By Colby Morris
Good morning fellow graduates, family, friends and teachers. I am honoured to have the opportunity to speak on behalf and to the graduating Class of 2011. Today we have reached the pivotal moment of our high school days.
All of the studying, hours of tedious lectures and countless quizzes have been leading to this ceremony. We can take great pride in the accomplishment that we have achieved on this day.
I would like to congratulate each one of my classmates for persevering through all the challenges that high school could throw at them and reaching this day ready to take on the fresh wave of challenges that waits for us outside these doors.
To face the uncertain world outside of high school we have been armed with knowledge from our teachers, love and support from family and friends, and most important of all a pair of feet that allow us to take the first step on our chosen paths to the future.
With these three attributes in our possession nothing can stop us from exploring the world around us.
Looking back over the years I can understand why our class has received so many compliments regarding not only our high level of academics, but also for our good nature and work ethic.
There isn't a student up here that doesn't give one hundred and ten percent in everything that they put their hands to.
This can be evidenced through the numerous hours of fundraising during May Queen, through the spectacular artwork that brightens our hallways, and the humorous and witty drama performances put on by the drama club and Mr. Bailey.
Our memories of high school live on through the projects and experiences that we built within its walls, and I encourage everyone to cherish these memories because there won't be another time in or lives as carefree and fun as our high school days.
As time passes and we travel in our chosen direction, I know our memories will act like the trail of bread crumbs that leads us back to the golden days of our youth.
Whether it is sports, art or music we are all connected to this school and to each other.
Life after high school holds limitless opportunities for every grad sitting behind me. To quote Orrin Hatch, “there is a good reason they call these ceremonies ‘commencement exercises.'”
Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning. Some of us may be heading off to college or university, others may be starting an apprenticeship and some may decide to take a year off to travel or work.
Whatever path we decide to follow I know that today is the start of something great.
Our class has many qualities that make it unique. In some classes the teacher quickly learned that when it came to extracting answers from the students in front of them it was often like trying to pull teeth from a chicken. This was discerning for some teachers as it left them continuously pondering if they were getting any material through to us, and Mr. Mertens was always going on about how church mice made more noise than his math class. Whether it was a carefully orchestrated scheme, or just a dislike of answering school-related questions, one thing is for sure.
Every teacher has a few new grey hairs from the escapades of this class.
While trying to find words to describe this celebration I had a difficult time finding the right fit.
How do you sum up the individual and team effort put on by this class and our teachers for the past 12 years leading up to this ceremony? When it comes right down to it this day is all about one thing: Pride.
The pride our parents feel seeing their sons and daughters up on this stage, the pride our teachers feel for successfully guiding us through school, and most important of all the pride that we ourselves can take for all the hard work that we have invested in our educations.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, "A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has an education, he may steal the whole railroad."
I believe this quote illustrates how in today's high-tech world it is more important than ever to get a solid education. If there is one piece of advice that I could give my classmates it would be: never stop learning, never quit.
Quench your thirst for knowledge and new skills, because stealing from a freight car may support you for a little while, but taking the whole railroad will satisfy you for life.
