MARCO CAPAROTTA, SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT:
Thank you
John for that introduction
Hello
Everyone and thank you for coming out today. Friends, family, administration,
and Johnny Earl. I had a surprise guest but he canceled the day before as
usual, Governor Deval Patrick.
Lets all
take a second and reflect upon the past 12 years of our life. As the young Dan
Delollis would “It boggles the mind”. The fact that most of us have spent 2,160
school days together truly “boggles the mind”. In the past 12 years we have
been through thick and thin. We had to leave school due to a fire in the
heather in 3rd grade, we were stuck in Moldy trailers in 5th grade, we had
silent lunches in middle school, but things changed once we got to high school.
In our four years of high school, we won the class cup twice, we were the
reason our school was nationally recognised as a blue ribbon school, and for
those of you who don't know, The Class of 2014 holds the record for highest
MCAS scores in the history of Hull High School. A wise philosopher name Drake
once said “Started from the bottom, now we here”. This quote truly represents
our class, and I want you to think of 2014 every time your hear someone speak
those words.
However, I
need to ask all of you for a favor over the next few months before you head off
to college, trade school, the military, and for the rest of your life. Muhammad
Ali once said “ Don't count the days, but make the days count” I ask that all
of you do this. Enjoy your summer, spend time with your family and friends, and
make the best of one of your last summers before we move on to the real world.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make it count.
With all
of that being said, its about that time where I have to wrap up this speech.
Before I end this I am going to do something I don't think has ever been done
during a Hull High Graduation speech. I am going to take what the kids call a
“selfie” with all of you.
Thanks for
that.
I would
like to thank everyone once again for the past 12 years, and especially the
last 4. I hope to see all of you in the near future, but for the staff I wont
see for years, I’m sorry for what I put you through, and to my classmates I
won't see until our 20th reunion, if you see a short, bald, Italian man walking
around, its me so come say hi. Thank you.
KATE CHANEY - SALUTATORIAN:
For
eighteen years, I have been blessed with a best friend that means more to me
than anything else in the world. As nearly every person in the audience today
has experienced, Kate Pearson is one of a kind, a trait that I have come to
realize she will never grow out of. While Kate and I have always been
competitive with each other, it has never impacted our friendship - though, for
years, people have asked us if we studied beneath our blankets or lied about
assignments to get ahead of the other. Growing up sharing a driveway with Kate
and knowing she was, literally, always by my side has been a blessing. She has
been and will always be the first person I look to for advice and assistance in
whatever I am trying to do, and for this I am the luckiest person in the world.
In writing this speech, I was overwhelmed with ideas but one common theme was
always in the back of my mind. Just like Kate and I are always there for each
other, so is each and every member of this class.
There
isn't a piece of advice I feel I can give that is better than what I learned
during the hours and days of our last week of school, and subconsciously, this
entire year. In life, there are plenty of important things: your career, your
house, or your bank account. But what makes life as incredible as it can be are
not the things you have or even your own abilities, but the people you meet
along the way.
In
the class of 2014, we have many ridiculously talented individuals, quiet
scholars, and outlandish comedians. We are all so different yet, in the past
four years, we have grown closer than I could have ever imagined, or would have
ever wished for. I see now, the impact that each of us has had upon the others,
and I learn something new from each of you during every conversation, practice,
play or even in the silence of your presence.
No
school is complete without it's teachers, and Hull High is no exception. From
our very first day of high school in September 2010, each and every member of
this faculty has loved us. Now, I'll be the first to admit that this love may
not be obvious at all times, but nonetheless we have an amazing family of
adults here who have seen us at our worst and still seem to find the good we all
possess. Each teacher has taught us lessons beyond the curriculum that will
stay with us forever, from McGrath's silent motivation to work harder, to
Mullin's emphasis on living a life you love. This learning expands beyond the
educators we encountered on a daily basis, to the faculty that, while they may
not have taught us in class, have kept us safe, healed our wounds, lent us
books and simply listened to us whine about how tough our lives are. In the
last few weeks, I've even come to realize that Mr.Sivo has a few inspirational
speeches in him, something I can honestly say I never saw coming.
What
I've learned from being a part of this community is that each and every person
sitting here today has something to offer. Despite our differences, every single
one of us has lent a helping hand to another when they needed it the most,
whether that be losing a big game, losing a loved one, or the everyday
struggles along the way. We have helped each other achieve our goals in ways we
couldn't have accomplished on our own. Walking through the halls on our last
day of school, I was struck by the intensity with which we have always cared
for each other, and seeing my classmates in tears upon our departure, I found
myself crying too. I gave more hugs that day than any other day in my life, a
perfect way to end the journey we have come here to celebrate today.
Heading
off into the real world following graduation, I believe that each and every one
of you will do great things. Whether you're headed off to the school of your
dreams, following in the family business, or simply figuring it out as you go
along, you will be successful. But what's more important is the way you treat
people along the way. Its easier than you think to have a positive impact on
someone and everyone you meet you can learn from, though it may be hard to see
at first glance. I challenge you to help others when you have the opportunity
and to see each conversation you ever have as an opportunity to learn and grow.
The people I have met here have helped me become the person I am today, and
looking back on the relationships I have fostered I wouldn't change a thing.
After
all of that we have learned in the past four years here, I leave you with this.
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them feel." Maya Angelou
KATE PEARSON - VALEDICTORIAN:
I’ve
been getting comments on how this speech is going to turn out for the past two
years. Some people here are expecting me to be funny, while others are looking
for very motivational words. So before I begin I’d like to invite you to laugh,
cry, smile, fake laugh, fake cry, or express any other type of emotion that
you’d please. And telling me my speech was fantastic even if it turns out to be
a total wreck is also warmly welcomed.
When I thought of writing this speech, I
began to think about these past four years of high school. I thought back to a
few weeks ago, when Sam Palma was jumping on the bouncy house with the amount
of joy a child would have on Christmas morning. I thought back to junior year,
when our announcements became so much more enjoyable because they were in an
Irish accent. I thought back to sophomore year, when we had our Biology final
and made the entire science wing smell like death for several months. I thought
all the way back to the first day of freshman year, when Mr. Devine showed us a
video from the seniors of 2010 giving us advice, and not knowing what the word
procrastination meant. Needless to say, I figured that one out. And while we’ve
had great times here, our class goes back further. Most of us started together
in 2001. We’ve been through a fire in third grade. We’ve experienced a
not-so-appealing play area that was infested with snakes. We were middle
schoolers a year early, and 7th grade, after every lunch period, we decided a
stampede on the staircase was a great idea. We came to Hull High, we helped win
a blue ribbon, and we scored the highest MCAS scores in the history of this
school. We’ve been through it all. It was sad seeing classmates move away, or
transfer, but the people we’ve gained over the years have only strengthened us as a class. And today, we
stand together, and we finish together. Now, as I stand in front of you all, I
could not be more proud to be a member of the Class of 2014.
I don’t mean to be cliche when I say
this, but look around. We’re more than just classmates. People here have made
life-long friends. And while I understand that not all of us get along all the
time, I don’t think I can look at one person here today, and say that I wish I
never met them. The sheer fact that I know every student’s name in this class
is something that can’t be said about most high schools. We’re small, but we’re
also tightly-knit, and closer than most.They say that friends are the family
that you can choose, and I couldn’t have ended up with a better group of people
than the ones I’m graduating with today.
Living in
Hull, it seems only fitting that I use a beach metaphor as I present you with
my parting words. I came up with this myself, so bear with me. We are a lot
like a piece of seaglass. At first, we come into the world, and we are the same
as everyone else, similar to how a normal glass bottle is thrown into the
ocean. But as we live, we experience. We are weathered down. Sometimes, we are
broken. A lot of us have been through rocky circumstances. We drift apart, and
we come back together. Sometimes, we may come out thinking we’re shaped the
right way, just to have someone throw us back into the ocean. Some are found
easily, while others are hidden gems. However, when we are finished, and are
molded and shaped into who we are, we’re unique. Individual. Unlike any other.
Some of us know the path we want to take, some of us have already achieved our
major life goals. And some of us don’t have a path yet, but rest assured, one
day you’ll know. Just like the sea glass found on the beach, no two people here
are alike. From yoga professionals and comedians to future doctors and members
of the armed forces, we have enough variety to cause people to stop in their
tracks, just to admire us. When put together, we’re a masterpiece, beautiful
but original. And just remember, nobody comes across a piece of sea glass, and
just walks past it
