Every reader knows the sting of a story that fizzles out, the disappointment of coming to the end of a book only to have it fall flat. It is the ending, after all, that makes or breaks a good story. It is the ending that gives shape to everything that has come before.
It was with this understanding that members of the Sixth Form came together at the end of last month for a breakfast to commemorate the 100 days until graduation. In the familiar and comfortable space of the Big Room, Sixth Formers began to contemplate their own endings at Haverford.
Science teacher and Sixth Form Dean Mr. Will Leech has stressed the importance of these last months at Haverford.
“I really want to make the most of the last times I’m going to have with my friends.”
Alex krey ’25
“The things people most often regret in life are what they didn’t do, not what they did. That’s why we are encouraging the seniors to buy in and get involved in their last few months instead of checking out,” Leech said.
Mr. Leech’s advice rests on the minds of many Sixth Formers.
“I really want to make the most of the last times I’m going to have with my friends,” Sixth Former Alex Krey said.
“For my last few months, I plan to be more present than I ever have been. I want to talk to as many people as I can and do my best to get to know people more than just baseline conversations of saying hello in the hallways,” Sixth Former Zachary Fuscaldo said.
Fuscaldo is also focused on deepening his current friendships.
“I [realize] I may not see some of them for a couple of months once the school year ends, so taking the opportunity to learn the most about the people that I know the most and doubling down on those relationships will be a major focus,” Fuscaldo said.
In literature, four elements contribute to a good conclusion: resolution, transformation, suspense, and surprise. Much like the end of a great novel, the last months of high school can also be crafted to create the ideal finish.
At the breakfast, Mr. Leech handed out Sixth Form bingo cards, a bucket list of sorts. With ideas like playing spikeball or benchball during lunch block, attending a Haverford event like the art show or an away game, to something as simple as taking a walk around campus during a free period or thanking a staff member, the list is meant to help focus and engage Sixth Formers in their last days on campus.
As an added incentive, Sixth Formers completing the entire bingo card can earn an immunity day during the long-awaited, much-anticipated senior assassin tradition.
The Sixth Formers’ final days at school are not just about celebrating all that has been accomplished —it’s also about finishing strong and creating a conclusion that reflects the time spent here at Haverford.
It is said that writer Ernest Hemingway wrote up forty-seven different endings to A Farewell to Arms before he was satisfied. Great writers know the importance of investing time and effort into making the story’s final moments meaningful. Much like Hemingway, Sixth Formers have the opportunity to shape how they say goodbye, whether it is strengthening relationships, finishing strong academically or simply enjoying the small moments.