High school address

AN EXAMPLE OF A HIGH SCHOOL SALUTATORY ADDRESS
Welcome all family members, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and most importantly, my fellow graduates. When I was asked to write a graduation speech for an audience of over 5,000 people, I immediately made up my mind not to do it. When tag-teamed by a collection of teachers and faculty members, I asked, seriously, “What happens if I just don’t do it?” Dropping out of school crossed my mind, as did asking all of my teachers to fail me. You see, I am not the type of person who enjoys the spotlight or someone with an infinite amount of wisdom to share. But once I overcame my fear of ruining graduation for 400 seniors and everyone dear to them, and when the people who ambushed me stated that I did not have a choice in whether or not to write a speech, I began to reflect upon the collective experiences that we all have shared as High School seniors.

Four years ago, we stepped off of yellow school busses to enter Bayside High School for the first time. That first week, we had real book bags and school maps on which we tried to discreetly look up the locations of our classes. We look at pictures of ourselves from back then and wonder why our hair looked so bad or why we ever thought hot pink braces would look okay. Four years ago, we were only immature kids playing a role as adults. Now, we look at the new BHS Freshmen, wondering why they’re so short or why they’re so loud at 7 in the morning. Right now, we are young adults, with driver’s licenses, jobs, and actual life experiences. Even if we never wanted to wake up for school in the morning, somehow, we got there.

Our parents have forced us into being responsible, our teachers have filled us with as much knowledge as we would take, and we’ve formed as many inside jokes as we could possibly remember. And now, as evidence to all of our work and our determination, we have made it to the finish line of our high school experience – graduation day. There are pieces of us all tied to the bricks of Bayside High School, and even though pieces of Bayside will forever be left upon us, we will be leaving all of it behind today. Tomorrow we will become full time-employees, college freshmen, actors, musicians; this is only a starting point; from here, we can be anyone. Tomorrow we will embark upon another journey to be reflected upon at a later date. Graduates, even though I did not want to write or deliver this speech, I must say that I am proud of what we have accomplished and pleased to speak to all of you here today. And before we depart for our next journey, I would like to leave you with a final word.

Maya Angelou once said “ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.” You are all capable of achieving your dreams, so be happy, be healthy, congratulations, and good luck class of 2010. SALUTATORY ADDRESS TO THE NHS CLASS OF 2008: BY TAYLOR HICKMAN On behalf of the Newburyport High School Class of 2008, I would like to welcome everyone to our graduation ceremony. It is a tremendous honor to speak to all of you today, and I would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who helped get us here: special thanks goes to our advisors, to all of our teachers, counselors and administrators, to our coaches, to all who volunteer to make Newburyport schools the best they can be, and to the businesses that support the schools and our numerous fundraising activities.

Our class also wishes to express our thanks and love to our parents and families for their help and support as we reach this significant milestone in our lives. As I sat down to write this speech and began to reflect on the past four years, I was filled with memories of my classmates’ and of our successes and failures, our triumphs and mistakes. It is evident as we unite together in this ceremony that we have all grown throughout the past four years, emerging today as mature and independent graduates only four years after we created hall chaos, clogging the hallways as we were unable to find our freshman classes. As we have grown, we have learned valuable lessons from our high school education that will be utilized as we embark on our next journey.

We have all learned the importance of time management and self-motivation through balancing acts consisting of school, sports, theater, music, student government and a variety of clubs. We have learned to compete both in the classroom and on the playing fields. We have learned how to be compassionate for those less fortunate than us as, shown by our involvement in food and blood drives, as well as in our incredibly successful Hurricane Katrina fundraiser. Perhaps most importantly, we have learned to set goals, to aspire to do amazing things, to dream big. As the poem, “Dream Big” explains:

“… things worth doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
Pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you that you are pushing yourself,
That you are not afraid to learn by trying.”
Today, the Class of 2008 has come together to celebrate the commencement of our high school years. We have come from all different places, but join together because each of us has persevered through the trying times of the past four years. Some of us struggled studying for AP exams, some of us suffered when we heard of the passing of our fifth- and sixth-grade math teacher, Mrs. Staszewski, some of us truly experienced the problems of procrastination while applying to college, and all of us fought through long nights finishing up the sophomore expo and junior TREE. Sure, at times we may have questioned whether it was worthwhile to push ourselves through the difficult times, but today we can all be grateful that we have. Although high school has been the source of many obstacles throughout the past four years, we have persevered, and in the presence of tough times ahead, we must remember to fight to attain our dreams. The poem “Dream Big” continues:

“Believe in the incredible power of the human mind
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.”
The tremendous intellectual potential of the Newburyport Class of 2008 will undoubtedly propel my classmates to reach their dreams. Our own classmate Evan Wallace is headed to Brown University, one of the most renowned colleges in the country. Forty-nine percent of this class scored Advanced in the mathematics MCAS section in the 10th grade. I urge you to realize your intellectual capabilities and take advantage of future educational opportunities. However, in addition to our educational challenges, we must also enjoy ourselves. Life should be fun. Friendship can be something taken for granted, something that comes and goes, but I believe that we have all made lasting friends here, at Newburyport High School. Together, we have spent some of the most memorable moments of our lives, moments marked by both hysterical laughter and hysterical tears.

High school leaves us with memories of the sophomore semi-, junior and senior proms, of back to back color day championships, of a powderpuff football championship, of scary and hilarious senior dress up day costumes, and memories of laughter watching the hypnotist and Blue Man Group … memories of the girls soccer team winning the state championship, the girls’ cross country team qualifying for the state meet for the 15th consecutive year, the 19th Cape Ann League championship by the baseball team, the success of our classmates in the play “The Pajama Game” and at the Drama Fest, in the Model UN, and in the band. It is these moments that we truly dream of and will always remember. In continuing our journey through life, we can hope for more of these times as we expand our dreams to areas beyond high school accomplishments and into a world of possibilities. It is not too long from now that each of us will receive our high school diplomas. At this time, most of us will experience a newfound independence that is quite unfamiliar. And as the poem “Dream Big” continues: “If there were ever a time to dare,

To make a difference,
To embark on something worth doing,
It is now.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily —
But for something that tugs at your heart,
Something that’s your aspiration,
Something that’s your dream.”
Today is one day in our lives where we can be grateful for our relentless hard work and the tremendous accomplishments we have achieved. As we leave high school for extraordinary institutions and opportunities, the challenge is for each of us to fulfill our greatest dreams. To do so, I encourage you to find something that inspires you, something that might challenge you, or something that you are passionate about.

Whatever your dream may be, it is in your control to reach it. I personally cannot wait to see the products of my classmates’ dreams: Caleigh Holden as a famous green chemical engineer, Sarah Nearis as a renowned fashion designer, Shannon Fitzgerald as a kindergarten teacher, Kat Maines working for NASA, Allie O’Brien as a wealthy business woman, Casey Cowan-Barnes as a Hollywood actor, and Sasha Radulski with her own record label. Time is not infinite so do not let yourself be persuaded that you can achieve your dreams later, begin to achieve your aspirations today. Consider the sentiments of the conclusion of “Dream Big:” “The start of something new brings the hope of something great. Anything is possible.

There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.”
I encourage the members of the Class of 2008 to make the most of every opportunity provided to them, and I sincerely wish that each of my classmates follows their individual hopes, aspirations and passions in life. Thanks to everyone who has attended this graduation ceremony and best wishes to all in the Class of 2008. HIGH SCHOOL SALUTATORIAN ADDRESS

Good afternoon guests, family members, fellow graduates, and friends. The last few years have just flown by, leaving behind loving memories of high school. But I never expected to finally be at my own graduation. It always seemed so far away. During the last few years of high school, we have changed. We’ve become smarter, more sociable, and more aware of what the future holds for us. However, now we stand at a great precipice in our lives, and I think we all need to consider how we got where we are. I have been encouraged, trusted, and unconditionally loved by my family and friends. God has given me grace, forgiveness, and guidance.

I had a few teachers along the way who not only prepared me for college, they prepared me for life. So now as we end one chapter in our lives, I think it’s important to realize that we’re starting another one. There’s a reason why they call this commencement. It’s a beginning, not an end. After today, we will all go our separate ways. Some of us will stay in touch, others we may never see again. But regardless of where we go, we will all have our memories of the past, and more importantly, our goals for the future. Our future is what counts and matters. In five years, no one will ask what our ACT scores were, or what our high school GPA was, but they’ll know what kind of people we are inside. Let us not live this life for ourselves, but live it for God, and through that make an impact on our world. And so, instead of a final farewell to the class of 2002, I’d like to give the first wish of
good luck.

GRADUATION 2010: EMILIE HSU’S SALUTATORY SPEECH

On behalf of the class of 2010, I would like to welcome y’all to our graduation. It has been exactly 1,367 days since that first day of high school on Sept. 6, 2006. At times, these four years have seemed like eternity. At others, just a blink of the eye. But now that we are finally in this gym, we all agree that we would not be here if it were not for your love and support. You — our parents, our teachers, our friends and siblings — have walked these four years with us, constantly pushing us along, urging us ahead, believing in us all the way. We want to thank the teachers and the administration for all the time and effort you have poured into our lives.

We are thankful for the personal interest you took in us. You’ve become our friends. Friends that we trust, respect and confide in. Years from now, we may forget that the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066, or that the derivative of tan(x) is sec2(x), but the impression you’ve made in our lives will never be forgotten. We also want to remember our friends and families. As lonely freshmen, we wandered into this building, anxious and intimidated. But because of you, we have changed and matured. You told us to grow up, and we did. You told us to make sure we graduated, and we’re here today. Mom and Dad, we may have had our disagreements.

But right now, all that dims in the light of your love. It’s a great pleasure for us to know that you are in the audience today, beaming at our success. Finally, I would like to say a personal thanks to the GIHS class of 2010. You welcomed me into your midst halfway through high school and made these last two years truly memorable. But more than anyone in the audience today, I would like to thank my God. Through tough academic and personal times, he has shown himself to be a strong refuge. As we receive our diplomas in just a few minutes, our high school journey will have ended. It is a sentimental moment. A joyous occasion. A time for laughter, and a time for cheer.

But most importantly, we want you to know that we will be thinking of you — our parents, our teachers, our friends and siblings — as we walk across this stage. We could not have finished high school without you. Now, after all these years, we are faced with incredible power and responsibility. We have the power before us to choose our destiny and the responsibility to choose wisely. Some will choose to run. Others will choose to walk. Skipping’s OK, too. But in the
immortal words of Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places we’ll go!” SALUTATORIAN SPEECH

Good morning, Father Heria, Brother Felix, administration, faculty, staff, family, friends, and fellow graduates. I would like to thank all of you who have been our support system through the years for taking the time to share this special moment with us, the soon-to-be-graduated class of 2006. This day has been made even more special because, by the grace of God, Christy Gutierrez is here to graduate with us this morning. Everyone always says, “Enjoy your high school years. They’ll be the best years of your life”. One thing I have certainly learned in these past four years is that we determine our own future. If you choose to, you can make every year your best. To many of us, our years at St. Brendan will be the most cherished time of our lives.

For others, the best years are yet to come. However, I feel confident in saying that we all have some wonderful memories, starting with freshman year when we walked through the doors of St. Brendan as baby sabres. Today, as we leave, we are older, wiser, stronger, and ready to face whatever God has in store for each of us. We made our way through Hawaii with Lilo and stitch as freshmen, into the world of the Mario brothers as sophomores, past the adventures of the Arabian nights as juniors, and are now sitting on our thrones as royalty. We’ll always remember freshman day, junior ring ceremony, talent shows, homecoming weeks, formals, and encounters. And who could forget the 12 days of Christmas with Ms. Barnes as a “lord-a-leaping” or Mr. Healy with his interpretation of “geese-a-laying”.

As we continue in our journey through life, we should make a vow to never forget the people who crossed our path and touched our hearts: our teachers, each of them fully dedicating themselves until the last “long and productive minute” to teach us all they could about a subject in less than an hour a day, and still gracefully succeeding in intertwining morals, values, and spirituality into the daily lesson. Our friends: the ones who brought a smile to our face each and every morning, the ones who made lunch and 10 minute breaks a nice respite in our day, and the ones who helped wipe away the tears when it seemed that no one really cared. Some of the friends we made were part of us for a short time; a few of them will accompany us on through the future. We appreciate all our teachers and friends for they have each individually touched us in a way that we, ourselves, cannot understand.

Every day and every encounter with each person helped carve us into the unique sculptures we are today. I would also like to especially thank our parents/ guardians, our families for supporting and nurturing us throughout our lives. Thank you for loving us and dedicating yourselves to us as we grew into young men and women. Without your support and encouragement, we would not be here today graduating from a school that has helped give us a foundation to be kind-hearted, loving, Christian individuals. Above all, I would like to thank god for blessing us with the opportunity to go to St. Brendan high, where we were educated not only academically, but spiritually as well. We are very fortunate to have been schooled in a place where our lord was loved and welcomed. That has made all the difference. Now, to my fellow graduates, classmates, and friends: this is your day.

Thank you for making my experience at St. Brendan High so amazing. You are each so uniquely special. I wish you the best in life and in everything you do. I pray that you all live long, healthy, peaceful, and beautiful lives. I am confident that you will all achieve great and marvelous things, whether they are known to the rest of the world or are kept to yourselves within the depths of your hearts. Remember: never be afraid to love. If you love and appreciate someone, tell them in the wise words of Alfred Lord Tennyson: “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all”. Be compassionate, trust god, learn to listen, avoid gossip, be forgiving, and above all, be yourself. A man who captivated our imaginations as children with thing one and thing two and the cat in the hat, Dr. Seuss, stated, “Be who you are and say what you want, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind”. Thank you, God bless, and congratulations class of 2006!!