good morning on behalf of the faculty staff and ministration and board of school directors it is my pleasure to welcome you to the forty six graduation exercise for mt mansfield union high school would select members of the class of two thousand and thirteen please come forward to sing the national anthem by francis scott  thank you to the class of two thousand and thirteen thanks for making this year my first this principle a special one but i would expect nothing less from you as you are special class i have trouble expressing my thoughts about you to myself much less to this large crowd your commitment to each other into our community is tangible unbelievable example for the whole school i ask you to remember that you all have the necessary skills to be successful in life and more importantly you know that you can achieve more by working with peers than you can by working against them we are blessed with a supportive community beautiful environment and individuals with the will ability and desire to strive to continually make our high school union a better place i think the class of two thousand and thirteen for playing their part and making m m u a better place thank you good morning thank you all for being here families friends teachers and administrators it's wonderful that you could all be present to support me and you class of two thousand and thirteen on the last day that we will all be together the end of this commencement ceremony will mark the end of an era of the first chapter of our lives no more lockers no more move a day is no more ruling the school yet it is important to remember that this day is not just an ending the word commencement means a beginning or a start and well today is the end of our high school years it's also the beginning of the next chapter whatever that may be for me personally that means that although a little more than a week ago i was wiping tears from my eyes as i walked out of mrs l's and this is bowers classrooms for the last time in a few short weeks months actually i'll begin building the foundations of similarly strong relationships with new teachers though i recently drove away from my final academic school day at m m u before i know i will be arriving on campus for my first day here at u v m and though in a few weeks i'll be hugging my friends goodbye i'll soon be calling them to say hey i met this great person in my english class today i have to introduce you sometime you'd really like her when this ceremony is over we will set off on over two hundred different paths some of those journeys will begin right away as my fellow classmates start new jobs or set off on exciting trips most of us will have this summer to work earn money and hang out with our friends before heading off on our next adventure some of us will stay in vermont while others will jet off across the country and around the world from italy to new zealand to nepal some of us already know what we wish to become others may change their minds several times before deciding which career path to follow and more than a few of us like myself might have meant that we really have no idea yet what we want to do in the end we will become engineers writers teachers police officers carpenters doctors nurses musicians and artists we will join the marines the air force and the national guard and someday we may come full circle and take these seats and watch our own children graduate even as we set out on our own individual journeys there are things that we all have in common first of all we have  and what does the vermont upbringing do for you it has given us a taste for only the finest maple syrup thanks to vermont weather we are unfazed by having to wear a fleece jacket at a summer barbecue we are have the ability to easily navigate potholed dirt roads and will not be stopped either by three foot mounds of snow or two foot deep mud ruts and of course we have known from an early age that ben and jerry's ice cream is one of the major food groups but more seriously we have been lucky to grow up surrounded by a strong sense of community for an estate the size everyone seems to be connected to you in some way living in vermont has also given us a respect for the natural world and an appreciation of  many of us will go on to choose careers or make lifestyle choices that reflect our state's environmental awareness furthermore fighting our way through those muddy roads snow drifts and in the last couple of years some severe floods has given us a and will power strong enough to conquer any obstacles that come our way finally every one of us has a spark of that independent spirit which is so unique to our state we are willing to speak our minds try new things and break away from the crowd another thing that we all share is m m u which has done so much to shape us and our futures most obviously of course and you have given us a solid education speaking for myself there were many courses throughout my high school career that helped to instill in me a love of learning and that i will carry through life and that i hope my fellow graduates share whether or not one chooses to pursue knowledge through traditional schooling one should meet the world with curiosity inquisitiveness and vermont openness to new experiences and ideas yet m m u has given us more than an education because of m m u we also had the good fortune to be part of a strong community from the first day of freshman year when these kids were from  these kids were from browns river and these were from westford look at how far class has come we have gone through difficult times together and our sense of community has only become the stronger for it from those first days of scrawny freshmeat we have gone on to be winter carnival champs when the twinkie eating contest two years in a row and for a senior prank go above and beyond by creating what i like to think of as a general day of chaos which left at least one underclassman wondering how are we ever going to top this tartar graduates here's what the strength of this community means for your future in the years to come every one of you will have at least one person from this community be a fellow member of the class of twenty thirteen one of the dedicated m m u faculty or one of the proud and supportive parents here today who are still in your life one or more of these people will be sharing in your low points and your triumphs still there to support you years after this graduation day now if you look around you you may not be able to find that person or those people in this crowd today but take a moment to think about who they might be and to be grateful for all that they have given you up to this point now as we go forward from this day the connections that we have with each other and the strength that we have grown up with our common thread that will connect us no matter where we are in the world either glimpse of that cougar blue or a taste of fish food ice cream will bring us home and then you and vermont have prepared us to face the world ready and willing to learn and explore face difficulties and appreciate the community around us perhaps however as we strive to learn and try to face these future difficulties we can remember these words from the poet do not now seek the answers which cannot be given you because you will not be able to live and the point is to live everything live the questions now perhaps you will very gradually without noticing it live along some distant day into the answer congratulations class of twenty thirteen and best of luck to each of you thank you gina would even bessie cassidy thompson and marcia white please come forward to perform landslide by stevie nicks good morning everyone i'd like to thank all the teachers administrators families and friends that are here to support the seniors in front of me on our graduation day at least for me today gives rise to a feeling within a dash of apprehension colors a mixture of excitement and pure joy seniors it's finally here in receiving your diploma today you're being given the equivalent of a big check mark on a list of life milestones right after i lost my first tooth learn to ride a bike and mastered basic social manners let's be honest some of us still struggle with that last one we have graduated high school check the deploy my you're about to receive encompasses your four years of english classes and the countless p i q r essays you churned out in the darkest hours of night in the wee hours of the morning in an hour your science projects those ten or so hand drawn maps and a clay continent perhaps the dreaded bore adam lab and a dissection or two your diploma signif your years of math and social studies serving as a little plaque on the front of the filing cabinet where you've tucked away each name date and formula for future use ben franklin sits just behind the battle of bunker hill in your b folder and the quadratic formula shares q's with q e d that abbreviation thing you used after proofs because it's fancy latin and your teacher told you the awkwardness of gym class could never be fully captured in a piece of paper thank goodness but nevertheless your diploma gives a nod to the nights you spent playing nursemaid to an electronic baby and the rite of passage that is the infamous dance unit when duty calls at a wedding or a staff picnic we and the new graduates will be prepared to seize the reins of leadership and display or extensive knowledge of the macarena and the electric slide along with these core requirements of english math science history and public embarrassment the languages arts and electives you have taken our own neatly summed up in that scrolled word across the top of the certificate congratulations mansfield union high school we are lucky to have some of the best teachers in the state incredible individuals whose dedication to our learning and growth over the years has been unparalleled i feel honored to represent the class of two thousand and thirteen when i say sincerely thank you teachers for all you have done for us yet as i'm sure you all know there are many more things we learn in high school that aren't required on your transcript or nicely checked off by the presentation of a piece of paper and these are the lessons that go beyond the textbooks multiple choice bubbles and mandatory credits and though mr right may argue that nothing matters but math and bucky will contend that appreciating literature is imperative to understanding the human condition i hold that the things we learn about ourselves as people and about the lives we are just beginning are often found in unexpected places the first lesson that impresses itself on me every day is that not a single one of us could made it to this moment alone personally the family friends and coaches that have supported me through the inevitable road bumps have been irreplaceable companions there have been those who went before me and laid out traffic cones warning me away from the same potholes that cause them trouble there have been those who followed just behind and help me clean up the messes i created by my own mistakes more importantly there have been those who walked with me the entire way brushing dirt off my knees when i fell providing a solid shoulder to lean on and turmoil and who smiles and high fives decorate my happiest memories to the groups and individuals that have been my foundation i cannot thank you enough we all have those people who in one way or another have had an irrevocable positive impact on the direction of our lives and i hope that today in the future we can all give them the appreciation they deserve i highly suggest you walk your parents later i was taught my second lesson by life's unavoidable disappointments i learned that keys to being an individual of strong character are resilient faith in the goodness of people and the quick and complete forgiveness of shortcomings you and i are friends parents and teachers aren't perfect but high school both high school and the world beyond it are riddled with the opportunities for bad decisions and too often we allow fragments of past failures to define ourselves and others i've learned that interactions and relationships become much more genuine and meaningful when we refrain from judgment don't give up on someone yourself included after one two or even one hundred mistake i know that people have and will let you down and i think we've all been in that situation but i am inclined to believe that the good inevitably outweighs the bad we far from perfect people deserve more than one try and if you give someone that window of opportunity they have a chance to change for the better i found another life lesson that i've since taken to heart attack to the bulletin board outside mr a room it was a quote by jim rome that said happiness is not something you postpone for the future it is something you design for the present we seniors are at a point in our lives when questions about the future our career plans hopes and dreams are coming in fast and frequent and nowadays the asker's are expecting answers scary right while i believe that forward thinking is extremely important and i am admittedly an obsessive list maker i feel that having the courage to follow your passion and the sensitivity to stay present in the beauty of the current moment is more important than having it all figured out one of my greatest role models married in may majored in history for four years before deciding that while interested him his passion was to leave for science after his college graduation he took additional classes to fulfill the pre med requirements while working various jobs and studying for the m katz in the fall hill realized the next step towards his goal by entering the seven year process to becoming a doctor sounds like a roundabout route to a career no but you know what he is now and has been all along happy so i would challenge you to have the bravery to love your life don't accept apathy and a passive course of existence as good enough don't wait to pursue your dreams or remain on a track that isn't right for you because you're afraid or you're banking on having the time later so many things are unclear in this world so create a life for yourself that revolves around the people and pursuits that give you joy it's alright to be unsure of where you're headed as long as you're on a path that makes you smile but by far the wisest message i've been taught in high school i learned from a member of the maintenance staff on monday morning i was sitting in the lobby with a cake i had made for my friend that read thank you when mr racine came over to mop  large gator aid spill spreading across the floor he said oh is that cake for the maintenance department and smile i replied no but i probably should be after all the glitters streamer and when no paint you guys had to clean up on friday as a side note for those here today who did not going to chance to see the full glory of the senior pranks let it be known that there were decorations spread liberally throughout the school that it was awesome and it was very very messy it was a janitor's worst nightmare anyway mr wright the assistant principal was walking by at the time and he asked mr seen how he was doing and looking up from his mop and he replied i am great this morning a little more surprised mr wright said you're not a monday blues guy  racine straightened and looked at mr wright and me he said no sir i figure that every day the sun rises and i can get out of bed and morning it's a good day and went back to his work now seniors you can be so many things in life this high school diploma can get you started in all kinds of directions it gives you license to enter college travel the world or start a career but it in itself is not a ticket to happiness happiness what i define as true success comes from having an attitude like racine's if you are willing to embrace each day with an appreciation for just how lucky we are to have one more sunrise you set yourself up to be amazed by the kindness color and small triumphs that each day brings these lessons i've learned to appreciate the love offered by others to give second chances to seek joy in the present and to be unshakably optimistic or the greater think greatest things carry from my high school experience i hope that all of you have found similar meaning and made wonderful memories these four years whatever direction life takes you after today i hope you end up at a destination that makes the long years of school thus far and the many more ramen noodles sustained once ahead totally worthwhile congratulations class of twenty thirteen the honored speaker chosen by the seniors to deliver the charge to the class of two thousand and thirteen is mr joshua knox latin tea a family class of thirteen lend me your ears you know i had to say that right class of two thousand and thirteen i don't know if you've realized this before years ago we all came to m m u together two thousand and nine was my first year teaching at the school remember what the world was like our freshman year yes indeed everything changed in two thousand and nine when we as a nation first met snooki and the situation in all seriousness a lot has changed in the past four years institutions once thought permanent vanished i mean guys linda streeter retired on your watch and things once thought impossible had become every day conveniences i'm sure siri can tell us what that  yet through all of this change you have been the one constant in the student body and what a constant we would be here all day if i were to read off a fraction of what you have accomplished in that time and i would still be leaving things out so you'll just have to believe me when i say i literally can't imagine that building without all of you in it and yet here we are your graduation and since our time together is drawing to a close i'd like to talk about something important probably the most important thing i'd like to talk to you about love now you've heard a lot about love love is a many splendored thing love lifts us up where we belong all you need is love although there's nothing wrong with any of those definitions i want to talk about something bigger something greater if you look around patrick gymnasium you will see the faces of people who truly love you who in some cases have loved you your whole life they have seen you your absolute your absolute worst and your boring every day self yet at no point did they ask to get off that roller coaster why would they do something so self evidently crazy the answer is obvious because they love you and that's all that matters obviously now yes but i'm telling you because i want you to remember it i want you to hold onto it you see once you leave here the great world out there will send you very different messages maybe you've already heard the whispers and words like career and success the world is going to try its hardest to make you think your value as a person depends on your net worth your productivity or something else that can be counted on a balance sheet in short the world and i think you know this already it's full of all sorts of temptations and pressures and other unpleasant things as a result that feeling that seems obvious to you today may be forgotten in a handful of years so yes as you peer out into this world it easy to be discouraged even afraid and believe me we've talked over these past four years i've heard your biggest fears this is some race to nowhere but here is wh love comes back into the picture you may have heard it said that perfect love drives out all fear this is my charge to each of you spend the rest of your life remembering and sharing with others the feeling of this moment act on live not in a house but in a home know the difference between a job and a calling and do not settle for knowledge when you can gain wisdom put simply live filled with love and you will live fully alive let me say that again live filled with love and you will live as one fully alive and when you live this way you will realize that a lot of what the world values things that can be counted are not the most important things the most important things have been around you the whole time you also realize that many of those things that discouraged and frightened you are not insurmountable they can be overcome the shared burden can be made like i have great hope no hope isn't the right word i have great faith in your ability to fill this charge i have already seen your love in action i have seen you share in each other's joys and comfort each other and all of us in moments of greatest sorrow you have proven time and again the wisdom of that irish bard who said only love can leave such a mark but only love can heal such a scar ok that was from bono i'll admit it now i want to tell you something when i first got to this part of the speech in my rough draft i froze and i was stuck all week at first i thought i was waiting to be inspired to write some epic conclusion but then it occurred to me i was afraid after all that afraid afraid that this moment means goodbye but if these four years have meant anything this isn't goodbye this isn't the end but a new beginning i like new beginnings better thank you mr knox and i want to thank all of you again for being here today to celebrate with us i think it is fitting that mr knox spoke about love because without love and support without our parents siblings mentors teachers friends and community members it would not have made it here today together we earned these diplomas to promise that signifying not only the completion of twenty two credits and then you but the combination of a twelve year journey through elementary middle and high school through awkward phases and insecurities and heartache through paper projects create a continent shakespeare and term papers we did it this passage was not free of obstacles and setbacks since birth we have relied heavily on others and adults at their best to guide us in the right direction educating us urging us to be taller and teaching us right from wrong as we entered high school we discovered a new realm of independence and the reduced amount of structure left us and knowing how to reach a memory is elevated expectation freshman year many people neglected to do homework or study and as a struggled to keep up let's just say that we did not make a great first impression on the school and the faculty even had to have meetings because they were worried and bewildered about what to do with us fortunately we soon figured it out and learned to take on personal responsibility and lean on our peers and friends for support as we made connections with each other crossing the barrier between camel humpers river rats and those kids from mustard mansfield began to seem more familiar and we quickly adopted the cougar sphere as our own armed with this new found resilience classmates at our sides parts filled with purple pride and a lot of carping we conquered we learned how to deal with grief how to find light in our darkest days and that when unexplainable tragedy occurred we learned that rather than trying to rationalize it and maybe better to dance together and make paper cranes and honor of his memory we learned that one vermont's erratic weather floods our towns there are friends that will bring pumps by way of four wheelers and tractors to drain some of the water and that when you crash your car in the dead of winter their friends i will wait with you for a to we learned of the dance team and we learned that the dance team could succeed in anything even if that meant getting the football coach to get a tattoo marking their state championship we have learned a lot and we have learned to love our class while the were just jealous it's true only we can work the people sitting on on either side of us and share a common understanding of what it means to be a member of the m m u class of two thousand and thirteen what it means embody the unique spirit and strength that makes me happy to say in the front lobby chatting and fooling around with people before going home that makes me grateful when my mom says time and time again that i have really good friends and that makes me proud when students from essex the only ones willing to admit it say that they envy our grades community it is this very spirit that filled the halls on our last day of school as we decorated barbequed last dance in the four corners and ran a victory lap we did not allow our rocky beginning to tarnish our character or muffle our hearts and sadly let our trials and tribulations bring us closer together and cement our friendships we built up on these friendships to accomplish many things and we owe these successes to each other today we are entering a new period in our lives whether it is working going to college serving our country our taking a little time off to explore the experience new levels of freedom this freedom may be daunting and as mr knox said you may be afraid and these moments of fear i urge you to remember how you learned to navigate the seemingly endless of m m u and how you overcame the difficult task of completing high school remember that you did it by learning to love and look out for each other i am so proud of each and every one of you i wouldn't have chosen to be a part of any other wow great job we would like to now acknowledge mt minstrel unite schools highest honor the citizenship award presented to two seniors for outstanding service and leadership through all four years of high chair of the board of school directors and superintendent schools these students have satisfactory completed the prescribed course of study according to the requirements of the state of vermont the chip in the supervisory union and the board of school directors from out man forward one of the things the school board does is take education the process of education seriously very seriously and perhaps the objectives of education can best be summed up by four become important in your daily lives if i had reasoning skills to separate right from wrong and understand logical conclusions and perhaps most important to develop good qualities honesty sincerity trustworthiness and respect and the love for others many of those reiterate what you've already heard today but they are nonetheless important so once again congratulations and thank you for all the commitment that you have contributed it is now time for the awarding of the diplomas at this point i would like to acknowledge and thank are retiring teachers arden ductless and dan mcgowan well given over eighty years of service to our school and community thank you dan and for the awarding of diplomas parents and family members are welcome to take photos and videos down in front we ask that you please return to your c as soon as you have completed your task and take care not to block the path of graduates we also have a professional photographer taking photos today a link to the photos we placed on our website on monday also local access cable t v is here filming this will be broadcasting it on local t v and can be viewed on their website on behalf of the faculty staff administration and board of school directors it is my pleasure to congratulate the class of two thousand and thirteen i would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who have spent countless hours preparing for and on are earning the seniors this graduation week specifically i'd like to thank our class marshals marina bowie and g in the parents of the class of two thousand and thirteen who had dedicated time and energy to make this day possible reminder that project graduation meets at m m u at eight pm tonight parents should provide transportation to and from m m u pick up a sunday morning at six thirty am if the audience could please remain in their at their seats until all the graduated students have accepted the gymnasium this concludes the commencement exercises for mt mansfield union high school was with the graduates please turn your attention to your class marshals ra's if you still have your caps or move your tassels from right to left and proceed with the recession