The Middlesex Traditions That Define Student Life and Alumni Memories

Looking back to the Middlesex experience of alumnus Aaron Swenson ‘14.

Aaron Swenson, Class of 2014, is back on Campus for his 10-year reunion. Although Swenson graduated a decade ago, he is no stranger to present-day Middlesex. This past year, he returned to Middlesex to coach both the Boys' Varsity Basketball and Boys' Varsity Baseball teams, providing his players with insight on the physical and the mental side of athletics. Swenson has shared with his teams some aspects about his experience at Middlesex and the lessons our school taught him.

At Middlesex, sports played a huge part in Swenson's life and he learned the many great lessons that came with athletics. While down in a game against Governor Dummer’s Academy during his sophomore year, coach Holden called a time out, “sitting just [Swenson] and [his co-captain] John Siu down and berating the two of [them] for laughing, while being down 21 points.” 

“I just remember that being a very big turning point for me mentally” said Swenson, “where it was like no, that is not going to be acceptable… we are out here to win, and we can.” He also quickly realized how the core themes of Middlesex applied to his everyday life, figuring out that “accountability is love,” something he preaches to his players today. With the hard work and support from the community, Swenson and the basketball team were able to achieve a 19-5 record his senior year, with Swenson breaking the 1000-point mark and scoring 41 points with a game winner against Roxbury Latin, capping off his exceptional career at Middlesex.  

Now, when asked about Middlesex today, as compared to 10 years ago, Swenson acknowledged that although some aspects of Middlesex life have changed, “the awesome part of being back is seeing those [same] traditions still intact.” Middlesex aims to keep its campus current, providing its students with the best resources possible, yet the school also strives to preserve the 120 years of history, so the fact that many shared traditions remain wasn’t so surprising to hear. When thinking back on some of his favorite events at Middlesex, Swenson reminisced about Square Dance, Groton and St. George’s Days, and the overall camaraderie he built with the community. During Swenson’s time at here, he was a two-time captain of the basketball team and a captain of the baseball team his senior year, so naturally “the experiences [he] loved more than anything at Middlesex were being around [his] team, teammates, and guys, [ultimately] knowing coaches were there for him and the coaches cared about what [the team] was trying to accomplish.” This theme is still apparent today, as people like Aaron Swenson return to campus to give back to the students, just as alumni did for him during his time at Middlesex.

On his graduation day, with the 100 seniors locked in the Chapel for the last time before walking to their seats at graduation, he remembered the exact details of this emotional experience, having “the chills the whole time.” As the 2014 class sporadically “sang Hymn 110 acapella, [he had] sobb[ed] by the end of it,” because once he arrived at the steps outside of Elliot Hall, he could “see all the people who had been supporting [him], caring about [him],” during his Middlesex career. “It was really special” for him to walk hand in hand with his classmates to graduation, a custom that still defines Middlesex today, as the rest of the student body applauds the seniors during their walk to the graduation stage.

Ultimately, Swenson attributes Middlesex for much of his athletic, academic, and professional success. He loves the idea that Middlesex promotes the “pursuit of excellence” in every aspect of life and appreciates that Middlesex “wants to develop leaders in their communities, in their walks of life, and on their teams.” Swenson even carries around a Middlesex key chain with one of the school’s mottos, “What they dreamed be ours to do.” It is clear that Aaron Swenson embodies just that, taking on the responsibility to further teach and mentor today’s Middlesex students. The similarities that persist a decade later at Middlesex demonstrate that the school’s values have remained constant. Although Middlesex may have some new buildings, improved technology, and planning an auxiliary athletics center, it is the beloved traditions that tie Middlesex’s past to its present.

Ryan Wolff