The Last Word
By Jack Ussher | Posted: Tuesday February 18, 2025
Life is made up of moments.
In our lives, we experience so many different moments - some big, some small, some we’ll never forget, and others we don’t realise mattered until later. These moments shape us into who we are, influencing how we think, act, and remember our time at school. It can be the small moments like a conversation, a failure, or a simple decision that have the biggest impact. Sometimes we can see what mattered when reflecting on our time at school. Too often we look back at our decisions and think, ‘What if?’ As well as all of these meaningful moments, often our favourite moments are the funny ones with our mates. It’s these moments that shape our time at school and stay with us long after we’ve left. The question is, what kind of moments are you creating for yourself right now?
School is full of moments that we might not appreciate now or next year, but may come to appreciate later. At the moment, school may feel like a chore, repeating itself. But soon you will look back and see what matters. It won’t be the grades you got on that internal or that time you avoided risks, it’ll be the moments you pushed yourself, a risk you took, and the time away with your mates. It is easy to get caught up in the stress of school. If you don’t stop and take it all in, you might miss out on the moments that make these last few years special.
There are also the moments when you have to make a choice. These decisions can be moments that change everything. It could be as small as sitting at the front of the class or as big as choosing your subjects for next year. Every decision you make creates a new path, sometimes one that you never thought possible which can completely change the direction of your life. The goal with these moments is to make decisions that, when you look back in 10 years, you will be proud of.
Our lives are shaped by our decisions, which can make us think about what things could have been. These ‘what if?’ moments can bring up regret about our choices. ‘What if I had trained harder?’, ‘What if I had taken that sport?’. The regret of not trying is often worse than failing. At least when you try, you walk away with something; whether it’s a lesson or an experience. Mr Hall has been telling us about how fortunate we are to have so many opportunities here at OB’s. For me, one of those opportunities was signing up for library duty. As I spend most of my time out in the sports field, it was a chance to give back to the school in a small but different way. I found that I really enjoyed this other side of the school. So, boys, don’t live your life in regret. Get up and try something new while you’re still at school because time moves quickly, and if you don’t take your chances now, you might look back and wish you had.
Not all of our moments at school are serious. Some of the best ones are the funny and embarrassing ones. All of you can think back to your time as a junior and remember a funny or embarrassing moment whether it be on the sports field, Year 10 camp, or in the classroom. The ones where you can’t stop laughing, the moments that turn into inside jokes, and that moment that ends you with an unfortunate nickname. These moments remind us not to take life too seriously and to appreciate the people around us. Because at the end of the day, when school is over, these moments will stick with us the most.
At the same time, it’s often the small moments that matter just as much. We expect that only the major achievements, winning a tournament, getting E24 on an exam, or getting a leadership position, define us. But often, the small, everyday moments shape us the most. A single conversation can change your perspective, a small act of kindness can make someone’s day, and a failure can teach you far more than success. These little moments add up, shaping who we are without us even noticing.
With everything going on at school, we can get caught up in what is next rather than what’s happening right now. Some of the best moments in life happen when you stop worrying about the past or the future and just live in the moment. Living in the moment can be celebrating a win, laughing with your mates, or enjoying a quiet moment. These are things that you will miss when school is over. If you’re always focused on what’s ahead, you might not realise how good things are until they’re gone.
To the Year 11s and 12s. You still have time. 3 years, 2 years; don’t rush it. These moments will pass faster than you think. And to my fellow Year 13s, we have less than a year left together. Let’s make it count. Because one day, all of this - the wins, the laughs, the regrets, and the friendships - will be memories. So, make the most of every moment while you still can.
In true OB’s fashion, I’ll end with a quote.
"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." – Dr. Seuss
