Graduation Remarks: Advice for the Class of 2026

GRADUATION REMARKS BY ANDREW DAVIS, HEAD OF SCHOOL

Advice for the Class of 2026

Class of 2026, I have three pieces of advice for you.

This morning, as I was greeting people, a number of them said, "We're looking forward to your speech. We're looking forward to the advice you're going to give." And I thought, "Oh man, that's a pretty high bar."

Well, eighth graders, this year my advice largely comes from you. So if this is not a good speech, we have you to blame!

Advice #1 – Do Hard Things

The first is something that you told all of us through your yearbook quotes.

When you open your yearbooks, you'll see that each eighth grader has a page with photos, a signature, and a quote of their choice. The most common message in those quotes was simple: do hard things. Persevere. Stick with it.

Reid, you quoted Confucius: "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."

And Emily, you quoted Lily Tomlin: "The road to success is always under construction."

As we heard from our eighth-grade speakers, you all have done hard things at MTS: The Little Mermaid, the Yosemite trip, science mindmaps, and Dave's Celebrations of Knowledge. You have learned that mastery takes work. Learning takes friction. Learning takes struggle.

What I love about MTS—and what I heard from all three student speakers—is that you have truly learned the lesson that growth requires effort.

Dashiell, you quoted John F. Kennedy: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

I think, though, from watching all of you, that hard things are not valuable merely because they are hard. Joy comes when we are in flow, when we are challenged. Some of our happiest moments come when we're fully engaged and stretched.

It turns out we don't simply do hard things because they are hard. We do hard things because that is often what brings joy to our lives.

So what's the advice for high school?

Seek challenges. Take that honors class. Try out for that team. Audition for that show.

But also expect setbacks.

And finally, protect the challenge of learning. Do not outsource your thinking. Do the hard work of learning. The struggle is not a flaw in the process—it is the process.

Advice #2 – Be Yourself

The second piece of advice is another message you offered us through your yearbook quotes: be yourself.

Faye, you quoted Oscar Wilde: "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken."

And Cate, you quoted Dolly Parton: "If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one."

You all have grown tremendously at MTS. Middle school is a period of tremendous self-definition. You know yourselves far better today than when you arrived at Mount Tamalpais School, whether that was two years ago or nine years ago.

You may not have fully figured out who you are, but you know yourself far better than you did when you first walked onto this campus.

So my advice for high school is this: be aware of the group, but don't be controlled by it.

More and more, algorithms are trying to predict what you'll watch, what you'll buy, what you'll see, and even who you'll become. Resist being defined by what is expected.

How do you do that?

Really, I think you already know. Listen to that voice inside. Listen to your gut.

Ella, on your yearbook page, you quoted Michelle Obama: "Success isn't about how your life looks to others. It's about how it feels to you."

Listen to that voice. Listen to your gut. Be yourself.

And in that way, be unexpected.

Advice #3 – Do Things with People

Now, if you didn't like the speech so far, you can blame the eighth graders. This last piece is on me.

You, the Class of 2026, told us to do hard things. You told us to be ourselves. My advice is this: do things with people.

Actually, we heard this from our student speakers as well. Why wasn't it one of the dominant quotes in your yearbook? I think because you've already been living it.

You've spent your years at MTS doing hard things with people. You've grown up face-to-face. You've experienced real community.

But so much of modern life makes it easy to be alone. Whether it's DoorDash, Netflix, endless online games, or screens, it's never been easier to live life alone.

And yet almost everything that makes life meaningful happens with other people.

Researchers who study happiness have found a few things that I think are especially relevant as you head off to high school and enter a new community.

The first is that small connections matter. Just say hello. Sit down at a table. Start a conversation. Belonging—and, in turn, happiness—is built one small conversation at a time.

The second thing to remember, especially as you start high school, is something scientists call the "liking gap." We consistently underestimate how much other people like us.

As you start high school, don't expect a best friend on day one. But know that the person you chat with at lunch, or while walking from math class to Spanish class, probably liked you more than you think they did.

And finally, the research says that happiness starts with showing up.

Join a team. Join a club. Try out for a show. Go to that event. Be a part of the community.

You don't need to find your best friend on day one. You just need to keep showing up.

Class of 2026, thank you for reminding us to do hard things. Thank you for reminding us to be ourselves.

And as you leave Mount Tamalpais School, I hope you'll remember one more thing: do things with people.

The most meaningful moments of your life—including this moment right now—will happen with other people.

Congratulations, Class of 2026.

TGIAM is the blog of Andrew Davis, Head of School. TGIAM = Thank Goodness It's Almost Monday.