Chapels

Whether the name sparks memories of riotous laughter at witty quips from favorite seniors, or dreams from the forbidden naps you take from the aisles, everyone at Middlesex can recall at least one chapel that has stuck with them through all their years at this school. But what exactly is it that makes a chapel so special?

To many, the task of approaching writing a chapel seems impossible; how in the world does one condense their entire experience into one 10-minute speech that aspires to change a student's life? 

Although Chapels are a place where one can share something they find important, they are intended to be far more than just an objective story about one’s experience. Indeed, Chapels are a place where students have the opportunity to impact their peers and open their eyes to different perspectives; Ms. Smedley beautifully describes the significance of this opportunity, telling seniors before they give their speeches that “If one kid can walk out of that chapel feeling more supported, less alone, or more inspired because of what that senior said, they have succeeded.” This invitation to imagine what you might have needed to hear as an underclassman sitting in those seats is something that particularly struck me because it truly encapsulates the essence of what a good chapel is able to achieve: a relatability with the audience that makes them feel seen or supported without ever having to have directly spoken to the person giving that speech. Even the notion that the senior might never know how much their speech has changed a student’s perspective is compelling to me, as that unthanked gift that the senior has given through sharing their story is a unique mark of the generosity and humility that this community represents. 

This is not to say that one should merely spew out philosophical life lessons in their speech, however, for Ms. Smedley says that like an English essay, “there has to be an abstract and debatable theme–a message–AND a lot of concrete examples of that message.” To fully engage and connect with the audience, some level of relatability–if not with the immediate content of the speech but the emotions or conflict tied with it–must be attained. 

Ms. Smedley recalls one Chapel that particularly struck her as embodying this concept of relatability particularly well. Hayden Girolamo ‘23 spoke about his time as a camp counselor helping kids to sail and focused primarily on helping one boy in the process. Such a simple story may seem to be something of minute importance, but the themes that Hayden presented through such a grounded event prove that one does not have to make some abstract compilation of all the deeply transformative experiences in their life to make an impactful speech. Ms. Smedley further commends Hayden as he “took what [she] consider[s] a common everyday experience about what every teenager goes through and made it this really special story,” proving that one doesn't have to undergo some life-changing or traumatic event to produce a speech that can deeply affect its audience. Indeed, Ms. Smedley rejects this idea that something radical must have happened to a student for their chapel to have true significance, for she notes that when “some kids say ‘oh, I can only give a chapel if I have some traumatic or dramatic event,’” or “‘my life’s been too easy,’” she affirms that it is not the drama or radicality of the speech that one gives that is important, but the purity of its message, stating that “your life can be easy or good and you can talk about babysitting like Owen [Barry ‘24] did, or sailing like Hayden,” and it would still have a profound impact.  Students too assert that oftentimes the simple and seemingly silly stories end up as their favorites because these pure anecdotes are not only memorable but have a certain relatability that sticks with kids longer than some long-winded philosophical spiel. Ellie Calo ‘25 and Maggie Cabot ‘25 recall Shira Waxman’s ‘23 chapel on a variety of small ridiculous events from her soccer trip, which from merely producing a humorous catalog of these tiny moments, created an incredibly memorable and hysterical speech that has stuck with students a year later. The ability to make a beautiful message from an uproarious speech about such a specific moment is something I find to be particularly impactful when listening to seniors give their speeches because it is a window into a small moment of that person's life that can encapsulate what they value as an individual in a uniquely pure and personal way. 

In general, the thing that makes all chapels so special is the vulnerability and generosity that the seniors display. The image that they represent when they stand on that podium not only reflects them as an individual, but also serves as an example to the underclassmen of the humility of this community. Seniors are directly giving back to students and teachers alike by sharing their experiences and stories with us all, and this charity is something that Ms. Smedley states students should take “great pride in.” Although there is no one “right way” to write a chapel, those made with the intent of giving back to its audience–whether through a heartfelt ode or the blessing of laughter–are always the ones that manage to prevail in students’ memories long after they are spoken. So the next time you consider dozing off during a chapel, I implore you to reconsider, because the gift of hearing one’s story is a blessing far too special to take for granted.

Catherine Bain