Graduation Speech: This is Not the End :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

It sure took me a long time to get this far. At times I thought I wouldn't make it through high school because as I was growing up I would watch my older brother, Jason, struggling in school. I would think that if he was having trouble, then I would too. My Mom heard about Hall High and their different way of teaching, so she enrolled my brother. As time passed, his grades got better and he quit skipping so much. So when I could, I enrolled in Hall, expecting this school to help me. It did! I like Hall because of all the extra attention from the teachers. Everyone here is on a first name basis, and if I had a problem, they were by my side to help me. I could ask them anything, and they would guide me, steer me in the right direction. But the main thing I like about the teachers here at Hall is that they take time out of their way during or after school to help out me with my troubles ... and I have had a LOT of troubles. History, for instance. I just couldn't see why I needed it. But, Pat, my History Teacher taught me that if you learn about the past, it helps enable you to predict the future and not keep making the same mistakes. If you know what has happened in the past (like concentration camps) we can help make sure that doesn't ever happen again. If you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. If you want to change, you have to do something different. There are also many things I've learned about myself here at Hall. Like, how to cope with my problems. Now I know how to work through them. Thanks Mary. Thanks Jane. I've made many friends in this school, Friends that I hope to have for a lifetime. Not just the students, but teachers too. As I proceed in life, I plan on coming back and visiting all of you. All of you helped make me who I am today. George Matthew Adams said there is no such thing as a "self-made man." We are made up of thousands of others. Everyone who has ever done a kind deed for us, or spoken one word of encouragement to us, has entered into the make-up of our character and of our thoughts.