Read the full text of Kelly O'Mara's ('08) Welcome Address given during Commencement on May 17:
Good morning. It is my honor to welcome Mr. Whitworth, Dr. Carleton, Mr. Moss, Mr. Van Es, Mr. Stegall, the faculty and administration, family and friends, and of course, the Class of 2008, to Darlington’s 103rd Commencement.
Seniors, we did it! Those of us who have been here for one year, all the way up to 14, I know that you will all agree with me when I say that we have spent our whole Darlington careers looking forward to this event in our lives, counting down the years, days, even hours until graduation. But I have to say, now that the big day is finally here, although I am filled with joy with the prospect of starting something new and exciting, it is a bittersweet moment when I think of leaving those who have had the biggest impact on my life thus far, especially my fellow members of the Class of 2008.
Our class has always been unique, not only because of the amazing individuals that sit before me and their numerous academic, athletic, and artistic achievements, but also because of the experiences that we have shared - both good and bad - through the years, and the impact that we have had on each other and in turn on those around us. To begin to allow everyone to understand just how unique our class really is and how many memories we share, I must say this. We have about 20 individuals who are fondly known as “Dar Babies,” or seniors who have been at Darlington for at least 13 years. It is amazing to think of how much everyone in this wonderful group of people has grown since the easy days of the Lower School, when our biggest concern was whether to use our 25 cents to purchase a “Nutty Buddy” or an ice cream sandwich at lunch. And who could forget those special moments in our lives that we used to look forward to for months, even years, such as performing the “Witches Brew” during the Boo Revue each Halloween or the long-awaited fifth-grade retreat to Camp Laney? Everyone who spent any time at the Lower School was exposed to Darlington’s strong sense of community early on, which only grew as we moved on to the Middle School.
This was not only a change of location, but also an introduction to new people, coming from other schools in the Rome area, as well as new teachers. With the binding comforts of the Lower School behind us, we were able to branch out and truly establish ourselves as a class for the first time. Middle School was filled with memories that we can never forget, from Coach Atha’s sixth-grade World Cultures class when we got to decorate his shaved head with markers, to eighth grade, when the boys and girls finally had P.E. together. I still believe that those three years most changed the individuals of our class, the pre-adolescent mentality getting the best of everyone and forcing a sense of continuous awkwardness experienced by all. Those years were not only a period of growth, but also acted as a sneak peek into the mystical world of the Upper School. For the first time for most of us, we were close enough to those big Upper Schoolers to truly interact with that more advanced life form, taking notes on the cool ways to act and dress, or at least doing our best to mimic whatever new trend was gracing the Upper School hallways on a weekly basis.
Because of this everyday interaction, the transition from Middle to Upper School was much smoother than that of Lower to Middle. The only thing that truly felt like a huge change? Dorm students. They came from everywhere, from as close as Atlanta all the way to Hong Kong, and we “Dar Babies” and those who had joined us through the years, were fascinated. These were new faces that we knew nothing about, and better yet, they knew nothing about us and had no pre-conceived notions of our personalities. From the first day of freshman year, driving past those all too familiar Middle School gates, only to have our moms, dads, brothers, or sisters drop us off at the Upper School - a moment that some of us looked forward to for years - and going to the first class of the day, we were excited to see the new classmates who would hopefully be with us four years down the road. Upper School was another great period of growth for this class, a time when new friendships were made along with amazing new memories.
With tragedy during our freshman year, our class was forced to grow at an even more prolific rate, allowing a new feeling of dependability to surface, a dependability that is still intact between the members of the Class of 2008 today. We learned how to hold each other up with the passing of our beloved classmates, Sean Wilkinson and Clay McKemie, and as the years have gone by, we have learned to cherish their memory everyday, simply by sharing some funny, loving thing that those two amazing boys did in their short lifetimes. They impacted everyone they knew, Sean with his infectious positive attitude, and Clay with his enduring loyalty to his friends. Since freshman year, we have grown in so many ways, and now, as seniors getting ready to become alumni of Darlington School, we are filled with a familiar sense of excitement to meet new people and move on to new places and, for many of us, to truly venture beyond these familiar gates for the very first time.
Through out our years as Darlington students, we have always been aware of how well our school was preparing us academically to succeed in college and beyond. I believe that the one thing we were not prepared for is to leave Darlington behind, especially the amazing people who make up this close community. You may ask, "How does one prepare for such a huge move, leaving the familiar behind and creating new memories with a totally new set of people?" Class of 2008, I believe the way to do this is to view your unique experience as a Darlington student in this way: you are the people who prepared each other to move forward. Just by being a presence in someone’s life, you have made an impact. As individuals, each person in the Class of 2008 has accomplished something truly spectacular. We have all caused a change in the people around us. Although some of these changes may be more apparent than others, no matter how subtle, do not think for a minute that each of you did not accomplish something wonderful in all your years at Darlington. You are the people who make leaving this place so difficult. From the teachers who inspired us and befriended us through the years, to the ever-present encouragement of our families and friends, everyone who touched the lives of a member of the Class of 2008 has made a huge difference. Keep these memories of the people who have impacted you in your time at Darlington close to you always; these memories are what make all the difference.
I would like to close with a quote from Jane Austin’s novel, "Mansfield Park."
If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimees so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient; at others, so bewildered and so weak; and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond control! We are, to be sure, a miracle every way; but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting do seem peculiarly past finding out.
I encourage you all to take the memories of your time at Darlington School and view them in a light of happiness. You are in charge of how you see your time here. Always remember the impact you had on others, and in turn, how those around you right now have impacted your life. I wish you all success and happiness in your lives. I know that we are all capable of achieving both. Thank you.
Kelly O'Mara
