Junior Ian Murphy - Term 3 Core Values Essay Winner

Junior Ian Murphy

The first thing that a visitor will notice upon entering our school is the posting of our school's four core values: academics, high expectations, accountability, and respect. The posting of the values announces to our students, teachers, and parents what our school believes in and what guides our daily work of teaching and learning.

In addition to this posting, the school also has a series of quotations posted in our hallways that reflects these four values. While the postings provide a reminder of our beliefs, the best representation of what drives Nipmuc can be found in the actions our students. With that in mind we've offered a series of essay contests this year in which students write about what the values mean to them.

I am proud to announce that junior Ian Murphy is the winner of the term three essay contest. Ian wrote an articulate essay about the impact his grandfather had on his ambition to learn and achieve. He discussed the value of academics in his life and how he has pursued this at Nipmuc. Included below are two excerpts from his comments:

"The value of academics follows us throughout our lives, as evident by my grandfather, whom I have a profound respect for simply because of what he knows and what he valued growing up:  academics.  So underrated, so coveted, and so abundant in our everyday lives, it is the value that you can never crave too much of, academics is the value that has no limits."

"I pride myself on academics and intellect in hopes that it will make me the appreciated and intelligent person I want to be, and Nipmuc presents to me everything I need to fulfill my desire for more and more knowledge.  I was nearly overwhelmed by the range and amount of class choices available one year, with topics ranging from infectious diseases to macroeconomics.  This wide array of courses is the comprehensive academic opportunity that fuels the fire in my drive to learn as much as I can.  It is what will allow me to be the knowledgeable and valued person I wish to be."

Thank you, Ian, and congratulations on winning this essay contest. Thank you to those students who submitted so many wonderful essays in this third round of the contest.