We are to leave here today with a new set of wings. Wings of which we have crafted through our years of attending school. Some will soar high with their strong wings built of good personality and hard work; others will glide through life needing repairs. If we leave here today with one thing, let it be the power to achieve the goals that we’ve set forth for ourselves. Most of us have been helped through our four years at Big Falls, whether it be Bridgette Moore with advice on life, Mr. Bridgett checking if you’re on track to graduate, Mr. Young always letting your flaws stand out, Mr. Nrure pushing you to not make any bad decisions and especially Mr. Floss who taught me that a woman can go beyond the stereotypes and learn how to weld. It’s now time for us all to build our own lives and express our true individuality. Think for a moment about all that we’ve accomplished; we’re a strong group of kids with a world of hope waiting for our true colors to shine through. Together we’re a rainbow in the sky. Life has put in front of us many doors, it is only up to us to build behind those doors. Fellow graduates — let’s show society what can be made out of our time and fly out of here today with your wings spread wide, your head held high and your hopes as bright as sunshine. Let your dreams lead the way, only stopping to make the best of everything. Let’s take what we’ve learned throughout the past 13 years and astound the world with our minds. With all the rivers to choose from, surely one will bring you to an ocean of opportunities. Take time to thank all those who have been there for you and helped your journey run more smoothly. Take time to thank your family for being strong and holding you up, and especially take time to thank yourself for only being the individual you are.
As our time together draws to a close, I leave LHS with no further anecdotes of wisdom or quotes dealing with success; only the sincere hope that you immersed yourself in the essence of commencement. Everybody, we’ll all be graduates by the time we leave tonight. Let’s enjoy it. Congratulations to the Lee High School Class of 2006.
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.
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:
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!
You see, I won’t tell you today to: “Dare to dream” or “Find your own vision” or even to “Strive for excellence,” or any trite cliché that’s ever been said in a graduation speech. So this might not be your typical commencement. I have no list of “Do’s and Don’ts” for you. I don’t have any funny stories about politicians or teachers. I don’t have any jokes, nor do I have any interesting quotes from real famous people. And so you may be wondering. Why?
As you inhale the aggregate odor of your senior class for the last time, I’m sure there are many burning questions racing through your minds: “Will I find my place in the world?” If you’re lucky. “Am I really going to graduate a virgin?” Yeah, probably. “Who is that incredibly handsome young man addressing us, and how long do we have the privilege of listening to him?” Howdy, Andrew Gonzales here, and hopefully not long; I realize that your robes are making you sweat, your thongs are making you uncomfortable, and my use of the words “virgin” and “thongs” is making your parents sweaty and uncomfortable.
A boy once approached Socrates with the desire to obtain wisdom. Without saying a word, Socrates led the boy down to the edge of the sea and walked in, beckoning him to follow. When they were standing waist deep in the water, Socrates pushed the boy down, completely submerging his head. He held him thus for a couple of minutes, until the boy was almost to the point of death, before letting him up. Sputtering and angry, the boy demanded to know why Socrates had held him underwater for so long. In response, Socrates asked, "when you were under the water, what did you want more than anything in the world?"
Welcome to all of you who have come to share this special evening with us. My name is John and I am a member of the graduating class of 2012. Standing here tonight is a surprise to me and to many who knew me. At one point, after making some mistakes and losing my sense of self, I dropped out of school. With my parents’ urging me, I enrolled at Alternative High School. I came to this school with the hope that I’d graduate on time. I knew that I would have to change, so I set goals to achieve perfection and I achieved it. As many of you may know, I am now perfect in every way, shape, and form...
I would like to thank all of you for coming on such short notice. After all, 18 years hardly seems like enough time to prepare for graduation. In fact, as I stand up here and looking at all of my classmates, I wonder if I am ready to graduate.
Being Marefat's first graduating class to complete all four years, one can say we've acquired a higher level of school wisdom than any previous class. We've formed traditions, we've set records, and we've made a lot of friends along the way. I remember our freshman year when we could use the excuse of being a new school for every shortcoming we encountered. I remember our sophomore year, the last time I cleaned my bedroom, when Marefat had its first senior class, and the school seemed to shrink for some reason. Last year we were the juniors, and we conquered the SAT tests: And made it through those busy days where you hadn't quite found room in your schedule to pencil in a bathroom break, dinner or sleep. Well, this year we were the kings and queens, there was Star Wars, Starbucks, and a certain football team lost its winning streak to the mighty Knights. Looking back we can see our accomplishments and the marks we made. Now, we must take all that we have learned in our years at Marefat and apply it to our future. Just as we have set traditions here, we must enter the world ready to tackle new problems and work out new solutions. We are the ones who can break all of those records that have been set, and have our names etched in history. It's our turn -- the world is ours and we just have to decide what we want to do with it.
Good Afternoon. As I stand here today I see many amazing students; I see scholar-athletes, I see 4.0 GPA’s, I see 1st chairs in orchestra and band, I see D1 bound athletes, I see amazing videographers and I see soon to be Northwood High School graduates. All of you are qualify as successful high school students. All of you are moving on to the next step in life; let that be college of some sorts, or anything else. In such a speech it is traditional for me to now say something inspirational, so now I will follow the long established tradition and have a message for you. Those labels, the ones I opened with, the 4.0 GPAs, scholar athletes, yada yada yada, those are all irrelevant now. You are moving passed high school, you are all equal whether you had a 4.2 or a 3.2. High school is just a step, a step in the never ending stair case of life. You perfect high school students are now in the real world, exposed, vulnerable, without mommy and daddy. Do not think your life is over because high school is over. You may experience hardship for the first time in your life, but moving forward remember this. Remember this when you graduate college, remember this when you get fired from your job, remember this until the day
But I have learned so much from both the hardships and the happiness. I’ve learned how to be strong on my own; I’ve gotten to know myself. I’ve learned how inspiring my peers are, and have thus made a greater effort if recent semesters to find more balance in my life. I’ve discovered that, cliché as it may be, good things come when you least expect them. Georgetown has taught me to put myself out there, to take risks, and to not be afraid of failure. While my classes have also been incredibly valuable, these are lessons that I will carry with me throughout the rest of my life. I look back on freshman me, wishing I could tell that young, timid version of myself how much is to come—how the college experience, especially at a place like Georgetown is so much more important than GPA, image, and becoming CEO of a club. It’s about making memories that will last a lifetime and discovering who you are and who you want to
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.
As freshman, we came home from school with the mentality that we were no longer children, but rather had entered into a new stage of life. Everything seemed different and new; we weren’t the big kids on campus anymore. We no longer were the persons being looked up to, but rather were the persons looking up to an entire school of older students. We remember joining our firsts clubs, going to dances, and having Orientation days.
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.