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Ben L. '13 delivered the following remarks during the Eighth Grade Closing Ceremony, June 8, 2009.

Claude Bernard, a founding father of medical science, once said, “Man can learn nothing unless he proceeds from the known to the unknown.” As I thought about this quote, I realized that the message applies to everyone. Every novelist ventures into the unknown when creating new stories. Every researcher explores uncharted territories when conducting experiments. In fact, all of us have embarked on new adventures whenever we have been in situations unfamiliar to us.

For me, the first memory of entering the complete unknown was the day I started at McDonogh. I remember walking through the looming doors of the kindergarten building and entering a room with many new faces and shelves packed with an endless number of toys. It was a brand new world. I can still picture Michael Boltansky, smiling ear to ear, asking me if I wanted to play with the blocks. My fears suddenly dissipated. Mrs. Ward and Mrs. Hood were there to reassure me with kind words, big hugs, and colorful star stickers. They made my day when I received my own enormous, bright orange poncho.

Since this first day, McDonogh has always felt as if it has been a second home to me. Even now, passing by the Lower School and seeing the little kids playing never fails to bring a smile to my face. It is a reminder of how much McDonogh has helped me to grow up. Since I was four years old, I have countless memories of just about everyone I have encountered, and because I have spent a full decade here, these stories have shaped me as an individual.

On that first day of school, I began my evolution. I have transformed into who I am by taking numerous small steps, and without many people at McDonogh, my journey would not have been possible. One gentleman, named Mr. Murphy, is a prime example of someone who helped me ever since my first days here. He was my bus driver. Every morning, I would climb up the gigantic steps of bus #5, and he would greet me with a big hug. We would talk about everything from sports to the weather. Though I was shy, Mr. Murphy helped me come out of my shell as we talked every day about the O’s or the Ravens. Ethan Brodsky also rode this bus, and we grew to become great friends over the nine years and more than 3,000 bus rides that we shared. We mapped out many fantasy football strategies together. My rides were just the start of the days that led to many great memories, and they would never disappoint.

Then, my family and I moved a few miles up the road, and I was transferred to another bus. This switch was my first exposure to losing a part of the McDonogh community. Until this happened, I had not appreciated how much these relationships had meant to me. Little did I know, I would soon be faced with the possibility of an even greater change.

As many of you may know, this past year my parents had job opportunities in Boston, and there was a chance that my family and I were going to be relocating this summer. As a result, all winter long I went through the process of applying to several new schools. At first, the thought of moving did not faze me much because it seemed too surreal. Perhaps I did not want to think about it.

But then the possibility of leaving McDonogh really hit me when I visited the schools I might be attending. One school had the largest high school library in the world. Another had a building as large as Finney just for the study of Ancient Greek and Latin, and the science center had a separate floor for each branch of science. I realized that one of these schools was as old in 1776 as McDonogh is now. Many presidents had attended these schools, and there were more squash courts than I had ever seen.

Each campus I visited was amazing, but I could not put the picture of my own school out of my mind. It was not only the warmth and beauty of our campus that were in my thoughts; it was all of the people who make McDonogh special to me. As I heard about the teaching philosophies of these other schools, I thought about the great teachers at McDonogh who always strive for us to become our best and give up a lot of their free time to help us. As I heard the headmasters of the other schools speak, I thought of Mr. Britton, Mr. Fish, and Mr. Ford, who care so much about our school and believe that no one is ever too young to be taken seriously. As I met the students at the other schools, I wondered whether they would like the same jokes my friends and I told at our lunch table. Would I be able to confide in them the same way I do with my friends back home? Then it struck me: McDonogh is my home. I was raised here. My everyday life at McDonogh is part of who I am.

As my family got closer to making the decision, I started to look at McDonogh differently. While most of you were looking forward to today, I was still trying to grapple with the fact that this day could possibly be my last at McDonogh. How would I go about thinking that I could be leaving this wonderful school?

I realized that although the schools I visited were incredible, I have a bond with McDonogh that is priceless. It is more than just a great school; it is my school and my community. The teachers have both watched and helped me grow. They have given me life lessons as well as a wealth of knowledge. I have known many of my friends most of my life and have met many new friends along the way. McDonogh is a place where kids of all ages and all backgrounds can intermingle, learn, and feel at home. I realized that I have become part of this wonderful McDonogh community, and it has become a part of me.

Needless to say, my family decided to stay in Baltimore. Although we reached a conclusion, my thoughts about McDonogh continued. The quote by Claude Bernard inspired me to think about how one can only learn when travelling from the known to the unknown. So, it appears as though I decided to stick with what was known by staying at McDonogh. However, that is not the case. The whole experience of potentially moving made me think about McDonogh in ways I would not have thought about otherwise. I found an unexplored world, and it was inside of me the entire time. I just never had to search for it until this year.

I realized that the unknown is not something that is necessarily unfamiliar or far away. It can be inside of you or right in front of you. During this process, I also recognized that before I know it, I will have to leave McDonogh for college. Now my goal is to cherish every moment at McDonogh because I only have four years left. Only four years.

As we enter the Upper School together, we embark on the last leg of our McDonogh journey. I can honestly say that I couldn’t ask for a better group of classmates with whom to pass from the known and into the next unknown. I would like to end with a quote by Andre Gide, a Nobel prize-winning author. He stated, “Whoever starts out toward the unknown must consent to venture alone.” I disagree. While we are at McDonogh, its community, its mission, and its spirit let us know that we are never alone.

Good Luck Class of 2013!