My fellow students, we only arrived here four short years ago, (though for some of us it was less,) and now it's already time to leave. How did it all go so fast? It seems like only yesterday that we were little freshmen trying to figure out where our next class was, and looking generally clueless to all the upperclassmen. Now we are the upperclassmen, the seniors who stand here ready to graduate and move forward in the world. Yet at this seminal moment, we can't help looking back.
How do we measure the time we've spent in high school? In the beginning, we measured it in class periods, counting down the day to eventual freedom. As the days and weeks passed, we measured it in semesters, and later in years as we moved from being those clueless freshmen, to becoming sophisticated sophomores who thought they had it all figured out. (Though I skipped 10th grade) By the time we reached our junior year, we were confident that we were prepared to take over for the graduating seniors, and we couldn't wait to "rule the school."
And now here we stand. Our rule is over, and it's up to the next class to step into our shoes and take over. With these shoes I hope that you will choose to live out the rest of your time here with diligence and respect. Don’t give up! Take your thesis piece by piece; take your great books seriously doing all the readings considering what each author wishes to impart to you. And lastly, cherish your time here and the people with which you spend it.
To my fellow seniors, I know that as I look out at all of you, at this ending point, I will measure my time here in a much different way. I will measure it in all the friendships I've enjoyed these last 3 years. Some were pretty casual and others were much closer, but I'll remember each one fondly, as I'm sure you all will, too. And when many of our high school memories begin to fade, that's how we'll ultimately measure the time we spent here, not in periods or semesters or years, but in the friendships that we made and the times we shared together.
As I conclude, I would like to quote John Walsh:
Do one thing at a time. Give each experience all your attention. Try to resist being distracted by other sights and sounds, other thoughts and tasks, and when it is, guide your mind back to what you're doing."
How do we measure the time we've spent in high school? In the beginning, we measured it in class periods, counting down the day to eventual freedom. As the days and weeks passed, we measured it in semesters, and later in years as we moved from being those clueless freshmen, to becoming sophisticated sophomores who thought they had it all figured out. (Though I skipped 10th grade) By the time we reached our junior year, we were confident that we were prepared to take over for the graduating seniors, and we couldn't wait to "rule the school."
And now here we stand. Our rule is over, and it's up to the next class to step into our shoes and take over. With these shoes I hope that you will choose to live out the rest of your time here with diligence and respect. Don’t give up! Take your thesis piece by piece; take your great books seriously doing all the readings considering what each author wishes to impart to you. And lastly, cherish your time here and the people with which you spend it.
To my fellow seniors, I know that as I look out at all of you, at this ending point, I will measure my time here in a much different way. I will measure it in all the friendships I've enjoyed these last 3 years. Some were pretty casual and others were much closer, but I'll remember each one fondly, as I'm sure you all will, too. And when many of our high school memories begin to fade, that's how we'll ultimately measure the time we spent here, not in periods or semesters or years, but in the friendships that we made and the times we shared together.
As I conclude, I would like to quote John Walsh:
Do one thing at a time. Give each experience all your attention. Try to resist being distracted by other sights and sounds, other thoughts and tasks, and when it is, guide your mind back to what you're doing."
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