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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 6, 2019)
Zach Larke Abram Martin Abby McGuire Maris Meelimae Savannah Norman Emily Obenauf Jacob Pasko Cierra Premo Kylie Scott Kendra Stefan Isaiah Thompson Laura Tonnung Jade VanPelt Jenna Watson Tyler Wolf Radek Zikmund Farewell I wanted to start off by saying thank you to everyone who’s come before me to speak today. It’s not easy to come up here and talk in front of so many people, so let’s give them another round of applause. Family, friends, faculty, coaches, neighbors, and everyone in between, thank you so much for making it out today to be here with us for this really important day. The support and excitement from everyone so far has made this experience so much fun for me and I just want to express how grateful I am. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Over the past few months, I have heard, “This is our time.” I’ve heard that being said to graduates for years and I’ve never really thought much about it. Since becoming a senior myself, it’s finally started to sink in. What is it my time for anyways? Have these past 18 years not been my time? And as seniors in high school, we’ve all been subject to advice, both optimistic and pessimistic about what is to come for us now that we are becoming adults or young adults or just high school graduates. I don’t know what I would be considered at this age quite yet. Some people will tell us how excited they are for us and others will remind us of how difficult life is about to get. Rather than assuming just one of those people has to be right, I’ve come to the conclusion that they both are. See, for the past 18 years, we have been guided by family and educators and loved ones around us. They have shared their wisdom and insights and they have raised us and taught us in the way they deemed best. Our single most significant role as individuals has been just to learn. Our job has been to be students. While I would like to congratulate everyone for concluding their time as students, I know that this isn’t what’s happening today. Because regardless of the paths we take, whether it be college, trades, armed forces, the workforce, wherever you may be headed, as fresh high school graduates we are just beginning our time as students. As I have thought on what it means to be on my own once I graduate, I realize that I am not losing a role, but rather taking a bigger one on. We have been students, observing, learning, and growing for every single day for the past 18 years and we will continue to be students for the rest of our lives. I don’t know if this role has an expiration date or if we will ever grow out of being students, but as far as I know, that time, it isn’t ending today. As we step out as students into the classroom of the Principal Nate Underwood Class President Charity Coleman Guest Speaker George Spaulding world, we have a whole new curriculum and a pursue well-paying jobs and shiny things, I whole new set of lessons that life will come to ask you to not place the value of your physical teach us. possessions over the value of that in life which Under the care of our families and cannot be bought. Believe me, I know how educators, we have been pushed to do this corny that sounds, but it’s true. I ask that we learning. The thing about being a student this not be so arrogant to believe that we have time is, we aren’t going to be forced to do it. nothing to learn from life and especially from Sure, the real world will force you to learn how others. I believe in our class as a whole and I to do your taxes and get a job, but I’m talking am confident in the students we are and the about the other stuff. Life is not going to force teachers we will become. you to learn to be a kinder person. Life is not Now I want to say thank you to all of going to force you to learn how to live joyfully. the people who have provided us with the bits Life is not going to force you to learn how to of wisdom to help us succeed in life thus far. pursue your passions. When people say it’s To all of the parents, stepparents, step-in- our time, I think part of what they mean is parents, and all other parental figures; thank that it is our time to take complete charge of you! This day is a milestone not just for us, but our personal growth and learning from here for many of you too. All of the time, money, on out. But that is equally exciting as it is and energy that you have all put into making nerve-racking and it will be just as much of an a day like today even possible does not go adventure as it will be a challenge. unappreciated. To Mrs. Hyde; I know that she’s I think we will all soon come to find not here but I wanted to thank her for being that with each encounter, experience, and the driving force to get many of us out of here relationship comes a lesson of some sort. and onto our next step of life. Thank you for Regardless of if you choose to look for it, I helping us smooth out the kinks in our plans promise that it’s there. We are still so young and thank you for always making us feel like and we have so much left to learn, so my piece we had someone on our side. To Ms. Safier; of wisdom on being a student is this; you will thank you for your patience with us. Thank you get what you seek from your experiences in for speaking your truth with conviction and for life. Keep your head up and your eyes open, teaching us the lessons that aren’t quite in the because the lessons tend to breeze by quickly books. To Mr. Brown; thank you for teaching us or at least until you learn them. to seek the full truth. My time as your student, Now I know that everyone learns in especially this year, has pushed me to broaden different ways, and most people learn only my perspective and question my beliefs in through personal experience, but I do have pursuit of the whole picture. To Mrs. Titus; some quick lessons or words of advice that I thank you for your unwavering kindness. I think will really help us all in the coming years. can genuinely say that my day was brightened First off, and this one is really important to every time I saw you in the library. A heart me; treat others with the understanding that like yours is so hard to find, and Vernonia we are all struggling with something. We get High School is beyond lucky to have you. To so wrapped up in our worlds and we forget to Vernonia; thank you for holding a place for us just be kind to each other. Have some empathy, to grow into the people we are today. Thank broaden your perspective and understand how you for teaching me that I will always be more your negativity affects others. Not everyone than just how others view me. Although many can handle it. Just do everyone, of us will be heading off soon, including yourself, a favor by regardless of how ready we choosing kindness. On the might feel to get out and explore topic of perspective; I think more of what the world has to it’s best that we just swing that offer, I think that many of us door right open because there are leaving a piece of our hearts is a whole world out there and here. I know I sure am. Lastly, you’ll spend your whole life in to the class of 2019 as a whole; the living room if you don’t get thank you for your open heart. out there, and I don’t mean that It’s been a pleasure learning literally. There are so many alongside you all and after all lenses in which life can be seen of this time, it’s bittersweet through. Life is so beautiful, to see these days coming to but sometimes it just takes the an end. With that being said, right lens to truly see that. congratulations guys, we made Class of 2019, as we go it! Savannah Norman into a materialistic world and Valedictorian
