Address to the Graduating Class of 2024

An astonishing thing happened to me last year.

I left school in 1981. A year before that, my parents had relocated, so that ‘home’ was far from my friends. There was no social media in those days, and though we sustained a hard copy correspondence for a while, I soon lost touch completely with my classmates.

Scroll forwards to 2023, and out of the blue I received an email from an old schoolfriend who – after 42 years – wanted to start a group chat involving 5 old classmates. Since then, every second Monday at 9 pm for a free 40 minutes on Zoom, we now meet together.

We last met in person aged 18. Now we are all over 60. And the incredible thing is, they all seem pretty much the same and wholly identifiable as the people I knew back then. A bit fatter and balder perhaps, but recognisably the same.

This won’t happen to you because you now have the means to be in contact all the time, wherever you are around the globe. But I can’t tell you how nice it is to be back in touch with the people I shared my schooldays with. You will always have this special relationship with your classmates.

This is my ninth year as Principal at the BSM. I have therefore had the pleasure of knowing many of you since Year 5 in Primary School, when you would recite ‘Good morning, good morning, good morning to you…’ as you lined up in the courtyard.

Underneath the pouting selfies, stress balls and designer water-bottles of your generation, you are not so different from the many young adults I have known.

Except there is a kind of heroism in the good humour, camaraderie and intelligence that you have managed to exhibit despite the unique challenges of the last few years.

Academically you are the best year group we’ve had for some time. Statistically it’s possible to measure that. What you can’t measure is what a wonderful bunch of people you are. You’ve been amazing. A real credit to the school, to your families, and to your generation. You have led your fellow students and given younger year groups a great example to follow.

Congratulations, then, on getting to the end of your school career. 

Every year, I consider what to say to the Leaving Class. I know I'm supposed to say something wise.

But one of the oddnesses about giving advice to young people is that generations tend to value different things.

The young concern themselves with adventure and success. In middle age, the concern turns to a search for meaning and purpose. Meanwhile the old just concentrate on trying to survive.

So whatever wisdom I try to impart, at this age you’re more likely to be interested in watching a monkey ride a pig backwards on YouTube.

Still, each year I find myself wanting to say similar things because it is what I believe.

So here are the 10 things, drastically distilled, that I want to say:

ONE. To find happiness is the most important thing.

TWO. Love and work are the things most likely to make you happy, but...

THREE. As all advertising agencies know, people always want more; so our happiness will tend to fall short. Sadly, mild unhappiness is the normative condition of human life.

FOUR. If life were simple, word would have gotten round by now. The truth is, life can be messy and complex, and sometimes the best you can do is just to muddle through.

FIVE. Life is often unfair, so rather than wait for justice to arrive, you need to Make. It. Happen.

SIX. All things pass – but – there are plenty of wonderful consolations to make life worthwhile, for example Pears Soap, the use of the cowbell on Santana’s Oye Como Va, the ginkgo tree in Kew Gardens, the Madison Dance, the poems of Frank O’Hara...

SEVEN. Try to participate in life, to help shape it and make it better - even in small ways - both for yourself and for those around you. Happiness is a side effect of being actively engaged in the business of living.

EIGHT. People are vastly more interesting than ideas.

NINE. The saddest things often prove the most beautiful, and finally...

TEN. Last but not least - try to be kind. And don’t confuse kindness with weakness. It is the greatest gift you can give.

What else can I say? Never harbour grudges, ignore the weather forecast, don’t stick things in your ears, don’t worry about making mistakes because mistakes can be worthwhile - and don’t forget to laugh at yourself.

When I look at you, I see a fantastic bunch of young adults. You give us all great hope for the future.

“Surely”, wrote Freya Stark, “of all the wonders of the world, the horizon is the greatest.”

It’s intriguing to think that in 10 Years, some of you may be married. Some of you may already have children. Imagine – a new generation of BSM students in the making!

In the meantime, on your behalf, I’d like to thank the amazing Sixth Form team, led by Mr Massey, alongside Miss Coleman and Miss Lopez-Martin, for so expertly overseeing your academic and personal progress.

A big thank you to your tutors, your teachers, and thanks, too, to your parents. You are here this evening – in every sense – because of them. You owe them a lot. One day you will realise that.

So. Class of 2024, we salute you. It’s been a pleasure knowing you. Now it’s time to re-set the compass.

Wherever chance scatters you, there will always be a little bit of the school inside you. Once a Sir Jameser, always a Sir Jameser. Please keep in touch. 

I wish you every success and happiness, and all possible good luck!

Chris Greenhalgh
Principal & CEO