Be a Maverick: 146th Roll Call
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Mary Jo Burke opens the school year with 146th Roll Call.
MSA’s Director of Faculty, Mary Jo Burke, delivered the 2023 Roll Call to start the school year. This long-standing tradition on the Hill celebrates each grade level and provides students sage advice for the 146th school year at the Miller School of Albemarle. In her remarks, Ms. Burke encouraged students and faculty to be Mavericks this year: “A maverick is someone who doesn’t settle for the status quo -- they are daring, willing to take chances, try new things, to think outside the box and come up with new approaches. As we start our new academic year, let the Maverick spirit guide your approach to your life here on the Hill.”
With a presence that exuded wisdom and warmth, Mary Jo Burke captured the attention of all present. She opened the year celebrating MSA’s belief that school is a place to take risks: “The possibilities are endless -- you just have to take the risk.”
2023 Roll Call Full Transcript
Good morning, everyone!
For those of you who don’t know me yet, I’m Mrs. Burke, the Director of Faculty and Curriculum here at Miller School. I’d like to extend a warm welcome to each of you as we start our year together. Some of you are returning to the Hill for another school year; others are here for the very first time. Whichever you happen to be, you are now and always will be a Miller Maverick. But what is a “maverick” anyway, other than being our school mascot? By definition, a maverick is someone who doesn’t settle for the status quo -- they are daring, willing to take chances, try new things, to think outside the box and come up with new approaches. As we start our new academic year, let the Maverick spirit guide your approach to your life here on the Hill. Push yourself in the classroom, try a new sport, perform at open mic night. The possibilities are endless -- you just have to take the risk.
To all of our faculty, staff, and administrators, I would like to thank you in advance for all that you will do this year to engage with our students, to provide meaningful lessons inside and outside the classroom, and to support one another as members of our community. But I also want to call upon you to embrace the Maverick spirit this year as well. Try a new approach to an old lesson, create a different training regimen for your team, mix up your activities with your advisory. If we want our students to take chances, we have to be willing to do so ourselves. Will everything that you try be successful? No, probably not. But there are lessons to be learned from failure and teachable moments in how we react and move forward when things don’t turn out the way we planned. Be models of the Maverick mindset for our community.
8th grade -- the Class of 2028! You are the newest -- and youngest -- members of our community. By choosing to come to Miller, you have shown your willingness to try something new and embrace the unfamiliar. As you navigate the ins and outs of your new school, seek to create ways to forge an identity as the Class of 2028, to bond with other members of our community, and to take advantage of the opportunity to try new things. Remember to take time to learn from the older students. One of the things that makes Miller unique is how often you will interact with upperclassmen, whether it's in the classroom, in your advisory, on your team, or in the dorms. Learn from them what it means to be Maverick and what makes Miller so special. Welcome to the Hill!
9th grade -- the Class of 2027! Congratulations, 9th graders, it’s official! You have taken the leap into high school. This is the time to get more serious about your studies, but it’s also the perfect time to explore new things. Classes, clubs, sports -- the possibilities are endless! Some of you are returning for your second year at Miller; others are new to the Hill. Together, you can explore the many opportunities that Miller can offer you. Think about what you can offer to Miller as well, by using your ideas and talents. As you begin your high school journey, be confident in yourselves as you take your first steps on the road ahead. That road may twist and turn, but, if you are willing to take the chance, it will lead you to exactly where you are meant to be.
10th graders -- the Class of 2026! You are at the midpoint of your time on the Hill — you are no longer the youngest in our community, but the end of high school is still far off on the horizon. You are becoming more mature, gaining confidence in who you are, understanding what you want out of life, and you are willing to take risks. Take some time this year to think outside the box -- try a new approach to your studies or mix up your training routine. Talk to someone new or voice a unique opinion during a class discussion. All of these actions will help define who you are and what your place will be in our community. As you find your way, look to the upperclassmen for advice and set an example for the younger students of what it means to be a Maverick. Embrace the new challenges and opportunities that this year will offer.
11th graders -- the Class of 2025! Congratulations on becoming “upperclass women and men!” 11th grade often has the reputation for being the hardest year of high school. There is something to that, as classes become more challenging, more is expected of you from teachers and coaches, and you need to start thinking about life after Miller. But it is also a time filled with opportunities to try new things, to take on leadership positions, to question the status quo, or to suggest a new approach to an old problem. This year provides a chance to define who you are and to explore what you want to become. As you navigate these opportunities and the challenges that you encounter this year, remember that you can learn as much from your failures as from your successes and that your Maverick family will always have your back.
And last but not least -- the seniors -- the Class of 2024! At long last, you have made it to your final year of high school. The privileges you have been waiting for -- like using the senior stairs and painting the rock -- are officially yours. You are the leaders of this community, the role models for the younger students, the shoulders upon which your teachers and coaches place increased responsibility. You have already left an impressive mark on our community, with your work in the classroom, on the athletic fields, in the engineering lab, and on the stage. But now is not the time to sit back and reflect on what you have already accomplished. Keep moving forward, stretch yourself in all aspects of your life on the Hill, try something new. As the year speeds by, remember to stop to look around once in a while, make new friends, and create new memories of your Maverick family to carry with you when you leave your home on the Hill. Graduation will be here before you know it.
And now, Mr. Drude, it is my honor to present to you the student body of the 146th session of the Miller School of Albemarle!
