Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
A short graduation speech
Best student graduation speech
A short graduation speech
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: A short graduation speech
Good evening. Some of you out there may not realize this but those of you who attended Suntime Middle School have been with this guy for the last seven years. I would like to ask you all, not just Suntime Middle School grads and who all else, to join me in thanking Mr. Weather for his patience and dedication to the success of our education over the years. We are the Class of 2000. The first graduating class of the new millennium. The past four years have been pretty wild. We started out as a bunch of rats in a small cage, but as time went by we learned and matured and became big rats in a new small cage, but in any case, the cage door is now opening; the handlers turning us wild things loose. As we leave "Where the Wild Things Are," home to some of the best cat fights, fist fights and food fights this side of the Cascades, I have a little surprise for all of you sitting in front of me here tonight in your caps and gowns … we ain’t seen nothing yet!
One of my favorite books when I was little was "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak. I’m sure many of you here tonight are quite familiar with it. It is about a young boy named Max who loves to dress up in his wolf suit and cause trouble. When his mother disapproves, Max creates a world of make-believe with his imagination in which he is king of all wild things. Here he is accepted and revered for his savage behavior. I loved it in my younger days because of the pictures of the big monsters and was jealous of the boy who got the chance to live with them. I always wanted to be that boy. To be a "wild thing," carefree, with no responsibilities or authority figure to answer to.
"The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mischief of one kind and another his mother called hi...
... middle of paper ...
...ere he found his supper waiting for him and it was still hot." It is now time to step out of high school and enter a world of choices. It is time to leave "where the wild things are," taking our experiences, memories and knowledge and follow our hearts and dreams. It is time to give thanks to all who have supported and helped us down this path. Thank your friends for being there for you, thank your teachers for preparing you, thank your parents for guiding you and thank all others who always made sure your supper was still hot.
So as you hop in your sailboat and follow to where good smelling things are to eat, remember what you’ve learned from being in the world of the wild things. Take this experience and utilize it towards your future, because I guarantee you that what lies ahead for us is gonna make being a wild thing look like a walk in the park. Thank you.
Where The Wild Things Are is, in my opinion, one of the best coming of age stories there is. It deals with heavy topics in such a light manner that it actually makes the whole experience enjoyable for us readers. This story depicts a young boy named Max who is unruly and is constantly wearing pajamas that make him look like a wolf. When Max yells to his mother that he is going to eat her up it upsets her and he is sent to his room without any dinner. When he gets to his room it starts to morph into a forrest. He takes a small boat and sails for weeks and weeks and almost a year until he arrives at mysterious place where the wild things are. In his wolf pajamas, the Wild Things mistake him to be a beast like they are. After many attempts or trying to intimidate Max without success, Max yells at them to be still and looks the beasts straight in their yellow eyes without blinking once. Impressed with Max, the beasts decide to make him the king of the wild things.
When I was in elementary school, I loved to read. I was a total nerd back then ... okay maybe I still am, but one thing has changed. Now I don't so much like reading. My favorite poet was Shel Silverstein, who wrote "Where the Sidewalk Ends." He seemed like he was a total hippie, but that's cool because I like hippies. My grandma is a recovering hippie. I like her too. Anyway, Shel Silverstein wrote about the coolest things. He wrote about magical erasers, eating whales and a boy with long hair flying away from people who were taunting him. He captured all of the things that I loved without knowing that I actually loved them. Now you may ask, how does this hippie relate to our graduation? Well, he wrote a poem entitled "Traffic Light" and this is how it goes:
Wow, three years have passed and the last day is just as long as the first. Three years of hard discipline and learning to get used to homework every night. Three years of standing on the front steps waiting for my parents and saying goodbye to my teachers. I never thought the goodbye might be permanent. 6th grade came and I was looking up at those giant 8th graders, and now I guess I’m one of them. 6th grade, and I was saying hello, and now 8th grade has come and it’s gone from introductions to goodbyes as my last days as a middle school student wind down.
Everyone knows that being a kid is not always easy and that it's not always fun and games all the time. Where the Wild Things Are, written by Maurice Sendak, tells the story of a little boy named Max who is sent up to his room after being scolded at by his mother. Without being fed dinner and having to go to bed without it, his room magically transformed into a forest. He later befriended the beasts named “The Wild Things” and he also became their leader. After realizing that he missed home, he said his goodbyes to the beasts and travel back to his room. When he returned, he spotted that his mother left food for him on his desk and that food was still hot. Max goes through this self-realization story, like many kids do, in which he learns that his parents are always looking out for him and doing the best for him. He also learns that you cannot run away from your problems, but you have to face them head on.
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote, "You are a very special person - become what you are." These words encourage us, the graduating class of 2012, to recognize the goodness and potential in each and every one of us and to go out and excel in the world. We are a diverse group of different aspirations and backgrounds, bound for different corners of the earth to carve out our won individual niches. Before we leave behind Lee Falls High School and each other, we must ask ourselves how we have become who we are.
The book, Where the Wild Things Are, was published over 50 years ago and it is still being read everyday! This book is about Max, the main character, getting into his own imagination after being rude to his mother and being sent to bed early. In his imagination, he comes across some monsters and Max is their king. He soon understands through the monsters, how his mother felt when he was rude and learns that she cares a lot about him. The author, Maurice Sendak, is trying to convey that even when you disrespect and treat the ones who truly love and comfort you terribly, they will always be there for you.
When one thinks of a children's picture book, one usually thinks of bright colors and a story that involves a princess and a prince charming. One of the most classic children's books, Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are, however, neither uses bright colors nor a traditional love story. Instead the readers meet a young boy, Max, who, when sent to his room without dinner, imagines a far off land. We meet his friends, "the wild things", and learn that Max is the "most wild thing of all". Those aforementioned trends are not the only aspects that set Where The Wild Things Are apart from other children's picture books. Its structure, plot, and message all contribute to the individuality of this particular children's book.
The opportunities offered me during my four years at County High have been amazing. I have begun to understand all the potential I have to live life. I don't believe it takes a trip abroad to realize all we take for granted here in Hometown, USA. However, amongst the clutter that fills our lives, seldom do we choose to stop and reflect. Today is one day we intentionally set aside for the sentimentality we rarely experience. In only a few months, many of the graduates in front of you will leave home for universities, travel, or jobs. Today is not only your day to acknowledge our accomplishments, but also a time for us to acknowledge all you have given us.
Are you ready for the real world? Will I am ready, and I want to help you out. ... I want to pump you up! Tonight marks a turning point in our lives as young adults. This milestone of graduating with a high school education has come at last. And yet, knowledge does not exist solely in scholarly facts, but more so in the relationships and friendships that we have forged along the way. Albert Schweitzer once said, "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." As I look at the graduating class of 2012 I am reminded of the unique gifts each one of us has to offer the world. We are artists, poets, playwrights, comedians, singers, musicians and athletes. We are dreamers, believers, thinkers and doers. We are strong-minded, determined, truth-seeking, hardworking and compassionate. But who showed us the way along our journey, and how do we know if we are staying the course? Family has and always will be one of the most important things in our lives. Look around this gymnasium and take in the love and support that our parents, friends, teachers and administrators are showing for us by sharing with us this special night. Here at Young, parents and teachers have had an unspoken agreement of joint custody for years. Whether that be tucking us into our bed at night or tucking us into our desk in the morning. We will never forget the words of encouragement. I will always remember Mr. Gann's "You miss school, you miss out," or Mr. Fellows' "Lack of planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part." I don't have to think hard to remember the smell of freshly baked hoagie bread on Wednes...
Good evening parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends. I would like to thank you all for coming to this very special day. I know how proud you must be. As we have grown over the years, there are many stages we all have gone through. From learning our shapes and colors, to getting our first kiss in middle school, or how about explaining to our parents why we skipped school because the principal called home. As we remember these days, things that we've done will be with us forever. But this is only the start of our journey. The day has come where we say goodbye to the big yellow buses, assemblies, assigned seating, and attendance policies. Are you really gonna miss it? For some of us maybe not right away. But eventually we will so for us to be here it is not necessarily an achievement, but a privilege. All of us have been in school over half our lives. To graduate is one more step we've taken in our lives.
As the days go by the bell of graduation rings, Therefor I am happy I had the time to share with you the amazing exeprience I had my sophomore to senior
For the past 13 years of our education we have been on a journey - a journey full of experiences, challenges and accomplishments. We have made it through elementary, middle and high school. It hasn't always been what we expected and certainly not easy, but as we progressed down the road, we stretched ourselves to reach across barriers and found ourselves in new and expanding roles. We were given the opportunity to explore our interests and discover what really excites us. We have become more independent and complete individuals. Our growth and self-discovery has placed us here tonight.
You know, it is really strange how quickly time passes, after spending my whole childhood wishing I was an adult, now here we are and it's a little hard to grasp. It feels like just yesterday I was standing here in the same position at eighth grade graduation. Ahh, middle school, such a joyous time for all of us, free of maturity and not a care in the world. The biggest decisions I ever had to make then was deciding which group to stand with at passing time and choosing which shirt from my extensive collection of Stussy and No Feat apparel to wear. We were all naive to the danger that lurked just around the corner. We were unaware that the carefree world we lived in was about to come crashing to the ground in a blazing inferno of real school work and responsibility ... otherwise known as high school.
Let me begin by saying that I am very honored to be addressing the County High School Class of 2012 as students of this institution for the last time. We've spent these last four years creating some serious memories: four years of chieftain power, leaking roofs, questionable Homecoming skits, and musical principals. Four years of good teachers, bad teachers, new teachers, old teachers. Four years of youth, music, growing up and breaking free. Four rubber chickens, four yearbooks, four ASB presidents and four chubby bunnies.
Graduation: the last day that I would unwillingly set foot on the fields of Horizon High School. I could feel my heart beating out of my chest, and tried so hard to keep my feet moving one after the other in order to maintain my perfect stature. After the two hour wait of opening speeches, class songs, and the calling off of the five hundred plus names that were in front of me, it was finally my turn. As my row stood up and we walked towards the stage it had set in at last, this is it, I am done. My high school career ended on that night, but it didn’t close the book that is my life, it only started a new chapter, and with it came a whole slue of uncertainties.