The Culture #2 (Revised)
Among the stillness of the town of Aurora in Ontario, Canada, a statue of Saint Andrew stands near the entrance of my school’s campus. Standing 4 ft 3 in tall, the statue is well hidden behind tree branches, only to be discovered by the determined. This statue of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland, reminds the school community of its Scottish heritage and to always stand by its values and integrity.
During the fifth-grade commencement ceremony, my class stood along the pews of the Memorial Chapel on St. Andrew’s College campus, listening to our school’s motto. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit ye like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done with charity.” My fifth-grade self tried and failed to make meaning of the ancient phrase. Nevertheless, I experienced a bevy of emotions: wonder, awe, and respect. As I took in the memorial, a tribute to the 104 Old Boys killed in action during WWI, I realized my next eight years would be spent here.
The more time I spent exploring the school’s past that shapes its culture today, the better I understand the phrase I encountered when I was ten. Past students had participated in the two great wars with the 48th Highlanders, a regiment with Scottish origins. Consequently, the Gaelic phrase “dileas gu brath,” meaning faithful forever, was adopted as the motto of the 142 St. Andrew’s College Highland Cadet Corps. My school remains one of the few schools in Canada to preserve its military traditions.
At our Annual Cadet Inspections, alumni, students, and faculty are brought together as we don our Gordon kilts and red tunics. As I witnessed peers and older students passing out as they stood still during the inspections, the tradition seemed, to say the least, interesting. However, this is what my community represents: a culture of brotherhood rooted in tradition. In this way, the school community consider ourselves family, battling through the academic, athletic, and personal challenges together. It is the culture of brotherhood that connects the school’s past to its existence today. And when our school’s regimental sergeant major yells “dileas,” we cadets, along with the thousands of visitors on campus, are united with our response, as we shout “gu brath!” I feel the words sinking deeper into my core as I repeat them more loudly every year — just as those who came before me have done so during their battles.
In this way, I see myself as a promoter of the very values instilled by my community. As I proudly wear the school’s crest on my blazer that depicts the Saltire, I am reminded of the school’s motto I heard in the chapel. My time at the school has revealed a personal meaning for this ancient phrase: it teaches me to remain faithful to my values of integrity, be brave and strong under hardship, and to always act with love. When I see people who need assistance on the train, I am more mindful of their needs and offer my seat to them. My commitment to my community has grown through my participation in the Global Youth Leaders organization, as I take care of the trees in surroundings parks, read books and play the saxophone to the elderly at centers, and share my Korean culture and its staple kimchi to new members of the school. My faith in myself and in those around me has built my confidence and motivated me to share my values with others to create a more connected and generous community. But most importantly, the many phrases that my school community has adopted provide a sense of connectedness and fulfillment that I’ve failed to experience elsewhere. The community and traditions that I’ve come to adopt as my own have motivated me through the toughest of times, allowing me to always strive for excellence.
