Good evening and welcome to the commencement ceremonies of the class of 2006. It has been a long journey, somewhere around 18 years, but we've finally reached the piece de resistance of our high school years. I'm not very good at this sentimental thing, so I scratched up a little poem. Ladies and Gentleman, may I present to you, "Ode to the Class of '06." ODE TO THE CLASS OF 2012 'Twas the night of graduation, and under the steeple there were very, very emotional people. Thoughts of the future, thoughts of the past, memories which will always last. It all started when we walked through the door, How many years ago? -- -- "Oh it was four!" Freshman year we started as prepubescent teens, with backwards caps and saggy jeans. We went through the teachers, one-by-one Until we got the reputation of "being too much fun." Religion for example, is a class where we behaved badly, Mr. Blanchett's good byes were given quite gladly. And so sophomore year came, like the soft summer wind, and the memories of how badly we sinned, faded away like an old pair of jeans. In fact we were maturing, maturing as teens. A new student joined us, who thought he was a preacher, Oh, wait, I'm sorry, he was a teacher. His name was Thinen. Junior year arrived, and hence came harder classes, but on a good note, gone were the smart-asses. We matured, and conquered, and came out of our shell. And shed the title, "Class from Hell." Having a blast and emerging as leaders, We met once again at 2617 Cedar. As part of the upper-class, we acted superb, partly because we weren't smoking any type of herb. And when it was over, it started again, the year in which we became all fr... ... middle of paper ... ...ds of Jim Carrey, "Spooky." But, as scary as it is, we can feel confident knowing that what we do with the rest of our lives is up to us. Mom and Dad can only hold on to our hands for so long, and then it is time to set sail on the ocean of life. Tonight is the beginning of the rest of our lives. God, the great casino dealer in the sky, has already shuffled the deck and dealt us his cards. What we do with those cards, our talents, is entirely up to us. Will it happen? Will it TO happen, and the possibilities are endless. The challenge from this night onward is to play our hand right, and not go broke. As we revel in our accomplishments chuckle over the memories of good times and sniffle over the memories of the bad ones, just remember, the world is our oyster. We must seize the pearl. As salutatorian, I salute you. Thank you, and have a splendid evening!
To the County High School Class of 2012: As you sit in front of me, I know what most of you are thinking at the moment. There are those who are already pondering about what life without high school will be like; those who are debating whether or not to tell your crush tonight about your whispers of adoration you’ve secretly held for four years; some simply want to get out of that ungodly chair, get that thing that isn’t really a diploma but only tells you when to pick up the thing, and then be the first one on the green bus to the grad party — you know who you are. And the rest, well, the rest aren’t even paying attention, you’re thinking, “Great, here comes one of the valedictorian speakers. Next up: a boring speech straight out of the pits of scholarly hell.” And it’s OK, I don’t mind — that sort of thing comes with the territory. But tonight, I ask that you give me a chance to break that stereotype so that I may address you in the full splendor that you deserve after 13 grueling years of work. I do not want to be known as your “valedictorian” as I stand here, c’mon guys, there is no time left to place labels on people anymore, instead I ask that you accept me as one of your peers — and as a man who will enjoy becoming a graduate alongside you.
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.
David McCullough Jr., delivered the commencement at Wellesley High School in Massachusetts on June 1st 2012 to staff, the 2012 graduates, and their family and friends. The speech was straightforward and supplied valuable information for their future. . McCullough’s speech at times felt harsh, offensive, and insulting. His words and examples were given to achieve insight, knowledge, and awareness for each student’s future. The commencement expressed a great deal of achievement, but conveyed that there was more work to be done. His speech was effective and appreciated through humor parallelism, repetition, and anaphora. His point of view has obtained respect and determination by all those that have been challenged and have heard his words.
Guys, I thank you. It has been an honor to serve as your class president. Good luck. Now, I am going to make like America Online Instant Messenger and sign off with an L-O-L. Good bye.
Invited back to my alma mater, Fair Avenue Elementary, I was asked to say a few words, any words, on high school and graduating.
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.
I would like to begin by saying that I am honored to be able to stand before you tonight as a representative of my class, a great class, the class of 2012!
Lastly, I want to thank Mr. Ferry for encouraging me to pursue my ambition of entering the wonderful world of politics, which I have found is an uncommon response to my answer when I am
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
Hello everybody, thank you for being here today. Let me just tell you how happy I am to see all of you graduating and moving on to high school.
Good afternoon distinguished guests, parents, teachers, administrators, friends and especially to the CLASS OF 2003.
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.
Class of 2012, as we sit here this evening, I would like you to take a look at the classmates sitting around you. Many students have given countless hours of time, energy, and passion to worthy cuases that they have been a part of throughout high school. However, those aren't the only students deserving of recognition this evening. We have students here tonight, who have taken a stand for what they believe in, not even hesitating to compromise their reputations.
Hi, my name is Pat and I would like to start today by thanking the seniors of 2012 for choosing me to speak today. It is truly my honor.
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.