Closing Day Address by the Head Prefect – The Salt Spring Sage

11 June 2022Jacob Hart, Head Prefect, Privett ‘23

Now I know why you’re all here, and I know what you’re all dying to find out – did I take the job? Actually I’m just realizing there may be a few of you who don’t know what I’m talking about. Alright, a bit of context,

For those of you who don’t know, two weeks ago, Mr. Patel approached me and offered me the role of Head of School. Now naturally, my initial reaction was, “Mr Patel, are you telling me you’re stepping down from your position as Head? To which he replied “Jacob, you know I really wasn’t planning on it. That is, however, until I met you. You are the living embodiment of the word ‘leader’, you are responsible, you are strong, you are capable, you are incredibly good looking, but most of all, you are just so, unbelievably, humble.

And so for the last couple of weeks, I have been pondering this offer, and after much thought and consideration I have come to a final decision. Although the role would be fun, and the house on the point would be lovely, I will, unfortunately, not be taking on the role of Head of School. Now this is not saying I won’t change my mind in the future, I just think that right now, I need to spend some time exploring the world and working on myself.

Mr. Patel, I am honored by your offer, but I think you’re doing a pretty good job.

So stay in the position, until I’m ready.

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Jacob, and I have had the honor of being this year’s Head Prefect. And let me just say, what a year it has been.

I genuinely cannot express how lucky I feel to have been in this role this year. You see, being selected as Head Prefect is a huge honor any year, but being in this position this year was a very special privilege, for a few reasons.

I’m not sure if any of you know this, but the last couple of years here at Brentwood have been a bit different. I won’t go into detail, but there was a sickness going around that sort of had an effect on some of our lives and, as a result, Brentwood had to make a few minor adjustments to its daily routine.  
So in the Spring of 2020, Brentwood moved from in-person classes, to distance learning, over Zoom. Now this has had a huge impact on the entire Brentwood community, students and staff alike, but there is one student in particular that I would like to speak about for a moment.

Her name is Didi Olatunbosun. And Didi was our Head Prefect for the 2019-2020 school year, when Brentwood transitioned to online learning. Everything was from a distance. Acamedics, Athletics, Arts, and even our weekly assemblies. So, Didi had to go from speaking to the entire student body live in our beautiful Killy Theater, to speaking from her room, into a camera, which was then streamed live for the rest of the school to watch from all over the world.

Now as time went on, things got a little bit better, and in September of 2020, Brentwood returned to its in-person learning, but it was not the same. We had cohorts, we had masks, and we had Camp Brentwood. Although we were back in person, we were not able to gather in large groups. This meant no social gatherings, no sports tournaments, and no live assemblies. Which brings me to the next person I’d like to speak about for a moment.

His name is Jack Napier-Ganley and he was our Head Prefect for the 2020-2021 school year. Unlike Didi, Jack got to both start and end his year in person on the Brentwood campus, however, when Jack would stand at the podium in the theater to speak at every Assembly, he was not speaking to a crowd. Instead he was speaking to a singular camera in the back of the room, which would then be streamed and watched by students spread out all over campus in small groups.

Jack and Didi were both faced with these challenges, but they both stepped up, they adapted, and they overcame.

This year, not only did I get to be in-person on campus, but I got to speak every single week to our entire student body, in our beautiful Bunch Centre, live.

So, Jack and Didi, wherever you are, I would like to thank you for everything you did, and everything you went through. You are both inspiring figures in my life and I don’t think I would be standing up here if it wasn’t for everything you two did. So truly, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Standing up here today, in front of all of you, I feel a great amount of privilege, but with that privilege, comes pressure.

Pressure to keep you engaged, to make you laugh, or maybe cry. To make you think about things. Deep things, or maybe not so deep things, but just to make you think you know in general.

I feel pressure to somehow encapsulate my entire four years of Brentwood into this one single speech, and finally, I feel pressure to drop some serious Head Prefect knowledge.

Now I know on the outside I seem like the teenage embodiment of some ancient weathered wisdom keeper who is organized, always prepared, and remarkably knowledgeable. But the truth is, I’m not. This may be hard to believe, but in all honesty I am actually not the most organized, I’m rarely well prepared, and I’m only 18 so the little knowledge I carry with me is far from what I could consider wisdom.

That being said, I’m still standing up here, and I have your attention, so I thought I’d try and share a few small things that I’ve learned, as well as some advice for those who need it – cause why not.

So my first piece of advice.
Throughout your life.
Always, and I mean always, be yourself.

Now I’m from a little hippie-inhabited island called Salt Spring, and my childhood was everything but conventional. Most of my time was spent outdoors, running around, rarely clothed. And the little clothing I did wear was usually hand felted by my mom. And when I say little clothing, I literally mean that my go to outfit was a hat, and nothing else.

Anyways, I was a wild child.

As the years went by, I mellowed out a bit, started wearing more clothes, and slowly veered away from my crazy forest-child ways. However, I never let the wild natured part of me die. When I came to Brentwood in September of 2019, there was definitely pressure to change. People looked different here, they spoke different, they acted different – and they wore shoes. I actually remember quite clearly, in my second week here I was walking across campus barefooted and a staff member yelled from all the way across the field “You’re not on Salt Spring anymore! Get some shoes on!”

As the years went by here, I obviously made adjustments to my lifestyle and adapted in areas that were necessary, however, I can proudly say that to this day, I have always remained my true self, to my friends, to my peers, and to my teachers. And if being myself somehow got the prestigious Brentwood College School to choose me, a long haired, barefooted, wild natured, Salt Spring Island raised boy to be the chosen representative of the entire student body, I would ask all of you to trust me, and be yourselves, remain true to your roots, and be proud of where you come from, cecause life’s too short to try and fit in.

My next semi-knowledgeable piece of advice.
Take risks.

When I was in Grade 10, I kissed a boy on the lips on stage in front of the entire school. Now a bit of context, The Brentwood musical company was putting on Monty Python’s Spamalot, in which I played a character that had to kiss another character that also happened to be male. Anyways, being in Grade 10, some people knew me, but many did not, and so to a large number of students, I was known as the Grade 10 ginger kid who kissed Privett House Captain Callum Blake Currier on the lips.

My point is that as humans, we usually tend to try and find the easier or safer option when faced with decisions in life. This is because generally, our happy place is inside our comfort zone.

And there is nothing wrong with this. It’s called our comfort zone for a reason: we feel safe, and we feel secure. However, my advice would be this. Hangout in your comfort zone, but don’t live in it. Take chances and push yourself to try something new and uncomfortable. Talk to that scary person, jump off the high diving board, try public speaking, because although there is a chance you could fail horribly, one day you will be lying in bed, looking back on your life, and simply thinking, why not?

Before I share my third and final piece of averagely knowledgeable information,
I would like to take a moment to reflect on the year we’ve had. Sort of a highlight reel if you will.

So first off, show of hands, how many of you students this year were new to Brentwood. This year set a record for Brentwood, as 40% of the student population were new.

Now, show of hands who remembers Fun & Games. One of the many events that we were lucky enough to have back up and running again this year where students competed in various challenges such as Simon Says, Rock, Paper, Scissors, and the most violent and dangerous game of Musical Chairs you’ve ever seen in your life.

We had Eco-Challenge where houses swam, ran, built, and paddled their way across the finish line.

We had a real Snowball back this year where we dressed up, had a feast, and then watched a live magician in the theater.

We had the beautiful Deer Lodge, where many students went to get away from the stress of Brentwood and enjoy a relaxing all-inclusive experience of being isolated in a hotel room for a week. Thanks Covid!

We had TEDx where we learned about dancing robots, lucid dreams, and failure. As well as a wicked halftime performance by some of Brentwood’s finest musicians.

We had Airband, where we danced, lip synced, and witnessed Kai Young perform the nastiest robot dance in human history.
And finally we had the senior play production of Puffs, where we all thought Mr Interlandi was going to lose his job as a result of our Valedictorian “loosening”
his filter for one of the performances.

Although these events still feel so recent, they now live in our memories, and for some, will be the core ones that we think of when we reflect on our highschool experience.

Memories of excitement, of new experiences, of challenges, of heartbreak, of growth, and finally, memories of those who were on this journey with us. And who stuck by our sides through thick and thin.

Which brings me to my third and final piece of knowledge/advice.

Now Mr. Patel often says, ‘people are the worst’. Which can be seen as humorous, but in these recent crazy and somewhat bizarre times that the world has been going through, this statement is honestly not too far off. People can most definitely be the worst.

However, people can also be the best.

In a world so full of fear, uncertainty, and even hate, there is also kindness, compassion, and even love. And so my advice to you all is to live your life with kindness. Don’t expect the worst from people. Treat every new person you meet as an opportunity, worst comes to worst they turn out to be not so great, and you go on living your life.

But you have to take that chance, because when you do find those people who lift you up. And you will, whether that’s a friend who comforts you, someone who motivates you, or if you’re lucky enough, a significant other who you will get to share this journey of life with.

It is truly the most beautiful thing in the world. Live your life with kindness, take time to appreciate those who lift you up, and approach every new interaction as a possible opportunity.

Alright my final message to the student body.

Grade 8s, you’ve had a little taste of Brentwood, but get ready, because next year, you will officially begin your highschool career. Have fun, make friends, and seize every opportunity this place throws your way, because trust me when I say, the next four years of your life will fly like nothing.

Grade 9s, you are moving up in the world, you are no longer at the bottom. You have power, not a lot, like a very small amount, but power nonetheless. I encourage you to take full advantage of your last year of being a junior. Try new things, explore, and have fun while you still can, because soon enough Grade 11 will roll around and things will get scary.

Grade 10s, things are about to get scary, classes are going to matter next year. Not that they didn’t this year, there just going to matter more. Grade 11 is considered by many as the most important academic year of your highschool career. So stay focused, and work hard, but don’t forget to have some fun on the side. Because you’re only in highschool once. So make it count.

Grade 11s, you are about to embark on the scariest, most exciting, and best year of your highschool career. I know you will hear this a lot, but trust me when I say, Grade 12 goes by in the blink of an eye. So cherish every moment. Have fun, be smart. And take advantage of the time you have with those who you hold close in your grade, as soon enough you will have to say your goodbyes, and trust me when I say it is not easy.

And finally, my fellow Grade 12s, we made it. The final day. In just a few hours, we will no longer be highschool students. We will be real people, with real freedom, and real responsibility. I think it’s safe to say this is probably the scariest moment of our lives, but it is also the most exciting. For some of us, school is now a thing of the past, for others, we are about to dive into four, or even eight more years of school, harder school. But no matter what direction you are choosing to follow, I wish you all the best in your adventures, and I look forward to our class anniversaries where we can share beverages that won’t get us expelled.
Brentwood, thank you for trusting me with this position this year, and making my Grade 12 year easily the best one of my life. To all my teachers and coaches, thank you for being a part of my journey. You have helped shape me into the person I am today. And for that I am grateful.

Mr Rodrigues, apart from being the most attractive man I’ve ever met, you are also one of the kindest, one of the most genuine, and one of the most caring people I know. You are a true friend. And for that I thank you.

Neuf, and Wolinsky, my second parents for four years now, I can confidently say that I will never meet anyone like either of you. Ever. You are two of the most caring, brilliant, hilarious, and unique people have ever met. Thank you for everything.

Mr. Patel, thank you for taking me under your wing. For helping me navigate this crazy year, for being my mentor, and for being my friend. I will miss you. And I am grateful for everything you do.

Sam, my best friend from day one. We’ve come a long way. From chaotic, immature, awkwardly lanky Grade 9s, to, well, honestly not a lot’s changed, but now we’re Head Prefect and Valedictorian, so. We did it.

My siblings, Noah, Aliah and India, thank you for your constant support and for always lifting me up.

My beautiful parents. Honestly there are no words that would do justice to how much I appreciate everything you have ever done. Thank you for your constant love and support and thank you for being the solid grounding figures that I need in my life. I literally owe everything to you.

Hannah, Thank you for being my rock. And for sharing your beauty, your wisdom, and your love. You have changed my life forever, and for that I say thank you.

And finally, I want to thank every single one of you who has been a part of my musical journey. Your feedback, your support, and your motivation, have pushed me to be able to pursue my passion next year, and for that I am forever grateful.

Thank you Brentwood for the best four years of my life. I will miss you all. And I am forever grateful our paths got to cross on this crazy adventure we call life.

Jacob Hart, Head Prefect, Privett ‘23