What being a Mercy girl is all about
Gaby Sutherland
This past year our school theme was “Be That Girl.” The tie between “Be That Girl” and “Be That Mercy Girl” lies within the deeper, significant meanings of our everyday life.
For us, to “Be That Mercy Girl” means to lead your life with compassion, love and selflessness.
Mercy has taught us to “Be That Mercy Girl” by showing compassion through our faith. From the beginning, our teachers gave us guidance and skills so we are well prepared once we leave high school.
We did a variety of different services throughout the years, learning different valuable lessons throughout it all. When we worked directly with our community, it showed us how to show empathy in everything we do whether that’s helping young kids, the elderly or the less fortunate. We are doing exactly what God has intended for us.
Throughout these years, girls grew to know more about sisterhood and being “That Mercy Girl” through extracurriculars and the house system. Sports, clubs, productions and everything we all do help us build connections and support systems. Mercy students are so blessed to know each other and to be guided here.
The house communities have continued to be a highlight of the Mercy experience. Seeing ideas come to life when working together, like the bleacher dances and the hype videos, emphasize how highly we all think of each other.
Whether celebrating big or small events, the students make every moment meaningful. At the end of the day, we are one community. We strive to support each other no matter the circumstance because that is our incredible community.
God has led us to know our strengths and weaknesses, and our strength is the love we show to those around us.
The Mercy community is tightly knit because we, the students, make it possible. Being “That Mercy girl” means not just co-existing, but caring for each other and celebrating each other’s achievements. Through the challenges and discomfort that we know God will guide us
through, we’ve learned that while change is hard, the growth on the other side is worth the slight discomfort we may feel.
That’s what being that Mercy girl is all about: the ability to change, adapt and use our experiences to become better versions of ourselves.
Now, in my senior year, there is only one big question: What next? That question feels heavy. It feels like freshman year all over again. But, just like a similar situation four years ago, we can overcome these worries again.
Our families, teachers, the administration, coaches and classmates have given us the strength to go out in this world and make a real change. The girls at Mercy are “That Mercy Girl” who are well-equipped to handle any challenge head-on.
People often say there is no rush — a vital lesson for those of us struggling to see the value in taking our time. While the next chapter is exciting, we can only truly experience it if we stay present.
Remember: Life is not a race, and your journey is yours alone. You are doing exactly what you need to be doing, at exactly the pace you were meant to move. And if the world ever feels too challenging, remember that you can always come home.
You are surrounded by love, and you will always have a faith-filled community that is rooting for you. God has known you since before you were born. God knows you are capable of more than you know, so aim high. Now, you are “able to lead and willing to serve.”
Becoming empowered at Mercy Academy
Madison Hulsewede
To the students, faculty, parents, grandparents and graduates reading, this is Madison Hulsewede, and she is one of the many graduates of the class of 2026 at Mercy Academy.
One word she would use to describe her graduating class is empowered. The class of 2026 has always been passionate about their beliefs and talents, dedicated to helping the community.
This class has grown so much since its freshman year. They have expressed themselves through clubs, sports and extracurricular activities. One of Madison’s major involvements at Mercy was theater. There was one prop she used in a show that stood out to her — a golden mask from Cinderella’s ball. In the show, Cinderella uses this mask to hide her true identity, because she is scared of the prince seeing her true self.
The mask always made Madison think of her first day as a freshman at Mercy: She walked in feeling excited, anxious and nervous, hesitant to show her true self yet, much like many of her classmates probably did.
As years went by, everyone became empowered through reflections, retreats and leadership positions. Each of their masks slowly started to dissolve as they continued to get involved, revealing their true personalities.
Once senior year came along, they felt their masks completely slip away. From freshman year to their senior year, the class of 2026 has all individually grown our voices and thoughts from classes, service and school-wide events.
Mercy taught the graduating seniors to build up their strength when situations got tough so they could become positive leaders in many shapes and forms in their career path.
Much like most of the class, Madison was taught many valuable leadership skills from empowering mentors whom she had looked up to for many years. All of us have that one special person in our lives who inspired us to use our voice.
Think of a mentor who has effectively shaped one’s life. While taking a moment to think about those mentors, reflect on how they have stepped up — helping each of us grow throughout these past four years. The class of 2026 has looked up to so many models when we were freshmen. Now, they have all served as those models to the underclassmen this year.
Graduation is more than a milestone; it’s a reminder of how far this graduating class has come. We learned to feel empowered, set new goals and to stand up for what is right. Change can cause nerves, even possibly having to put on that mask again when entering the next chapter of the career path, and that’s okay. Being vulnerable and opening up to others, letting the mask fall away, shows true empowerment.
The connections made here at Mercy will continue to stay strong for a lifetime. Congratulations to Mercy’s class of 2026.
