Good afternoon everyone. Friends, family, staff members, honored guests and fellow graduates. On behalf of the Grad Class of 2016, we were selected by our class to give some parting words. Today is our day. After thirteen years of knowing only these walls around us, our time here has come to an end. We are officially stepping forward into our futures. No longer united on one path, as we are now branching off on our own, taking our own paths. Thirteen years ago, we met for the first time. Along the way, some additions and some subtractions were made throughout; leaving us with the group you see before you. Throughout our high school journey, as a very dysfunctional family, many good and some not so good memories were made that shaped us into the people we are today. Most classes grow up together, uniting as a group; or a family. It would be a lie to say this also happened with our class, as we are all so different. Our class holds so much diversity, it makes sense why we don’t seem to mesh together smoothly. But that is what makes us unique. Like the pieces of a puzzle. Each piece in a puzzle is different. Not every piece fits together, but they all have their own place in the big picture. That is what symbolizes our class. A puzzle. We are all so unique, and diverse, but all together we all come to form the big picture. Even though we weren’t peas in a pod, there definitely are many memories we share together. Like the grade twelve bonding sessions that consisted of eating ice cream and cake in the foyer. Cassy having multiple hair styling requests each morning in homeroom, or the doggy piles on poor Dylan in gym class. I can say that having dance sessions in gym while Mr.Hardern tried to take us seriously is something I will... ... middle of paper ... ...came from or the memories we shared. Each of us now have our own goals, and we are wishing everyone luck when it comes to the journey that each and everyone one of us will take now. We will never forget this journey in our life that we have shared together. It is always difficult as things come to an end, and even more difficult to say goodbye, but we cannot look at this as goodbye. This is simply a farewell until we meet again. We wish you all the best in your futures and hope that everything you achieve is what you expected and more – as we know you are all going to do great things. Wherever you may go, never be afraid to accept challenges and take on all challenges you may face head on. And remember, life 's a dance, you learn as you go! Class of 2016, congrats to everyone! We did it, and always remember you will always be a piece in the big picture of our puzzle!
This speech is bigger than me... bigger than this graduating class... and the world surrounding us. It is an epiphany. This speech is for the little guy, the middle man and the guy who is always behind the scenes... For the past four years, we have seen stories, read newspaper articles, and have heard announcements about our star athletes, scholars and over achievers.
Class of 2012, we've finally made it, but not without the help of our parents, teachers and mentors along the way. Maybe what they did for us was that they were a good rudder and we're the ship, and they got us to the sea where we remember who we are. Because we all get in that fog, where we forget who we are or what we're about, we get overwhelmed. I mean I've been there plenty of times in my life. But we're not going to remember most of our lives until the end. But we will remember certain moments. Maybe it's our first 4.0 report card, maybe it's our first 100 percent biology test, maybe it's our first homerun, our first touchdown. Whatever it may be, it will stay with us forever. Many of us have been together through elementary, middle and high school, and we have all had to work hard and remain focused to be where we are today. All change happens in a minute. Your life changes in a moment. Something triggers you and you finally make a decision and it all shifts. As years go by, your body is going to change, your relationships are going to change, your attitude is going to change. Change is automatic, but progress is not. Our progress has brought us here tonight, and tonight will become one of those moments that we will cherish forever.
I hope that you can see my education and future are advancing as we speak. This doesn’t mean I haven’t had a few bumps in the road, because I have. Actually, some of the bumps have unfortunately been financial aid. But, I am growing. It is a day to day continual experience of growth and it’s exciting for me to see where it takes me. Again, thank you for this opportunity and all the work you do as an organization.
Invited back to my alma mater, Fair Avenue Elementary, I was asked to say a few words, any words, on high school and graduating.
It is an achievement shared by many groups of people who have likewise endured with us. Allow me to say thank you to all the parents, grandparents, relatives and guardians who have painstakingly cared for all the graduates. You have given us your unconditional love. You have guided and supported us emotionally and financially. When the times were hard, you were there to believe us. You made us sustain our belief in ourselves. And when we fail, you have assured us. You have spent the majority of your lives making things easy for us, making sure that we have the best of
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.
As senior year comes to an end and we walk away from high school into a much bigger and more complicated world, we should not leave our years at Tree without reflecting on time spent here together and remembering what we have observed across the country, especially in the last year.
Graduates congratulate yourselves on a job well done. Sitting here tonight shows a great deal of work and dedication. Seriously, look back on what you have done in just that last four years, let alone what you have accomplished in all your years of school. It is astounding what we have done. Congratulations, your perseverance has finally paid off. But also, we must remember to thank our parents, for it has been with their help and support that we have achieved our goal.
At the beginning of this year I never would have imagined that I would be graduating with my class, let alone giving this speech. I was nearly two years behind on credits and expecting to graduate at least a semester late. However, because of the dedicated staff at Haysville High School, I am graduating today.
You have spent the last four years enriching our lives with knowledge and intellect that will remain with us the rest of our lives. But you’ve been more than just educators; you’ve been role models to all of us. You have gone above and beyond what is required of you as a teacher, and your dedication to your careers certainly shows. In fact, I am probably one of the few valedictorians this year that can thank my teachers for NOT threatening to go on strike! You have provided examples of strong leadership, creativity, and Christian character. You have supported us through car accidents and sports injuries, and everything in between. For all of this, we thank
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.
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.
... thought that maybe we won’t be friends or even know each other in the future. Unexpectedly, we all had these feelings of fondness for a place we a come to despise and couldn’t wait to leave. Why would that happen to us? We all realized that in this moment we’re growing up but are far from “grown up.” Suddenly, there is a flash of light and in that moment I knew that the three of us would be separated for the rest of the day, maybe our lives. The flash brought everything back. It gave us a reason to go back into the hallway and meaninglessly chat with our friends. After we left that room we were still sharing a moment together but in a different sort of way. The picture was there and we had superficial thoughts but the graduation was so much more. It marked a major time in our lives and sent us off into the future. No longer were we the next generation because we were being sent off into the grown up world. Would we all still be appreciated? How is the world going to receive three naive girls who don’t know anything? All these questions were to be asked and to be forgotten because we got caught up in the moment. The picture marks that time in our past and an important time it was.
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.
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.