Schools

LHS 2012 Graduation Speech: Comstock, Nelson, Bateman

The Ledyard High School Class of 2012 graduated Saturday, June 23.

 

Megan: Parents, friends, and members of the Class of 2012… I’m Megan.

Cedar: I’m Cedar.

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Callie: And I’m Callie.

Cedar: When Mr. Gabordi first gave us the opportunity to give a speech at graduation, our initial reaction was

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ALL: EHHHHHH.

Callie: We didn’t really know if we’d have any good ideas to share with our classmates.

Megan: But we decided to think it over a bit, and that night, we were given a sign from above, sent in the form of a little blue bird, which we named…Twitter.

Callie: All over the Twitter time line was the common saying from our peers of “#YOLO.” What does this phrase mean, you may ask? It means: You’re Only Like Onions.

Cedar: This is when we decided that Twitter was absolutely right…we should write a speech to tell our classmates how we ourselves are like onions, with many different layers (as pointed out by Donkey in Shrek).

Callie: Some of us have layers of art, some layers of sports, some layers of agri-science, or music. But we all have one layer in common—one that’s four-years old, and maaaaaybe a little moldy….and that layer, which we will be shedding today, is high school.

Megan: Now, going back to “#YOLO,” we understand there is another meaning to this acronym (which is much less commonly used), and that is “You Only Live Once.” And it’s true—we only have one life, and it should be lived to the fullest. But while you only live that life once, and while today you will be shedding your high school layer and moving on to the next stage in your onion life…you’re only a Colonel… forever. #Y-O-C-F. YOCF.

Callie: Okay, it doesn’t sound as nice as YOLO, but it’s true. Being a Colonel forever is not just because you attended this school—it’s the memories and moments that define every student who has walked through these halls. And in case you don’t know what we’re talking about, we have a list to help you out.

You Know You’re a Colonel When…

M: -When Mr. Gabordi’s smiling face outside the school in the morning makes it a little easier to deal with the fact that you woke up at 6…

C: -When some punk junior steals your parking spot without a pass.

K: -When your sports team is actually more like your family.

M: -When the hallway smells like an odd combination of freshly baked cinnamon rolls and dead dissected cats.

C: -When you’ve memorized the Ledyard High School Mission Statement….ummm we’re still working on that one.

K: -When your birthday gets announced over the intercom and you’re suddenly showered in baked goods.

M: -When you finally earn the right to wake up late or leave early for senior lounge.

C: -When you get taken down by a falling ceiling tile.

K: -When you get the rest of the day off because the fire alarms still aren’t fixed or there’s a gas leak.

M: -When you get called down to the APO and everybody goes, “Oooooh…..”

C: -When the song Mr. Bunocore plays on the intercom gets stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

K: -Or when you look back on your four years and realize that, even though you complained the whole time, they really weren’t so bad after all, and maybe you’re gonna miss the class of 2012.

C: But in all your experiences next year, no matter what your future holds or what onion layers you have, we as the class of 2012 will always be a family of Colonels.

M: You’re Only a Colonel Forever…. #YOCF.

K: Congratulations Ledyard High School Class of 2012.

Click here for the speeches by , , and .


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