Senior Peyton Gendall's Address to Pacifica's Newest Seawolves
August 20th, 2026
At Pacifica's Dedication Service, senior Peyton Gendall welcomed new freshmen with a message on courage, grace, and truth. Read her poignant words below.
Good Evening,
My name is Peyton Gendall, and I am about to begin my senior year. I am here as a fellow student, filled with gratitude for my first three years at Pacifica, filled with excitement to welcome you all, and eager to extend some words of counsel from someone who once sat where you are now.
This past summer, my family and I were in the Canadian Rockies, and one of the many beautiful places we saw was a famous mountain called Snow Dome in the Columbia Ice Fields. It is not one of the tallest mountains - at only 11,000 feet - but it is famous because it is capped by a glacier that supplies water that flows to three different oceans. It is known as an apex mountain - one of only two on this continent. Some of Snow Dome’s water makes its way into streams that feed the Columbia River, which ultimately empties out into the Pacific Ocean. Some enters streams that feed the Athabasca River which flows north – through the Mackenzie Basin – and ultimately into the Arctic Ocean. Some water flows into the Nelson River basin to converge with the North Saskatchewan River all the way to the Hudson Bay, then out to the Atlantic Ocean. It is astounding to think of how far those waters travel, and how different their travels are.
Let’s pretend that today we are that glacier on top of Snow Dome. Though you will be together for the next four years, you will each be formed in different ways that will set you on course for the oceans of your future.
Will you take steps of courage and faith?
In a few weeks the entire Pacifica student body will be headed off to Arizona for our all school retreat. Looking back on my freshman year, retreat was an incredibly formative experience into the rest of my time here at Pacifica. I encourage you to be bold. When stepping onto the bus, challenge yourself. Sit with someone new and take the opportunity to get to know them. You’re embarking on this beautiful high school journey together, so make the most of every connection. In your retreat cabins you will talk about life. You will discuss the joy that life brings, but you will also discuss its hardships and learn how to best support each other. I ask each of you to not be afraid of being vulnerable. During my junior year I was placed in a cabin with some of my best friends, along with some classmates I was still getting to know. We had some of the most beautiful conversations that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. We talked while sitting in wonder and awe of the creation that was around us. We talked about the love of Christ and what faith actually means to us. We talked about how each person has meant so much to us throughout the years at Pacifica, even if we didn't see each other everyday. We all took steps of courage to be vulnerable in the cabin, but the best part about the Pacifica community is that you never have to do courageous things alone. When your heart is willing, God will use it. When you step out in courage and faith, He will meet you there.
Will you take steps of courage and faith?
Here is my second question:
Will you receive grace and truth?
As new students, you are entering into a community that is different than any you have entered before, and here is why: this is a community that is relentlessly committed to a shared experience of God’s grace and truth. Yes, this is the Pacifica motto, but it is much more than that. It is a daily, moment-by-moment recognition that all truth belongs to a wise and benevolent God who knows each of our stories, beginning to end, and whose heart of love is expressed in the giving of his Son for our redemption. Our experience of grace and truth, then, is not limited to the classroom, but is meant to be lived out in our sports teams, performing arts productions, our STEM clubs, and on the Knight Quad.
What does it look like to live in grace and truth?
It means that we challenge and pursue one another. We serve and sacrifice on one another’s behalf. We allow each other to make mistakes, but we take responsibility and seek forgiveness when mistakes happen.
It means that our confidence does not come from our intellect, our accomplishments, or our social influence, but it comes from our recognition that we are made in the image of God, and made to walk in fullness of joy.
When we are confronted by challenges and obstacles - as we inevitably will be - we are humble enough to seek help, and to lean on our teachers and peers. When someone comes to us for help, we remain committed to them and we speak to them the wisdom and grace of God.
Will you take steps of courage and faith? Will you receive grace and truth?
My third and final question is this:
Will you be a good steward of this opportunity?
Our theme for this year at Pacifica is… Be present. Everyone in this room, you, your family, and the people beside you have worked so hard to get where you are sitting right now. Take a moment to soak everything in. You are entering high school. This moment is a gift, and like any gift, what you do with it matters. Don't let a moment, or these years, pass you by. I believe that being thankful is how we honor and steward the time we've been given. Speak kindness while you have the chance. Encourage one another because that is what Christ calls us to do. Don’t ever be afraid to raise your hand in class, we are all learning together. I invite you to live in wisdom, humility, kindness and generosity while you are here at Pacifica.
In the guidance and wisdom of God, on a warm afternoon - in May of 2030 (or earlier for some of you!) - you will be sent out from this place having been known, loved, shaped and challenged by our staff, faculty, teachers, coaches, and friends. You will then head out into different oceans, like the waters of the Snow Dome glacier. My yearning for each of you - and my words of welcome to you - are a hope that you will be able to take joy (when your time here is done) in the ways that you deepened and enriched this community. We believe that you will!
We are so thankful for each of you, and we are excited to welcome you to Pacifica!
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