12
VHS Class of 2012
june12
2012
Farewell
First and foremost, I would like to thank
every single person here today. I don’t care if
you walked across the street to get here or if you
flew halfway across the world, everyone here
means something special to one of us and I’d
like to thank you for showing your support.
When I was first asked to speak at
graduation, I panicked--I wanted to say
something powerful and that people would
remember. Then, I realized that I didn’t want to
have a speech full of those clichés. Like “it’s not
the end, only the beginning” or “we are opening
a new chapter in the book of life.” I hate those
sayings because I think they are way overused.
The Class of 2012 is a very special and
unique one. We may not be the smartest or
the most well-behaved class, but I think we
are pretty awesome all the same. I am proud
of how far each of us has come. I mean, if you
had
told me in grade school that I
would be best friends with
Courtney Paden in high
school, I
would have laughed in your face. She used to
take my string cheese every day at lunch.
This class has been through a lot
together. Not many people can say that when
they are walking down their halls at school that
they have been rained and snowed on. Yeah, its
been hard not having a “real school,” but both
us and the teachers made do with what we had,
and look at us now. Even though we had barely
enough time to get from class to class and our
mods got really smelly when it was hot outside
(I blame the freshmen). All of us here today
are graduating and going on to do bigger and
better things. I’m not saying that high school
isn’t important, I’ve personally learned so
much from the past four years of my life, and I
wouldn’t trade that for anything.
We’ve all
grown
into (sometimes)
mature
young adults
who each have a
dream that we
want to
follow. Whether
it is starting your
own business
or graduating
from medical
school, we never
could have done
it without each
other, all of our
teachers, and
most importantly,
every single one of you sitting here today.
The most important lesson that I have
learned from high school and will take with
me into the future is a one that I have learned
from Harry Potter. Hermionie Granger said
that “...book and cleverness, there are more
important things, friendship and bravery.” This
simple line from a book has taught me that
life and school isn’t about how much money
you make or how good your grades are, it’s all
about making lifelong friendships and finding
out who you are as a person. I have to thank
every one of my classmates for helping
me learn this.
So, without further ado, let’s get
those diplomas!
~Natalie Wallace
Co- Valedictorian
