HANNAH MUELLER – 2014 SENIOR SPEECH
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. As Mr. Goodmonson introduced me, my name is Hannah Mueller, and as
a member of the senior class, I would like to welcome you to the 2014 Covington Latin School Open House. I would like
to take this moment to thank Mr. Woltering, our headmaster, and Mr. Goodmonson, our director of admissions, for
giving me this opportunity to speak on a subject that is so close to my heart: My beloved CLS.
I was first introduced to the CLS community at the 2009 open house. When my family and I toured the building
and met many teachers and students, I immediately knew that CLS was where I wanted to spend the next 5 years of my
life.
Covington Latin School is well known for its rigorous curriculum, but this is only one of the three tiers upon
which Covington Latin School stands. Our school motto is Bonitatem disciplinam et scientatem doce me, which translates
to teach me goodness, discipline, and knowledge. While giving students an excellent education is certainly one of the
central goals of Covington Latin, it is only one of three central values that are upheld and taught in our school
community. Today I would love to share with you how, with this excellent foundation of goodness, discipline, and
knowledge, CLS has prepared me not only for my future as a student, but also for any future endeavors I may wish to
pursue.
Scientatem: Knowledge. Of course, being an academic institution, CLS employs a curriculum that is focused on
preparing students for excellence as they continue their academic careers at some of the nation’s top Universities. The
classes which CLS offers students often integrate teaching styles that provoke intellectual conversation among students
and teacher, and invite students to study the subject matter further outside of the classroom. Our teachers’ enthusiasm
for their classes constantly inspires my peers and me to not only posses a love for the material, but also to find a career
that I love as much as they love teaching.
I plan to use the knowledge I have acquired at CLS as I begin classes in the fall at Western Kentucky University in
Bowling Green, KY. I will be attending on a full-tuition scholarship, I hope to gain entrance into the WKU honors college,
and I dream of traveling through the university’s study abroad program to study Latin while visiting the ruins of ancient
Rome. My fours years of Latin classes will provide me with a strong base for my dream of traveling the world.
Disciplinam: Discipline. Although Latin school is known throughout the region for its rigorous curriculum,
students are acquainted with much more than reading, writing, and arithmetic. At CLS, students are taught how to
study, how to speak, and how to solve difficult problems, whether they pertain to school subject matter, or difficulties
within his or her lives. Students are equipped with these essential life tools, which allow CLS graduates to excel
academically far beyond their high school years.
In addition to the traditional curriculum, CLS offers Juniors and Seniors Advanced Placement courses, so
students become well acclimated with the rigor of college courses, while receiving college credit for the class through
local universities, such as Thomas More College, Xavier University, and University of Cincinnati.
As I head off to college next year, I am not worried about an over-whelming course load that burdens many
university students. I know that my fantastic work ethic that I have developed as a Covington Latin student will allow me
to perform well in my university courses. Lastly, I would like to discuss how Latin School prides itself in producing the
next generation of leaders, as it provides students with the virtue of Goodness.
Bonitatem: Goodness. In order to graduate from Covington Latin School, all students must have completed a
minimum of 90 service hours. These service hours encourage students to find what they are passionate about, and teach
the students to utilize their natural abilities and interests in order to serve the school and the surrounding community.
Through service, students see goodness in others, as well as their own capability to bring goodness into the world.
As the official school of the Bishop of Covington, CLS provides a thoroughly Catholic education, so that students
may better know the love of Christ in the sacraments, and scriptures, as well as in the people whom we encounter in our
day-to-day lives. And even though CLS is a Catholic institution, more than 25% of the CLS student body is non-Catholic.
Discussing my religious beliefs with other students has taught me not only how to explain my faith and my beliefs, but
also to become more compassionate and accepting of those who do not have the same beliefs as me.
While Covington Latin teaches students the essence of goodness, it also prepares students to share this
goodness with the world through public speaking. In order to share all of their opinions, beliefs, and passions with the
world, leaders must know how to present themselves in front of large crowds. This is why CLS has found it to be so
important to teach students the art of public speaking. Covington Latin students take one speech class each year,
starting in their freshman year with famous speeches from American history, then storytelling in Sophomore year,
Shakespeare in Junior year, and in Senior year students compose original persuasive speech. By writing and performing
speeches, Covington Latin students not only learn how to write and perform speeches, but also how to present
themselves in the professional world.
Though I am two years younger than the average high school senior, I feel no less equipped, academically or
socially, for the college career in front of me. I currently take dance lessons, am a member of the City of Florence
Student Ambassadors, and work on a retreat team with other, more traditional, high school seniors, and I never have
trouble interacting on a social or intellectual level. In fact, I have been told several times that I am very mature for my
age, and many would never have guessed that I have skipped two grades.
Even from the first days of my Prep year, I have known CLS as my home, which I will be very sad to leave come
May 24th. And though I may be afraid that I will encounter huge obstacles as I begin my academic career at Western
Kentucky University this fall, I am sure that I will always have this unshakable foundation of goodness, discipline, and
knowledge to stand upon as I strive to achieve my goals .
As you, prospective students and parents, tour today, I encourage you to ask the faculty, parents, and students
any and all questions that you may have about CLS. Thank you all for visiting our school today and I wish you the best of
luck in your high school discernment process.
Thank You.