Parents, Community members, Members of the
School Committee, Faculty and Administration, and, most importantly, the
graduating seniors of the class of 2012.
Welcome all to the 11th annual graduation ceremony at the
Manchester Essex Regional High School!
Seniors, graduation day is one of many
significant events you will have in your lives, and, while this event is often
viewed as either an ending or a new beginning, I prefer to view it as a
stepping-stone, one of many that you will have throughout your lifetimes. Your parents, your teachers, from
kindergarten to high school, and your communities have served you well, They
have provided you not only with a wonderful education but also with a sense of
tradition, a spirit of inquiry and a commitment to service.
The Class of 2012 has earned the reputation
of being a talented group of young adults who perseveres in the face adversity
and who gives back to its community.
Athletically, you have experienced the victory of state championships.
Artistically, you have demonstrated your talents on the canvas and in print,
receiving accolades from the Boston Globe. Theatrically, you have distinguished
yourselves through award winning Dramafest performances, and musically, you
have drawn crowds from across the North Shore, with your Soundwaves
performances. Academically, you’ve built
nationally competitive robots, explored the real world applications of science;
you’ve debated across the country, produced an award winning student newspaper
and helped to cultivate a green movement.
These experiences, whether collaborative or individual, demonstrate a
desire for the pursuit of excellence.
As you move on to further academic pursuits,
service in our military or to the world of work, I urge you to push yourself to
reach beyond your comfort zone and to embrace new challenges. Continue to strive for personal excellence,
but keep in mind that success is defined individually and it can be measured in
many ways. I urge you not to bend to the external views of success but rather
to find your own measures and seek to fulfill them. The pressures of test
scores and grades will soon be replaced with pressures of income and material
goods. Society and the media will lead
you to believe that the measure of your greatness can be seen in the size of
your house, the sportiness of your car or the stylishness of your
clothing.
Your families, your school and your
communities have worked hard to instill in you a deeper understanding and
richer sense of self. Material measures
may provide comforts, but they will not nurture your spirit. True success is found in the self-worth you
develop and in the relationships you build.
There will be times in your lives when you
may struggle to balance your careers with your personal lives. When faced with such decisions, I implore you
to always tip the balance in favor of your family and friends.
I am sure that each of you is filled with an
anxious energy as you prepare to take your next steps. Embrace them and make the most of every
experience. Life is to be lived and
enjoyed. You are each capable of
greatness, but define that greatness by your own measure and not that of
society.
I
would like to leave you with some words of wisdom, the authorship of which is
frequently mis-attributed to one of my favorite authors… Ralph Waldo Emerson
but was actually penned by lesser-known writer Bessie Stanley.
