MSMS Class of 2023 recently attended the school’s Ceremony of Lights on August 15, 2021.

Ceremony of Lights is a longstanding tradition at MSMS. It is considered the first official inauguration of the incoming junior class. The formal event consists of speeches from alumni and staff members and induction activities such as signing the MSMS pledge and taking a puzzle piece to represent students being a “piece of the puzzle.”

Students said they saw the ceremony in a positive light. The ceremony was talked about and pumped up by the teachers during the days leading up to it, and students after the event said they thought it went over well.

“The ceremony was eye-opening and met my expectations of what I thought it would be,” Junior Anne Grace Donahue said.

Dr. Thomas Easterling, who gave a motivational speech during the event, said he thought the Ceremony of lights was special.

“What’s wonderful about the Ceremony of Lights is that it shows the juniors more specifics about not just the challenges, but also about the things they have to look forward to while they are here, and in the years after they are here.”

Dr. Easterling also talked about how important the four MSMS ideals are, and how they are a huge part of not only the ceremony but also MSMS.
The four MSMS ideals: service, creativity, scholarship, and community. Each of these pillars was presented with a speech and a candle being lit. When asked what ideal spoke the most to them, students most commonly responded with “community.”

Junior Karlin Campbell talked about why the community ideal stood out to him.

“This wouldn’t work without everyone. It would just be kids being sad in dorm rooms if it wasn’t for everyone else,” Campbell said.

The most important parts of these traditional ceremonies are what the students take from them. Campbell also expressed that the ceremony made them think about the longevity of their, and all of the other students, situation:

“We’re in this for the long haul – together.”

Donahue also had a realization after going to the ceremony.

“I realized how much people changed from going to this school.”

The Ceremony of Lights is an important tradition at MSMS, and the junior class of 2023 has now taken part in that tradition.