Good Morning Dr. Bennardo, Mr. Kaden, Members of the school board, members of Cabinet, administration, staff members, family members and graduates. Welcome to the 2015 Walt Whitman High School Commencement Ceremony.
High school graduation is the day that students wait for right from the time they step into their first school. It is a very proud and exciting moment in a student's life. And for all those people that care and value them, it is indeed a proud moment. Graduation is the day when students complete their first 13 years of education and are free to step into the world and begin making their own decisions with regard to continuing education and career choices. It is the day when all the hard work that they put in, pays off. Graduation is a memorable and emotional moment, filled with laughter, happiness, caps thrown in the air, picture taking, and tears of joy and sadness of parting with friends.
In the words of Robert Orben, an author and presidential speechwriter, “A graduation ceremony is an event where the commencement speaker tells thousands of students dressed in identical caps and gowns that "individuality" is the key to success.” Though you are all dressed alike you are unique individuals that have managed in a very meaningful way to achieve something that is the first step towards being successful in this journey called life.
This year’s Video Year Book had a title in the beginning, which I think is very profound as it defines who you have been throughout your educational career thus far. It states “Whitman Be Together… Not the same”
When I was talking with staff about their impression of who the Class of 2015 is.. Mr. Yolango stated that “Even with all the different races, religions, and sexual orientations, this senior class was a big family. They didn't see those things...they saw each other as people.”
Ms. Papianou shared that in this class are profound thinkers, philosophers, dreamers – scholars whose thoughts go well beyond the confines of the norm.They are visionaries who think deeply and authentically.
Mrs. Latko shared a quote from renowned linguist Lev Vygotsky's quote: "Through others, we become ourselves" she shared that the class of 2015 is unique in theirsupport of each other'sdifferences, accomplishments, skills and personalities. Simply stated, they value one another. They have helped each another become who they are.
Again I will state this……”Whitman Be Together… Not the same”
This country is in the process of graduating over 3,000,000 millennials this year. Your generation is being referred to as the “millennials”. Millennials were born between 1982 and 2000. And this just released by the US Census Bureau on June 25, 2015… Millennials Outnumber Baby Boomers and Are Far More Diverse. You now represent more than one quarter of the nation’s population and have been the most diverse generation on record. I have always referred to Walt Whitman High School as a beautiful slice of America. Our diversity is something to be celebrated and my hope is that it has prepared you for citizenship in a multicultural community, country, and world.
Just an aside Millennials use social media more frequently than any other generation and are even more likely to sleep near their cell phone. Goldman Sachs states that Millennials are the most scheduled generation ever, are true multi-taskers, should expect to have 6-8 careers in their lifetime and are attracted to diverse environments. Whitehouse.gov website states this about Millennials… they have been plugged into technology since they were babies. While all generations have experienced technological advances, the sheer amount of computational power and access to information that Millennials have had at their fingertips since grade-school is unparalleled.
You are truly a generation that has the potential to have a dramatic, positive, global impact. I am so excited to know that the students sitting here today are our future…. They have the character, the capacity, the drive, and ability to keep making this world a better place. And I for one cannot wait to watch this unfold.
Another special quality of this class is their commitment to service. This class has amassed over 23,950 of reported community service hours, and I am sure that there are equally as many unreported hours. This class has demonstrated a commitment to volunteerism like no other and I am very thankful and proud. As shared by The VSO, an organization that uses volunteers to fight poverty and reduce inequality, volunteering is the ultimate expression of human relationships – people acting on behalf of their communities, because of a desire to contribute and help. As stated by Princess Diana, “Carry out a random act of kindness, with no expectation of reward, safe in the knowledge that one day someone might do the same for you.”
Throughout your four years here I have mentioned on numerous occasions that there is no feeling like sitting on the football field on that June weekend as you celebrate your graduation. I would now like to share with you why I think that a high school graduation is like no other that you will experience in your life. There will be no other graduation where you may have known the person sitting in front of you since preschool or kindergarten, where the person sitting behind you took swimming lessons with you, or where the person 3 rows back wore the same Cub Scout or Brownie uniform as you. There will be no other graduation where you will remember when a fellow graduate had braces, or played little league with you or exploded a volcano with you as you prepared for the science fair. There will be no other graduation where you shared a driver’s ed car, enjoyed proms, suffered through the SATs, and shared the excitement of receiving your college admissions letter with a friend and then you realize that you will be attending on opposite coasts. High School graduation is the end of a journey, a special journey like no other complete with a realization that the bond that has been established among each of you that feels so strong right now is unlikely to be felt exactly like this again in your lifetime.
At this point I just have a few requests that I would like the class of 2015 to consider:
Please set goals for yourself, as they are absolutely necessary to motivate us. It honestly doesn’t matter what the goal you set for yourself as long as you set one.
Have the courage to take a chance on yourself or for something you feel is right. Be courageous. In the words of Walt Disney “All our dreams can come true...if we have the courage to pursue them."
Have self-respect. Be comfortable in your skin, love who you are. Each and every one of you is so important. As Maya Angelou has shared with us “You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.”
Be a risk taker. Risk takers set goals and in spite of all obstacles do everything in their power to successfully attain them. It means looking at things from a different angle and being creative. It means taking chances and being willing to learn. Taking risks means making mistakes and having an understanding that in order to succeed you have to be willing to accept the fact that you may fail. As NBA player Michael Jordon states, “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.”
As we are here on your graduation day you now face a future of endless opportunities and a world of infinite possibilities. As stated by the International Business Times, Merriam-Webster defines "graduation" as "the act of receiving a diploma or degree," but for the more than 3 million students leaving school this year, it's so much more. Graduation is a time to reflect on memories and celebrate your academic accomplishments. It's a time to appreciate the past but consider the future. It's a time to tackle new experiences with the lessons you learned from old ones.
Have confidence and always believe in yourself! There is a saying from an unknown author, “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch but on its own wings”.
The other day I went into the Chorus room and saw the beautiful mural painted by the Art Honor Society and it included this passage from a poem from our own Walt Whitman. So I would like to end my commencement address to you with that passage:“I sing a song of myself, as others have done before me, but none have sung a song like this because this one is mine, and there will never be any like me”.
Graduates I wish you a lifetime of success and dreams come true I also want to leave you with this…. do not listen if people tell you that you can’t; because you can!!!!!
Congratulations graduates!!
Congratulations parents!
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