Salutatorian Speech

Good morning Ms. Reynolds, Mr. McNutt, teachers, parents and fellow graduates. I would like begin by thanking all of you, for being in attendance this morning. You are the impetus to it all. Through your open doors, you offered us the opportunity to learn in an environment of mutual respect and acceptance. To use the word support would be an understatement; you personally invested your time and energy to ensure that our own pursuits were made possible, within and beyond the classroom. Our aspirations and concerns became your own over the past few years, and through your invaluable support you have made us better people. On behalf of my classmates, and myself I would like to express my appreciation.

These wonderful graduates are more than my classmates; they are my family. I always think about our past, all the good times and those thankfully few bad ones; the laughter and tears we shared over the past 10 years. I began with some of you in kindergarten, others joined along the way. We all have grown up together and have changed each other for the better. We have stuck together, even though the rough times I am so proud of every single one of them and I love them all dearly. Each laughter-filled moment and friendship made has taught us what we need to move on, and has strengthened us as individuals I'm so blessed to have had them in my life and I am thankful that I was given the opportunity to have gone to such a wonderful school full of amazing people.

Let me just tell you all that today is no small feat. It perhaps is the most significant and life altering achievement most of you can claim to this day. Never hesitate to recognize how proud each and every person here today is for you to complete such a long and difficult task. Having worked for over ten years just for this moment, it is hard to ignore the determination, perseverance, patience, hard work and even sacrifice that embodies itself the attitudes of every graduate. The innumerable