I am Jack Capizzi, a senior at Montgomery Bell Academy. As I look out at today’s
crowd, I realize that I have a lot in common with many of you, and, with some of you,
our interests are different. When my parents first asked me if I would like to look at
MBA, I was nervous. I did not share the same level of enthusiasm that many of my
current classmates had when they applied. I was afraid of leaving a school with all of my
friends, a school where kids never left and often remained from Kindergarten to Senior
Year. I did not want to leave the school that I knew or, better put, the school that knew
me. Whether this is your first time on MBA’s campus or your family has attended MBA
from generation to generation, I hope to give you a few glimpses of what makes this
place so caring, distinctive, and compelling.
encouragement of MBA—a plan that would allow me to hide from my fear of change. I
would shadow a 7 th grader for a day and then let my parents down easy, saying that I
had given the school a chance but it really wasn’t for me. It is fair to say my plan failed
miserably. On the drive to tour MBA, my preconceived notions of the school led me to
think that it was a place made up of khaki pants and polo shirts, a place where the
students were identified by whatever sport they were involved in. I now realize how
naïve a 6th grade boy can be.
What stood out to me on that day in November of 2011 was a sense of community
like no other one I had ever experienced. Behind every polo shirt or pair of khaki’s was
a boy not unlike myself—complete with unique interests, passions, talents, and
insecurities. I can think of no safer, supportive, or encouraging place in which a boy has
the opportunity to explore his interests, face his fears, and expand his knowledge than
here at MBA.
When asked to speak today, I wrote down a list of talking points to cover: the
distinguished alumni of athletes, artists, politicians and entrepreneurs—the opportunities
MBA has such as the Wilson grants or Warner Exchange—and of course our facilities,
everything from our dining hall to our observatory at Long Mountain. But to focus on any
one of these would be doing you all somewhat of an injustice. It is MBA’s community of
faculty and students committed to the same goal of pursuing academic excellence,
personal growth, and support of one another that make this school unique, that make no
day on the Hill the same.
The student body is made up of a variety of talents, interests, personalities and
perspectives. The lines are blurred between academics, sports, arts, and forensics,
allowing any student to pursue seemingly diverse interests with ease. In my brief time at
MBA, I have served on the student council alongside members of the lacrosse team,
seen artists join debate, heard football players recite their own poetry for the creative
writing club, and watched from the wings of the theater as runners on the cross-country
team performed lead roles in a play. With the support of faculty members and their
fellow classmates, students can pursue different academic and extracurricular interests
with ease.
In ninth grade, I joined the debate team. My debate partner and I enjoyed success
and, for a time, I thought I had found my place here on the hill. As the year progressed,
however, I realized that my interests spread beyond the debate podium. I did not want
to quit the activity; however I knew that my interests incorporated a creativity and
expression that was left unsatisfied by debate. Confused on what to do, I sent my Latin
teacher a brief email explaining my dilemma and, within an hour, I was sitting in his
office talking about my plans for sophomore year. Instead of continuing to debate, I
would join the Mock Trial team and try out for each of the year’s four plays. Without this
one teacher’s empathy of my position and determination to help me, I never would have
discovered the activities that have since defined my contribution to MBA.
The first day of Mock Trial practice my sophomore year, I saw that I was on a team
of debaters, runners, newspaper editors, and actors. We all came together for a similar
passion that transcended our seemingly inconsistent backgrounds. It was at that
moment that I first glimpsed the web of activities and involvements that strings each
student to one another, forming the bond of brotherhood. It is with the support of such a
web that I can be myself at MBA and my friends can too.
I would like to leave you all with an image. It is not uncommon for me to attend a
football game with some of my best friends. I have already mentioned my role in Mock
Trial and Theater, however, when I am at these games I am cheering for our team
beside friends that are members of the Honor Council, baseball players, and heads of
Model UN. On the football field, the starting Center is a lead editor for the school
newspaper and the quarterback is the Student Body president. My classmates on the
field display a commitment to their team that mirrors their willingness to help one
another on a math problem or in studying for an exam.
This brings me to my final point. No two students at MBA are the same. Through our
different interests, passions, and personalities, we are able to create an impenetrable
bond that links each of us together. I urge you all to recognize that you too, are like no
other student that has walked up the front steps of MBA for his first day of school. If you
are willing to accept the challenge MBA provides, you will become part of MBA’s
community. If you are willing to accept the challenge that MBA provides, the school will
return you with the opportunities, relationships, and experiences necessary to stimulate
your mind and further your development in becoming both a gentleman and a scholar.
Thank you.