Thank You Speech

Good evening class of 2023, parents, family, friends, teachers, administrators and members of the school board. Thank you for this opportunity to address the graduating class of Oak Hill High School. I am honored to be chosen to give this commencement address.

 Let me begin by setting some ground rules. First, there will be no crying whatsoever during this speech. No Kleenex necessary. No bawling or loud wailing. No ugly crying. Should you find yourself shedding a tear please make your way towards the back exit please and thank you. 

This speech is not going to be one of those cringy inspiring speeches saying “we made it” or “look how far we have come.” Classmates, we are graduating after thirteen years of a free, public education. We have not served in battle, cured a terminal disease, or made any major contributions to the world, thus far. We got our Membean done and solved a few hundred math problems.

No, rather than give a cliched speech, I thought it might be better to thank some important individuals that have impacted us through high school.

Thank you…local fire departments, for managing 30,000 gallons of water that flooded our science wing, proving you don’t just fight fire, but water as well.

Thank you.. Mr. Zuis, for getting that catchy Taylor Swift song stuck in our heads. I hope you get to see her one day.

Thank you… to the fire alarm, for giving us that random outside break that the teachers dreaded and the students craved.

Thank you… for the chicken sandwiches, even though you were so dry and had no flavor, you guys still found a way to cure our hunger.

Thank you… to the vending machine, for finally deciding to show up during senior year. You’re a real one for that.

Thank you… to the one and only COVID 19. You really showed us we can really make it through any adversity, and you introduced us to those lovely nasal swabs.

Thank you… Mr. Daniels, for changing our mascot into a wonderful, symbolic masterpiece. #RaiderPride.

Thank you… Superintendent Mrs. Grondin for allowing us to be the first class to graduate on a Saturday and not on one of the most dreaded days of the week. Monday.

Thank you… Membean, for introducing us to words like connoisseur, stalwart, and cornucopia. We probably won’t use that last one very much.

Thank you… Athletic coaches, for always sending pictures to the Team Snap group chats of left behind articles of clothing and water bottles.

Thank you.. Freshman homecoming, for showing us what High School dances are really all about.

Thank you… Mr. Anderson, for securing the luxurious and spacious Red Roof Inn Plus of West Springfield, Massachusetts for our senior trip. 

I would like to give one more big thank you to all of you…parents, siblings, families, friends, and teachers. You all have shaped the Class of 2023 into who we are today. As unruly teenagers, the most hormonal creatures on planet Earth, you all have done a commendable job of tugging us along. With the help of all of you, we are able here today…to walk across this stage and grab our diplomas. I wonder if this is going to feel like winning and Oscar or a Grammy? But I’m confident it’s going to be a moment that will change our lives, forever.

This is it. This is the last time that we will all probably be in the same room together. Take a look around. Let us embrace this moment and think about all of the good times that we have had together at Oak Hill High School. After we walk out of those doors today, it’s going to be nothing but a recollection we might tell our children one day. In years to come, we’ll think back on all the crazy things that happened to us at Oak Hill, and hopefully, we meet that memory with fondness, and most of all gratitude. 

And a message to the Class of 2024. Make the most of your senior year. A year full of lasts. Last homecomings, your last Saturday football games. Don’t make that year hard on yourself. Keep your friends and family close and your English assignments even closer. Cherish those final moments with the people you have grown up with for the past 13 years. 

It just felt like yesterday, walking into what seemed to be this intricate maze we now call school. It’s going to get tough, because after this next year, class of 2024, you all will be faced with those same fleeting moments and feelings. So hold on tight. Strap in for one crazy ride. Because I can safely say that ours is just finishing and yours is just beginning. 

Thank you.

Featured Image: “Thank You!” by vernhart is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.