the role of St. Joseph in the Paschal Mystery. It would b...

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” - Matthew 16:15-16

One of the things I love the most about Mount Royal Academy is the strength of its Catholic identity. I do not believe that a stranger visiting campus for the first time could mistake who we are or what we are about. From the icons above the doors of each classroom, the crucifixes on the walls, the rosaries prayed as students stroll through campus with their teachers, Masses said, intentions offered, to the very presence of Jesus himself in ...

Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it. - Mark 8:34, 35

Our experiences often elicit a recall of words associated with those experiences. 

Words mean what they signify. That is why we often say to children, “be careful what words you use.” Even adults have to be mindful of what words we use. Sometimes words can hurt more than actions, because they can tear at the insides - the soul - of a person. 

Language is what makes ...