As a school, we have the extraordinary gift of a great name: Trojan. The name Trojan serves to reinforce the values which we hold to such a high standard. Among our values are honor, determination, and effort in every endeavor, not only in our daily lives, but on the field and in the classroom. The Ancient Trojans upheld their belief in those values by, according to legend, lasting for ten long years against the might of a unified Greece led by the militaristic city-state of Sparta. And even against those odds, it took trickery to bring the Trojans’ downfall. During that decade, the Trojans showed their determination to hold the momentous walls of Troy, they showed respect and honor when engaged in battle, and they demonstrated remarkable courage in the face of a terrifying enemy. However, above all else, the Trojans of yore put all of their effort into their war, their struggle for success; they gave it everything they had, and even though Troy eventually fell, the survivors went on to found Rome.

Before we can understand how the Ancient Trojans reflect us, we must first understand who they were. While the city of Ancient Troy was founded on the coast of Northwest Turkey in about 3000 BCE, it really came into its own around 2550 BCE. At that time, the city of Troy had massive walls of cut stone and houses which were fit for the gods. The city wasn’t poor either. On the contrary, archaeologists have found treasures in the remains of Troy which showcase the splendor which the city basked in. During the events depicted in Homer’s famed works, The Illiad and The Odyssey, the city of Troy withstood the Greek onslaught for ten years before, with the infamous deception from the Greek forces through the use of the Trojan Horse, Troy fell. However, their story does not end there; as depicted in The Aeneid, Virgil’s great work, Aeneas, a survivor of Troy, along with a small band of other survivors, founded what is perhaps the most influential city in all of Europe: Rome.

Our current values which we stand by in this school are reflected in a similar fashion to the ancient denizens of Troy. Our athletes show their determination, courage, and skill on the playing field while our full-time students demonstrate their ambition to succeed and their ability to put their knowledge to use. Both parties can, and do, put these values into a practical application outside of school. By using those values and integrating them into our everyday lives, we can achieve success in whatever form it may take.

The success that Trojan values will bring us will differ from person to person, as most things do. For the Trojans of Ancient Troy, success could have been surviving the Trojan War, building an empire, or something as simple as cooking a good meal for dinner. Likewise, success for you or me means something entirely different than to anyone else. You may shoot for financial success, I may wish to win a Nobel Prize, and your friend Jimmy may just want to be happy. Each of those goals are just as viable as the others, and all of them can be achieved by putting those Trojan values to work.

We cannot, of course, forget the teachers and staff who dedicate their time and ability to enriching our lives and nurturing the values which we hold so dear. The teachers of GNA do not just leave us with memorized facts, they also leave is with wisdom which helps us in life, whether it be your science teacher teaching you how the scientific method can be applied in everyday life or my history teacher saying the common, but true, phrase that we must learn history or we are doomed to repeat it. The teachers here at Greater Nanticoke Area are like a second set of parents, always passing on their experience, wisdom, and knowledge to better society and our lives.

Today, we possess the same spirit that the Ancient Trojans possessed during their tenures in the spotlight, and it’s not too hard to find. It is embodied by the students and staff here at GNA who give it their all in their every endeavor and apply their values for the betterment of themselves and those around them. Trojan Spirit is capable of driving people to do great things, whether it be winning the state championship, defending the walls of Troy, or getting a 100 on that test. All that we need to do is apply the values that are embodied in the Trojan Spirit.