MPA student Wyatt Srsen '25 working on art. from Dr. Bill Hudson, head of school

Delivering a senior performance is a graduation requirement at MPA that I treasure. Each one is unique, thoughtful, and deeply personal. While this tradition is a valuable exercise in public speaking, it is, more importantly, a pivotal opportunity for self-reflection. Throughout their preparations, students confront their own growth, challenges, and transformations, fostering a deeper sense of self-awareness and often realizing how much they have changed along the way.

Senior performances don’t just impact the students delivering them—they resonate throughout the entire community. They strengthen school culture by reinforcing values, traditions, and a sense of belonging. They inspire younger students by putting growth, confidence, and resilience on full display. They foster empathy and compassion as teachers, peers, leaders, and families gain a deeper understanding of each student’s unique experiences and perspectives. They also serve as reminders that growth is often uncomfortable and that meaningful change happens when students are held to high standards in a supportive environment. I try to attend every senior performance, and one delivered recently by Wyatt Srsen ’25 profoundly illustrates the journey of self-discovery and transformation that can happen in a positive school community.

With his permission, I am sharing his performance, in its entirety, below. Spoiler alert: grab a tissue!

Growing up, I was a persistent student who found school simple and straightforward. Elementary school came and went without a challenge, and then came middle school, which was more of the same. Despite a few hiccups here and there, middle school passed me by quickly and without any real problems. I had an abundance of friends and good grades, and I never struggled in school. This was all true until COVID-19 hit. I lost connections with friends; my grades struggled more than ever as I struggled to find motivation while being stuck at home with no real human interaction. Seeing this, my parents decided it was time for a change. The public school system wasn’t supportive or challenging, so they thought that private school was the best route for me to become a better student. Despite my efforts to stay with my friends and continue on the same education path, my family ended up deciding that Mounds Park Academy was the place for me.

Throughout my life, I never thought I would end up at a private school. I mean, those were the kids I would make fun of. I thought they were rich, stuck up, out of touch, and snobby. But somehow, my first day of high school ended being at a $38,000-per-year school that was ranked second in the state.

This was a completely new beginning with new people and a new environment. In my first block history class, I was instantly caught off guard as there was nobody I knew or could sit by. This is a feeling I had never felt. As class began, I was prompted to talk by Ms. McCall, even though I didn’t want to say anything. And that is when I realized how different this experience was truly going to be. I had never been forced to participate or voice what I had to say. Through my freshman and the majority of my sophomore year, all I did was try to sink into old habits of not paying attention and not participating. This, however, does not work at MPA, and my grades reflected the lack of effort and engagement.

Before this, giving minimal effort and not engaging in class was easy to do because I was always in large classes, and the curriculum was never challenging enough to truly apply myself. Along with my grades spiraling downwards, I was swamped with amounts of homework that I had never experienced before. Instead of embracing the challenge, I just shied away and didn’t care enough to do the work and apply myself to be successful.

Another challenge that came with this new school was my standing socially. Previously, I was never a great person. I was disrespectful at times and wasn’t approachable as I never sought to seek out new connections. Never being held responsible in previous environments led me to continue this behavior. I came with that same mentality at Mounds Park Academy. In a community where you are held responsible for your actions like Mounds Park Academy’s, I would be that same person, leading to me creating bad connections with people and gaining a reputation as the loud, obnoxious, and rude, new kid. I felt like I didn’t fit here, and I begged to transfer out of the school. The combination of being lazy, disengaged, and rude made me hate MPA because I thought it was the school and the community’s fault, but it was truly my own.

My whole outlook changed when I sat down in a one-on-one meeting with Ms. McCall to go over my history day paper that, per usual, I put minimal effort into and received a poor grade on. In that meeting, I told Ms. McCall about how I felt and how I was planning to transfer. Sitting there, Ms. McCall told me how bright of a student I was and how I had true potential. After leaving that meeting, I thought about what she said, and I believed that I could make it work at Mounds Park Academy. Later that night, I decided I wasn’t going to transfer because Ms. McCall had convinced me not to.

Staying at Mounds Park Academy was something that frightened me, though, because I knew I needed to push myself to become a better student if I was going to continue to stay. So, that is what I did. Although my History Day paper grade was unrecoverable, I pushed myself to complete everything and give an effort. This transferred into all my classes, and I saw slight improvement nearing the end of my sophomore year. This started my spark for learning, and I sought to bring that into junior year. Although I was the same loud, obnoxious person, I started to grow and realize the flaws that strayed me away from the community at MPA.

Over the summer before junior year, I stressed over how everyone made it out to be the worst year yet at MPA, with big, scary teachers like Ms. Murr and Ms. O’Halloren in American Studies. I wanted to change my image within the school, not just as a student but as a community member as well. Knowing this, I came in on the first day worried about what was to come, but determined to give it my all. Walking into Ms. Murr’s room, I was nervous as everyone said American Studies was what made junior year so rough. But after about a week in (American Studies) with Ms. Murr and English with Ms. O’Halloren, I did not find the class as strenuous or overbearing as I had feared. Rather, I saw it as a challenge, and I embraced it, and it became what I looked forward to in my school day as in those classes I felt like I could engage and put myself out there. With the help of these classes, my love for learning blossomed, and I never looked back.

As the year went on, I worked diligently in every class. I asked questions, sat in front, and engaged with my peers in class. I became determined to finish the homework on time. I completed longer assignments with real effort and became the best student I could. My determination led me to receive much better grades. Along with the grades, I finally accepted the school and community for what it was. I aimed to rebuild bridges I had previously burned down and create new friendships that I previously didn’t have. As the year progressed, the image of myself that I spent two years tearing down within the school was finally improving, and it just further made me feel as if I belonged at Mounds Park Academy. I was being accepted into a community that I tried so hard to push myself away from. Through this, I made connections with my classmates that I hadn’t had a connection with or created new connections with people I had previously disrespected.

Now, I am here today not just as a better student or a better member of the school community but I am here as a new person. My experience from coming to Mounds Park Academy as someone with little drive and respect to now leaving it behind as a person with respect for all and a love for learning. Leaving Mounds Park Academy, I feel prepared to move on to the next chapter of my life and bring the valuable experience I’ve had here into college and beyond.

I would now like to take the time to show gratitude to the people in my life who have helped shape me into who I am today.

Thank you, Mom, for always being there if I need to talk and keeping me in check. I love you so much, and I’ll miss your hugs and being able to talk about anything with you. Thank you for your late-night help with homework and sacrificing for me and Brody to be able to pursue our passions and education.

Thank you, Dad, for pushing me to be the best version of myself in school and as a person. I appreciate all the sacrifices you gave up for me to pursue sports and education. I’m going to miss being able to talk to you whenever I need help. I’ll also miss watching and talking about any sport together.

Thank you, Brody, for being someone I can talk to, listen to music with, talk sports with, and always have a good laugh with.

Thank you to Ms. McCall for always believing in me and convincing me to stay here. I don’t know how I would’ve ended up without you.

Thank you, Ms. Murr, for always having an open room and being someone to talk to. I’ll miss your advice and your support.

Thank you to Ms. O’Halloren for making me love English again and always being someone I could say hi to.

Wyatt’s story is a testament to the transformative power of an environment that challenges, supports, and believes in its students, shaping their confidence, mindset, and future. His journey from skepticism to deep appreciation for his school community illustrates how the right educational setting can ignite curiosity, foster resilience, and shape not just exceptional students but strong human beings.

Let this serve as a reminder to us all—faculty, staff, families, and peers—that the support and encouragement we provide can make a tremendous difference. And as he so beautifully expressed, sometimes, all it takes is one teacher, one conversation, or one opportunity to change a student’s trajectory for the better.

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