Class of 2023, Survived

Hello, friends, family, administrators, and especially my fellow graduates. I would like to thank those who helped us get to this exact spot, the Civic Center, but also those who will have a lifelong impact on our future. The Class of 2023 greatly appreciates you. But what most of you came here for today, are these young adults sitting in front of me today, who never gave up and faced the adversity of the 4 years’ worth of Membean we had to do and the 30,000 gallons of water that sent us to online for a couple of weeks, giving us Covid-19 flashbacks. I am beyond proud of you all. But I am standing here today to give you some simple, yet important Life Lessons.

Starting off with a quote from our advisor DAnderson: “Okay guys, we are almost there so please do not say the first thing that comes to mind” This was said as we were pulling into the Red Roof Inn in Springfield Massachusetts. To give you a quick overview of our surroundings, we were right behind Hooters and one of those sketchy box gas stations. The Yelp reviews showed a man getting robbed of all 4 of his tires. So we were a little nervous we’d wake up with no ride home. Unfortunately, Mr. Anderson did not get his wish because everyone said the first thing that came to mind. My personal favorite, a fellow graduate, MSwan: “I know where I’m eatin’ tonight” as he was giving googly eyes to the Hooters right next door, eyes as big as a kid in a candy shop. So here’s a good lesson, think before you speak. Speaking of thinking, here is an example of when you think a little too hard… 

The intercom comes on: “Can I please have CBegin, CScott, GLetourneau, KDelano, and SSpencer, to the office with your keys”. If you were at school that day and saw how they parked their cars you would know exactly why they had to move them. The Repo Reaper finally got them. They played Tetris in the parking lot with their vehicles. Essentially people are always watching, so whether you think parking in the back parking lot will keep you safe, you are wrong. But you know what! Don’t let that stop you from having fun, because it certainly didn’t stop these boys! Sometimes you just gotta have some fun. Live a little, laugh a little. It even gave these guys a 10-minute break from class. Have fun! You want to know what’s not fun. 

The catastrophic Christmas party on December 20th. I am about to explain how I got banned from drink duty, forever. Well you see, this may be the first time the custodians are hearing about this big explosion that took place on December 20th in Feds Room at approximately 12:32 pm. Big Explosion? Oh yes, quite literally a whole liter of Dr. Pepper exploded, shooting straight up like Mentos in a Pepsi bottle, but like 10x worse. The first thing said: “She is never allowed to bring drinks again”, and the next thing to be said, “Is this a prank?” Yes, CSaucier, this is a prank, I actually planned to wear Dr. Pepper for the rest of the day. It added a tremendous hard texture to my hair. I guess Feds wanted to play Dress-Up too because she had it all over. So anyone within a 5-foot radius was in war territory. I wish I could describe it in better detail because how did it even manage to reach the ceiling? Unfortunately, the brown spot on the ceiling hasn’t fully faded yet but with proper sunlight, we can forget about the tragic explosion on December 20th. Life Lesson, Do not buy Dr. Pepper from Family Dollar. 

As I wrap up this speech I would like to recap the life lessons you should consider today:

• Life Lesson #1 Think Before you speak, especially when you are staying in Springfield Mass. 
• Life Lesson #2 Screw what people think about you, have fun. If you worried every day about what the person next to you thinks, you’ll never live to have fun. So create excitement for yourself. Live. 
• Rule #3 Do not buy Dr. Pepper from Family Dollar. Unless you want a strange brown spot on your ceiling, I highly suggest otherwise. 
• Rule #4 Stay out of Jail. I mean, it’s random but I think that’s some pretty good advice. 

These life lessons can save you some money and probably your life. But I know the Class of 2023 has nothing to worry about because we know how to have fun, stay out of jail, and for the most part control the words coming out of our mouths. Definitely avoid Dr. Pepper at all costs. I want to wish OHHS Class of 2023 the best of luck in the future, I hope these lessons follow you as you do great things! I am excited to have fun in my next chapter. So Class of 2023, Thank you, and Go Raiders!

Featured Image: “Graduation” by scot2342 is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.