To me, what makes Bellarmine special is that it teaches its students to pursue greatness while at the same time cultivating goodness in ourselves … Bellarmine has instilled in us that on our path to becoming great people, we need to be good people first and foremost.
… on behalf of the class of 2022 I want to express our sincere appreciation for all that our teachers have done for us. Online learning was not easy for us students, but it was definitely harder for teachers … the teachers stuck with us through thick and thin, spent hours adapting their lesson plans to online learning and a new creative schedule, and for that we will forever be grateful.
Reflecting on these past four years, I think it’s fair to say that this senior class has achieved some pretty great and remarkable things. This year alone, our athletics department became WCAL champions in sports like cross country, track and field, swimming, and tennis … Our speech and debate team won the state tournament for the first time since 2014. And our robotics team reclaimed their throne as the world champions in both VEX and FRC. Looking at all of these achievements, it might appear to an outside observer that our class has, in many respects, accomplished it all. But that’s only half of the picture.
To me, what makes Bellarmine special is that it teaches its students to pursue greatness while at the same time cultivating goodness in ourselves. It’s easy to get blinded by the shiny trophies, the recognition, the public praise, and lose sight of our values and original intentions. Bellarmine has instilled in us that on our path to becoming great people, we need to be good people first and foremost … Instead, goodness means staying honest, offering a helping hand, and living a life as people for and with others. Because greatness lies in the esteem that others give you, but goodness is how we behave when no one else is watching. Greatness lies without, but goodness lies within …. As I look out on this group today, I see a future full of good people. Good people who will do great things like discovering the cure for cancer or helping to solve climate change.
It’s not important which one of us does these things, but what is important is that, as Bellarmine graduates, we continue to seek greatness while maintaining our goodness of character. Our desire to live a life in service and fellowship. Our kindness and compassion. Our integrity.
~ John Xu
Valedictorian, Class of 2022