Ivy Poem and Oration Excerpts

An ongoing black and white photo series designed to highlight MCLA's Baccalaureate Ceremony, a tradition that provides our students with the opportunity to pause and reflect on their time throughout their college career the day before graduation.

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 1931 by Claire M. Cavanaugh

“O Ivy plant, as you are today,
At the foot of the heights you seek,
Do you realize that we around you,
Have aim to a similar peak?”

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 1928 by Margaret Mullen

"So. Ivy, your be the duty,
We place our trust in you
Breathe our message of faithful love
As time proves it steadfast and true."

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 1947 by Nancy B. Estabrooks

"In rich and fertile soil we plant our roots
Beside the shelter of these classic halls.
We hope for you a fruitful boundless life,
Living through tender springs and fearless falls.
Be your to climb and strive on up above
To inspire in all a lasting faith and love."

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 2006 by Amanda Boudreault

“Old life giving life to the new in which it strength seeks
granting permanence in this our foundation
woven in curls of our steeple' wrought iron peaks.”

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 2016 by Virginia Graves

We Are More

We look to new opportunities.
We are the defenders of knowledge.
We are the pride of our parents, and our grandparents, and their parents before them.
We are dedicated and determined to show exactly who we are.
We are more than you see, and we are more than you know.

Our hopes, desires, and aspirations, we will achieve them.
Our accomplishments are encompassed by our experiences.
We are more than just a degree or a grade point average.

We have persevered, we know pressure and pain.
We have worked long nights and early mornings.
We have pushed ourselves in an effort to rise to each and every occasion.
We are more than papers and presentations.

We pride ourselves on setting new paths, but we will use the wisdom of those who came before.
Our professors, our parents and our people have guided us to this point.
We hold the unknown in our hands, and we have the notion that we will become greater.
We are more than the past, and we will become a future.

We will contribute to the rise of a new being,
an intellectual, an artist, an elementary teacher,
an athlete, philosopher, or maybe even an English student.
We are more than a major.

We know our community, and we have strived to give back.
We have been humbled, we have been blessed.
We have had a chance to make a difference.
We are more than students, we are a generation.

We are MCLA
We are the Class of 2016
We are more than the end.
We are the beginning.

Ivy Poem from the class of 1911 by Mildred Jenks 

“As the ivy will cover over,
With its broad and beautiful leaves,
The cracks and flaws on the building,
Thus showing what it can achieve.”

 

Ivy Poem from the class of 2000 by Abbey Christine Scott

“The leaves of which will sprout and grow
A living memorial of our time here
As we grow so will our ivy
Strong and healthy
Entwined in others lives
Its purpose clear.”

Ivy Poem from the class of 1939 by Janet Jillson 

“Ivy, now within the earth we love, twine tendrils
Close against these walls, and bind our lives with
Yours forever in this place.”

Ivy Poem from the class of 1946 by Eleanor Goodnow 

“And Now…
The time has come for us to dream of our tomorrow.
It isn’t just the vine.”

Ivy Poem from the class of 1933 by Olive Wright 

“Be unto us a symbol true
Of service ever more sincere,
Of courage, dauntless, ever brave
Of striving ever up and on.”

Ivy Poem from the class of 2005 by Sonia Watts 

“We have left our mark here.
Eternally, our lives are impacted.
Our presence will forever be felt
Just as our love and laughter will continue
So long as we always remember.” 

Ivy Poem from the class of 1926 by Frances S. Dury

“Glad that I live am I;
That the sky is blue;
Glad that the country lanes;
And the fall of dew.”

Ivy Poem from the class of 1997 by Andrea Caldwell, Colleen Bulman, Brad Magyar and Kelly Spurr

“Now we leave it behind to climb the stones of this wall.
It will represent what we have learned as we proceed into the future.”

Ivy Poem from the Class of 1956 by Janet Jillson 

“Ivy held within our palms, your roots cling tenderly
to the earth, so we replace you in that which gives
you life.” 

Ivy Poem from the Class of 1911 by Mildred Jenks

"Let us never forget the true lessons,
The years this school have taught;
Let us struggle and cling to our ideals,
And say, with the ivy, cease not."

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1924 by Anne Curtin

"But to every one there openeth
A high way and a low,
And every one decideth
The way this soul shall go."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem of the Class of 1933 by Olive Wright

"O Ivy, with your glossy leaves,
And clinging, searching vines,
Be unto us a symbol true
Of service ever more sincere,
Of courage, dauntless, ever brave
Of striving ever up and on."

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1999 by Heidi McLore

"Let us never look towards the ground of regret
Let us never stray from the goals we have set
Let us never be scared of what lies ahead
Let us always face our fears instead..."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 1912 by M.A. Tower

"For whether we're careless or thoughtful,
Some kind or an impress we leaveIn the plastic mind of the youthful
Which is always free to receive..."

Excerpt from the Ivy Haiku of the Class of 2008 by Amy Trolestra and Doran Hamm

"Friends meeting life friends
together sharing common goals
build a better world

Learning every day
from class to community
beyond book’s there’s more...”

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 1917 by Almira L. Blanchard

"Our faith in our teachers' beliefs and ideals
We will cherish through all that the future reveals,
Their precepts will guide us in all that we do,
And our faith in their standards will last our lives through
It shall be like the ivy, stanch, strong and serene,
Persistently growing till progress is seen."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 2013 by Shauna Dacus

"We walked through Church Street gates as children,
unaware of our futures and unburdened with our pasts.
Excited to start anew, we made connections that lasted, 
friendships that flourished, and learned to love learning..."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 1934 Charlotte McDonnell

"To reach heights and attain glory--
Have too, in these three years, fixed firmly and securely
Our roots in this profession of guiding others,
Even as thou hast inspired us."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem of the Class of 2007 by Ryan Bissonnette and Courtney Llewellyn

"An ever changing, ever growing future
Linked to the past..."

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration of the Class of 2000 by Abbey Christine Scott

"The carousel slows
Our ride of four years over
We pause,
For this moment as time stands still..."

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1936 by Margaret J. Stevenson

"Classmates, this is the day on which our last meeting as a class is held.
We cherish three years of pleasant memories.
But since it is the way of life to progress, 
we must look forward.
What does the future hold for us?"

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1921 by Katherine A. Starr

"At last, our glorious Commencement is here. Although
we regret having to leave our carefree, happy ways,
yet, we are glad to think the time has come when we
may show our worth to the world."

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 1914 by Amy Breed 

"The years, since we first entered,
Having swiftly sped away,
And, as we're backward glancing,
Seem to us but a day"

Excerpt from the Ivy Poem from the Class of 1946 by Eleanor Goodnow

"It's the things that go into it that count... 
The outside...
And the inside...
The light,
the hope,
the wisdom...
The shining youth, the strength of age...
The Promise of Tomorrow."

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1997 by Andrea Caldwell, Colleen Bulman, Brad Magyar, and Kelly Spurr

"You never leave a place you love
Part of it you take with you
Leaving a part of you behind..."

 

Excerpt from the Ivy Oration from the Class of 1998 by Christine A. Walker

"We are finally at this threshold, awaiting a new beginning, anticipating a new stage in our life.

May we remember those stages, the times of building and rebuilding,

the anticipation
the hard work
the fun
the friendships
the anxieties
the frustrations
the knowledge
the good times..."