As the school year finally draws to a close, an abundance of senior offerings from the Class of 2026 have populated our Chapel time, making their way into the hearts of students and faculty alike. These spring term talks have long been a cherished tradition within the St. Stephen’s community, as each one offers a unique and deeply personal account of what being a Spartan really means to us. They recount moments of personal struggle, becoming your authentic self, living in the moment, compounding habits and relationships, embracing mistakes as stepping stones to success, solos, dance routines, band performances, and everything in between! Together, senior offerings allow for a nostalgic and introspective look back at the high school experience, while also providing invaluable insight and encouragement to the classes that will follow. 

With this in mind, The Bell set out to hear from seniors across the Hill, both from those who had the opportunity to deliver a Chapel talk and those who did not. By gathering reflections from a medley of voices within the Class of 2026, we wanted to paint an overarching picture of the St. Stephen’s experience before stepping into our next chapter. We asked seniors to look back at their time at school—what they’ll carry with them, what they’ll miss most, and what advice they’d offer their younger self, incoming freshmen and rising seniors! 

• What will you miss most about St. Stephen’s?

Many students shared that they would fondly remember the school’s beautiful campus, enjoying every “opportunity to study outside with friends” on a nice day, or play frisbee and spikeball on the lawn during collective offs. Long-time Spartan Annie Ehrlich commented that “all the multi-colored flowers blooming in Spring always bring me such joy.” Her fellow seniors Levi Skaistis and Evie Kadayan also agreed that this “large campus with so much to do” has become a cornerstone of their experience here. Again and again, however cliche, this idea of community also kept resurfacing among students’ answers. Grace Jiang was quick to note the “tight-knit community and [kids’] intellectual curiosity” was what drew her to St. Stephen’s in the first place and ultimately helped her discover her passions. In particular, she credited her history teachers with sparking her love for “research in the social sciences and humanities,” something she now hopes to pursue along with a competitive dance career at Harvard next year. 

On the heels of this, Heidi Bahlmann frequently smiles upon “the support I received from all my advisors,” and says she’ll miss how easily “they provided a safe space I could turn to, especially as a border.” Similarly, she noted that during her final theater performance of senior year in the crew for The Hello Girls, “goodbyes put everything into perspective, far better than [I’d] ever imagined.” While it might be easier to lose yourself in being annoyed at schoolwork, Yondr pouches or assigned seating, it’s also so so important not to take this wonderful place we call home for granted. You might just end up missing it.

• What advice would you give your younger self? An incoming freshman? Rising senior?

When asked what advice they would give, one senior emphasized that “having a passion makes work feel much less like work.” Just as importantly, they also added a more… practical reminder: “GET ENOUGH SLEEP!!! Happiness and health are wealth”—a lesson, they implied later, that is often learned the hard way when you can’t see straight on exam day, remember the color of your highlighter, or any  actual information on the page. Another student quoted The Office, saying, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” For her, that idea translates into a call to be more present, especially now as a senior in their last few weeks of high school. “Act,” she urged. “Soon, you won’t remember why you stressed about studying for that math test, joining a sports team, or talking to someone new.” 

Meanwhile, Avery Robinette encourages incoming freshmen and her younger self to focus on leaning into authenticity, both academically and socially. “Surround yourself with people who will listen to you tell the same story for the third time just because they’re happy you’re happy;” if someone ever makes you feel like “too much,” she added, they’re probably not the right people to keep around anyways. She also wanted to make sure that future SSTX students pursued whatever felt meaningful to them: “Don’t force yourself to do things that you don’t enjoy just because you think it’ll help you in college (unless it’s your homework, do your homework) because you will struggle to explain why it’s important to you in essays.” 

• Best memory from The Hill?

Looking back, many seniors found that their most meaningful and cherished memories weren’t always the ones they expected. Raleigh Munyon, for instance, pointed to her friend “Lia’s drag show from freshman year,” whereas Ziri Udezue recalled the opening night of St. Stephen’s production of The Lightning Thief, when a group of upperclassmen took him under their wing, and left him with a pervading sense of belonging within the Theatre Focus community. 

Taken all together, we hope to leave the students who come after us with a foundation of gratitude and excitement as they make their way to senior year!! Go Spartans ⚔️