Students, administration, staff, family, and friends, welcome to the commencement for the Class of 2017, Hanover High School’s 125th commencement. Graduation is an exciting time... both an ending and a beginning filled with warm memories of the past, and immense dreams for the future. Now the question becomes, should we reminisce about the past four years, or instead focus on the next stage in this journey called life? We’ve waited impatiently for this day for many years, and now, we just want to hit pause, slow down, and enjoy the last fleeting moments before we graduate. After all, our lives will be forever altered after we toss our caps into the air. Before fervently throwing our caps into the air, we cannot overlook or forget the true significance of being the graduates of the Class of 2017. The Oxford Dictionary defines a graduate as “a person who has successfully completed a course of study or training”. Well, in our case, this certainly holds truth...but this only touches the surface …show more content…
After graduation, we will follow our passions in copious different directions. Some of us will attend universities and technological or trade schools in the fall, while others will take a year off before pursuing higher education. Many of our seniors will be joining the workforce right after high school, and others will join the Armed Forces.
No matter what we choose to do, we must concentrate on enhancing our futures… we need to be tomorrow’s positive images. Class of 2017, it is up to all of us to make a difference, and to leave the best impression possible. Excellence is never an accident… it’s the result of rigorous work. Go forth, work unyieldingly, and attain excellence; the kind of excellence that will make your dreams into reality.
I would now like to read a reflective poem, Senior Year, written by Maria Balafoutas, a member of our graduating class:
Two thousand