Let the Acronym “S.m.i.l.e.” be your guide for a memorable school year

The following essay is the speech Student Council President Alayna Neal ’25 shared during our convocation on the first day of school, August 21, 2024.

Good morning and welcome to the 2024-25 school year! I am honored to welcome you all to your next year at Prep! To all of the new faculty, staff, and students who are joining us this year, welcome! I am so excited to see you embark on your Prep journey and I hope to meet all of you. And to those who are returning for their second or seventh year at Prep, it’s nice to see you all again!

The first day of school can bring a whirlwind of emotions ~ excitement, nervousness, anticipation, and hopefully joy. But, no matter how you are feeling in this moment, I hope you look towards your year at Prep with an open mind and a smile.

This will be my seventh year at Prep, and through my years here, I have gained invaluable experiences and lessons that have shaped who I am today. As we embark on this school year, I would like to share some advice to help you make the most of your time here. You will be surprised how fast the year will be over, so I want you to embrace slowing down and living in the moment. To help you remember this, I’ve created an acronym: SMILE, which stands for Support, Meet, Immerse, Laugh, and Exhale.

SMILE: Support, Meet, Immerse, Laugh, and Exhale

Support, be there for yourself, your friends, and peers. I know the feeling of realizing an assignment is due at 11:59 or gluing a project together the night before, but no matter the instance, my friends and teachers have always been there when I need them. The entire Prep community is supportive of you and will always uplifts one another. So, I encourage you all to be there for your friends and peers because together you all can accomplish more than what you can on your own.

Meet, befriend the people around you. The small size of the Prep community harbors the opportunity for you to meet everyone around you. Reach out to the person who sits next to you in math class, talk with new people in the fishbowl, and spark a conversation with someone you think you might not share something in common with. You will be surprised by the friendships you will share with those around you, the support they show, and all the memories you will make together.

Immerse, immerse yourself in new experiences by stepping outside your comfort zone. My favorite memories at Prep come from trying new things like joining a club, exploring a different sport, enrolling in an intriguing class, or participating in school events. These experiences are rewarding, challenging, fun, and contribute so much to your journey at Prep. I encourage you to take the leap into new opportunities—you might just discover something you love.

Laugh, for me this goes without saying but try to laugh every day. Laugh with your friends and even yourself. Always to stay light and cherish the present.

Exhale, I have a teacher who always says, “inhala, exhala” that saying has been stuck in my head since 10^th grade but it constantly serves as a reminder to breath and ease the stress. I know that you all will be very busy this year, but it is important to remember that you are teenagers, and you should not be stressed every day. Time moves by fast and it is okay to not worry about your next game, test, or great thing you will accomplish. So, whether you remind yourself to “inhala, exhala” remember to work hard but find ways to live in the moment.

I hope one of these words resonates with you and leaves an impact on how you will make the most of your year at Prep. As you navigate this new school year, always remember to SMILE—Support, Meet, Immerse, Laugh, and Exhale.

Alayna is a senior from St. Cloud. Besides student council, she is part of the tennis team, National Honor Society and Mock Trial.
Alayna is the daughter of Michelle and John Neal and the older sister of Alyjah ’28 and Alyese ’39.