pleased as we welcome chelsea and harmon and nicholas david pruitt to sing our national anthem we ask that you remain standing as hannah elizabeth hobbs and evan tater macintyre the good evening and welcome to the two thousand and ten peters township high school graduation and commencement ceremony it is an honor and a pleasure to be associated with a wonderful group of young men and young women of the graduating class of two thousand and ten they are not coming to close to their high school experience but common eight thirteen years of public education within that span of time there have been adults who have pla significant roles in their lives many of whom are with us this evening i would like to take a few minutes to recognize these individuals first the parents and families  each of our graduates doll starts at home moms dads grandparents we are all here for that celebration your brothers and sisters and cousins you have been the driving forces and sculptors of your lives for that we celebrate with you this evening within the first few days of my start here at peter high school i recognized an incredibly talented staff with a love and passion but more importantly they truly care about each student they don't just go through the motions they are the motion and they create the motion that motivates inspires and touches the hearts minds and souls of our graduates before you high school faculty i ask that you stand and be recognized there are a total of two thousand three hundred and forty days of school a child can attend starting kindergarten and going through their senior year we at the high school have only had those graduates for seven hundred and twenty of those days throughout these years teachers at the elementary middle school have planted the seeds for success as stablished solid foundations for not only learning but for leadership and character and have provided the necessary nurturing and motivation that carries them through our doors teachers from our elementary schools and middle schools join us today we ask that they stand and be recognized in addition these young men and women have had building level administrators at the elementary schools and middle schools as well as the district office level who believe that students are our priority and practice they believe through their leadership our school district consistent consistently demonstrate success in academics athletics and the arts they to join us in our celebration please stand and be recognized our board of school directors are before you this evening on stage this is a change from previous commencements i have positioned them in front of you as a symbol of the duties and the responsibilities each of them have as they serve our children they do an outstanding job and oftentimes are in a thankless position it takes a special individual to serve in this capacity and i stand before you recognizing the myriad of the solutions they have made to make all of this possible for the graduates of two thousand and ten it is an honor to recognize each of them individually i ask that each stand as i call their name and we hold our applause to all of them are standing mrs diane ritter school board president and joining the celebration of his son harrison's commencement in the stand with his family dr mark was auto putting this commencement together is a monumental task and i have been blessed to be able to work with individuals that have a work ethic passion to do the right things and care for every student have worked out the detail after detail and have provided me with the guidance and support that have been so valuable i am proud of the job they do mr galloway and mrs emily sanders our assistant principals along with our secretaries judy borg vivian worst and lorraine glass thank you for making all of this happen tonight dr pages i thank you for the guidance direction and leadership you have given this faculty and this class of two thousand and ten you have played a significant part in the lives of these graduates i also thank you and the board of school directors for having the confidence and handing me the baton to serve this class down the home stretch custodial and maintenance staff have done a yeoman's job in getting this venue prepared they have gone above and beyond and beyond everything we can add ask them to do they have done thanks to all of you you will now be inspired and energized by the profound words and thoughts of our four student speakers first our class president julianne strone followed by katherine lynn murphy our what is a dream or a dream or it could be many things a young boy scoring the winning run or a little girl traveling around the world a dream or has an imagination with no limits no boundaries dreamers let themselves soar to new heights creating new limits the dreamers of yesterday jump for an even better world today they saw a healthier more optimistic future for their children the dreamers of the ten dream to make our dream a reality for future generations as we proudly assemble tonight in our caps and gowns just as the graduates from the class of one nine hundred sixty once did we dare to dream our parents teachers and role models have taught us the skills to go out and face the challenges before us our dreams will become reality in  echo one the first american satellite was launched into orbit fifty years later we are talking on cell phones and communicating with people face to face across the world on skype fifty years ago the american dream of owning your own home and automobile was more easily attainable than it is today current starter homes have increased ten times over the cost of a new home for one nine hundred sixty a gallon of gas has gone up ten fold all the while minimum wage has only experienced moderate growth in one nine hundred sixty band her one a record eleven oscars it was the most expensive film of its time budget at fifteen million dollars today the three d in film avatar was estimated to cost at least three hundred million dollars these graduates of one nine hundred sixty have experienced the first televised presidential debate between richard nixon and john f kennedy this resulted in the first catholic president elected in our generation we too have witnessed many political first including the election of the first african american  and the first female speaker of the house nancy pelosi in the world of sports in one thousand nine hundred sixty the pittsburgh pirates defeated the new york yankees in arguably the most famous world series ever played today well i won't even go there fifty years ago these high school seniors were dancing to frankie avalon elvis presley and connie francis today we listen to lady g and katy perry oh how the times have changed the one nine hundred sixty graduates have planted their fields of dreams bait graduated high school asking just how exactly will i make a difference in the world their dreams have become our generation's reality their questions have been answered as ours are just beginning we the dreamers of today will become the heroes and i cons of tomorrow clark miss carol miss kathleen j miss lois j mansfield miss carol williams oregon miss mathilda mr george wagner recently i read the richest man in town by b j smith the book was inspired by a man named aaron martin saying better known as marty marty was a cashier at a local wal mart in south dakota but he wasn't any ordinary cashier marty did something different he actually listened to people he as customers about their lives and provided encouraging words finally when marty finished the transactions he would walk around the register shake the customer's hand look him in the eye and say thank you ever almost touched by his simple gesture no most a stranger in his line merely a friend in waiting marty played a large role in his community and surrounding areas almost reaching a celebrity status as a class of two thousand and ten much like marty we have played a large role in our community the high school community and the petersen to a community share somewhat gave take relationship clubs within the high schools such as student council side national honor society troop and sports teams organize events that benefit the town shit this year student council how to spring carnival that raised funds to benefit children's hospital it was refreshing to watch the children's faces light up when they want to goldfish meanwhile their parents grimace at the reality of the situation yet another fish that will end up soaring down the toilet during the same time as several well known fundraisers including hot and hallways and dodgeball this us being true put on several outstanding performances such as night must fall and beauty and the beast our school also had two students parade in addition to events held by school sponsored clubs to outstanding athletes julie stoney and matt white were recognized by katie kaye and for their exceptional achievements in tennis and hockey respectively and our dance team was featured on e s p n this past year our athletic department excelled once again with seventeen teams advancing to playoffs while high school students busied themselves with local activities the peters community returns the favor armont crash would not have been a success without the help of faculty and staff staff members at the high school the local fire and police departments and emergency medical services reaching beyond peter's township our high school peers provided aid to the global community after the devastating earthquake in haiti a student in our graduating class alicia johns initiated a school  action for the victims of the earthquake although these examples are only a few among many they represent our dedication and pride towards peters township the place we call home regardless of whether you're planning to jump into the workforce expecting to serve in the armed forces or continuing your education this fall always remember the impact that you as an individual can have upon your small community as well as the international community the relationships we share with others and the relationship that exists between two parts of a community act in a circular fashion when we provide someone with encouraged man and interest he goes on to provide someone else with encouragement and interest it is an ongoing pay it forward cycle demonstrating the idea that you get what you give think back to the individuals who have influenced you whether they be a volunteer baseball coach a third grade teacher a local librarian or a pastor at your church at least one person in this community has touched your life there is an african proverb that says it takes a village to raise a child this statement holds a lot of truth in our community we are who we are because others have invested in us like marty we need to continue to contribute to our communities regardless of where they may be continue to pursue your interests over the next few years and if you weren't involved with anything particular in high school consider getting involved with something in the future marty was an important person in his community he built relationships he gave a little more after it every day and in the process he made himself happy if all of us can accomplish these three things in our futures i am confident that we will be successful and grow up to eventually influence the lives of others congratulations class of two thousand and ten and thank you  commencement coin toss the coin toss was won by cassandra she has elected to go second lazy gentlemen let's welcome class of twenty ten i am truly honored to speak to you today as we look back on our years at peters township and look forward in anticipation to what lies ahead we suddenly realize how much our lives will change in the near future during this time our advice guidance and inspiration may come from family friends or even national icons one of the most inspirational icons of past years has died recently john wood was the legendary basketball coach of the u c l a bruins for forty years during his career he had four undefeated seasons nineteen conference championships and ten accomplished but by what you should have accomplished with your ability i believe that these words are extremely relevant to all of us today and will be even more relevant in the coming years soon just trying will not be enough earning an a on a test will not be enough in order to succeed after high school we will have to utilize all of our ability and all that we do college professors and bosses will not tolerate half hearted attempts or hastily done work every day from this day on we must make a choice between effortless mediocrity and the truly exceptional of which we are capable of simply having potential will no longer be acceptable how will we know the limits of our abilities if we never push ourselves to that limit we will have to fully realize what we are individually capable of accomplishing and continuously strive for that limit from now on others will judge our character by the quality of our work and not by the clothes we wear or the people we call our friends in the near future hard work will be the cornerstone for the respect in the benefits that all of us stream of achieving each of us must now find the motivation and embrace the responsibility to succeed no matter what our individual definitions of success might be let's take a tip from coach wooden and strive for our best not for the longest resumes the coming years hold great potential for all of us if we are willing to find and class of two thousand and ten i wish you all of the ambition good luck and success in the world thank you very much final places will the world travel is often unmarked some windows are lit but mostly they're dark some doors are cracked open for a moment to stay out of dark alleys stay on bright avenues global warming by us baby as crazies are up to our class must step up we're on our own but not alem consider the people who helped us get here consider the council of friends we hold dear for all we have met or have yet to me contribute some portion of who we will be one of us maybe come in the college just to clean our ocean another an economist will put our economy back in motion chemist behind juice it's a teacher business men are styles together we can climb the mountains to see the great sides well join the high flyers who fly out to high heights so stand straight and tall and take on this test perhaps has said it the best you have brains in your head you have feet in your shoes you can steer yourself in any direction you choose you're on your own and you know what you know and you are the already footsteps on them in congratulations class of two thousand and ten thank you in just a few moments i'm going to be the luckiest individual individual here in the stadium for i'm going to have that once in a lifetime opportunity to shake individually the hands of three hundred forty seven two thousand and ten graduates of peters township high school ask a sandra said and asked us to look around to look in front to look him back i asked the graduates to look up here and then look up there you can do anything you want to do you can be anything you can  at this time i would like to introduce this is diane ritter president of our school board good evening parents guests taf and members of the class of two thousand and ten tonight on behalf of the entire board of school directors it is my pleasure to extend to each member of this class congratulations on your graduation each of you can be proud of what you have achieved thus far this is truly a beginning work hard as you move forward in learning keep an open mind a big dream for as william shakespeare wrote in hamlet we know what we are but not all what we may be many people have been part of your journey to this diploma within the school district the entire staff has been dedicated to your education from the first day you climbed up the steps of the kindergarten us through your senior year literally hundreds of people work together each day to fulfill the mission statement to educate individuals to be responsible lifelong learners and does students in the classroom no one has spent more time with you than your teachers speaking on education call young the renowned psychologist stating one looks back in appreciation to their brilliant teachers but with gratitude to those teachers who touched our human feelings the curriculum is so much necessary raw material but warm is the vital element for the growing plant and the soul of a child so tonight it is my distinct honor to introduce such a teacher chosen by the students to address their class with a passion for teaching he is dedicated to improving students writing skills and appreciation for letter and sadly for us after a distinguished career he will be tarring this year but before he does presenting the faculty address mr john  thank you i'd like to begin by congratulating the high school administrative team for running such a smooth ceremony without any suffocating stress or manic atmosphere congratulations also to the graduates parents you're almost rid of them finally congratulations to the seniors for getting me to dress like this i haven't worn a gown for years at least not in public by the way who decided this was a good look i feel like batman's west virginia because most of you are merely enduring the ceremony in anticipation of all the parties and celebrations to come i advise you to pause and enjoy this moment i'm sure you're tired of people lecturing you and telling you how you should feel but we who have already walked the path that awaits you have done some scouting and have some useful perspectives to share i compare the course of our lives to a ship tacking into the w we can't proceed by sailing directly into it so we chart a zigzag course with frequent adjustments as we slowly progress in our lives we every so often encounter an event that necessitates altering our course life is sublime life is merciless life is beautiful life is cruel life his serene life is vicious while we can't always control what happens to us we must control how we respond for those occasions define us everyone's a hero in peace time what will you do when the bullets start flying sometimes we're aware of the significance of an event as it occurs in the realize will never be the same on other occasions we're not cognizant of a moment's importance until we look back on it understand what's happening to you tonight quite frankly graduating from high school is not that big a deal you always took for granted that you do that and now you have but it is a benchmark something to be checked off your to do list as you move through life now one well for starters that w you've been sailing into is about to get a whole lot stronger but you're ready for remember how terrified you were when you moved from middle school to high school you didn't know how you'd survive as you look back now it all seems so easy call it your way and you're anxious but you've been prepared all of us assembled tonight have invested in you to get you ready and enormous opportunity presents itself seize it by the throw don't wait for things to happen make them happen the herd is going to be thinned some child is going to be left behind that's just the way life is there will now be less hand holding has some patient trophies fewer accepted excuses more put up or shut up but you are ready when you doubt your ability to accomplish something just think of all the losers who have already accomplished whatever it is that concerns you if they could do it surely you can too we should appreciate those who choose to fail they make the rest of us look so good by comparison my wife and i will be out somewhere and a guy will be making a fool of himself and beth will wordlessly reach over and pat me on the back and i'll start laughing what she's we here tonight give you our most precious commodity our time we're here for you we acknowledge the life stage that you've completed and we send you on to the next with our you to this point and as you may discover for yourselves raising children is an easy by the way when your parents expressed the wish that you have a child just like you they're not wishing you well enjoy this night in the coming days as you put aside childish things and dive into the deep end of the pool the water's choppy but at least it's cold that's my two cents worth i was recently interviewed for an article in smoke signals and was asked what i wanted my students to know about me my response was that depth of my affection for them apparently i  to thank you for on are ing me by giving me this final opportunity to reach out to you and share my thoughts you've given me a major boost as i make one of my final turns into the wind thank you very marie alan sean patrick barry emily catherine barn lindsay denise bear chelsea louise benson jacob wale yum boss olivia nicole kelsey lynn bo daniel ryan clark page elizabeth birth colleen rose erin marie says jordan christian daniel avery jordan clements matthew allen dawson christina cassandra corbett kelsey tyler cunningham nicholas mario julia jay divine brian patrick amber esther pease door richard anthony fallacy you know shannon gibbons done jared michael fitzgerald carolyn june ellis brian michael fitzgerald junior allen for near catherine and  caylee marie fitzgerald justin david christian  benjamin pack trick joseph steven lindsay marguerite golden david daniel h jonathan eric bram or hans kelsey and michelle cory hart marie herman bradley james her casey lynn hag hannah elizabeth  lauren alexis hobbs lindsey marie hoover kayla rebecca howard erica michelle eva korean or when brian andrew johnson andrew michael johnston alicia marie john james michael joy caitlin elizabeth jo matthew alexander megan marie juncker jeremy didi kelly mallory rose sean o'neil evan robert n brianna patrice kilber elena catherine la robert wale young lady daniel marshall limited tina maria victoria and lowe castro allan low robert who lois the second thomas edward marie los meghan o'connell manning kevin patrick mcbride amber lynn brad scott jade alexandria devon catherine murphy catherine lynn evan taylor macintyre sean patrick mclaughlin gina antoni geoffrey thomas miller ryan christopher moore michael patrick morford kayla marie o'rourke connor daniel mall an jessica lynn parm christopher allan nixon teresa molly pronto paula michelle richard brendan rodgers paul nicholas david pruit benjamin wesley pr catherine elizabeth sharm shawn christopher rother mel andrew thomas rubio ashley elizabeth sure when rene marie joshua tyler sha amanda catherine granville tabler diana marianne and catherine jeremy paul tr molly elizabeth wagner jaylen marie william john steven andrew richard weaver benjamin michael west matthew steven white louis william david alexander doctors that in as the acting principal of peter's township high school i certify the superintendent of schools that each and every member of the class of two thousand and ten has successfully completed and fulfilled the requirements for graduation set forth by the commonwealth of pennsylvania and the peters township board of directors i present to you the class of two thousand  well that wasn't supposed to happen right now if you recall graduates i'm supposed to pronounce you graduated then you throw the hats i know i what i'm thinking is that when i warned you this would be a two hour speech you thought you'd just skip my speech altogether though the hats up and ended so you can have to sit for two hours now ok we've heard a little bit this evening about your past and we've heard about your future so my job tonight is to give you your present how many of you have already received your graduation present just a couple anyone hoping to get their present after tonight's ceremony good well i'm going to give you a present this evening for two reasons one because i was much older than you when i finally received my present and two because this is my last chance to sarah share some motherly advice with you so sit back relax and listen to this story it's the steady rendition of a book by dr spencer johnson appropriately called the present a number of years ago a family moved into the district and they had a young son who attended mcmurry elementary and he would come home from school and go out and play in the yard but the thing you like to do most was visit the neighbor his neighbor was an older man who would sit on his patio and he'd watch those p t joggers go by in the morning on the way to the trail or the coffee house or he'd sit and watch the sunset in the evening like we just did or he'd watch the stars twinkle at night but he enjoyed more talking to the young boy who lived next door one day the young boy was really excited because it was his birthday and he was wondering what this present would be the older man asked if his present was always a memorable one and he said yes so the old man asked what presents he received last year and he said he couldn't remember he guessed it maybe wasn't as memorable as he thought the old man said don't worry there's a present out there for you that's better than any you've ever received it will make you happy and better at what you do so the young boy went off and celebrated dispersed day but he couldn't stop thinking about the present he came back the next day to talk to the old man and he said i know what that present is it's a magic wand and i'll be able to waive it and all my wishes will come true the old man just smiled and said there are no wants or wishes in the present so the young boy grew up a little more went to peter's township middle school he got a job after school moaning lawns so the neighbor would watch him out there moaning the lawns and having a good time and one day he came over to talk to the man again and he said you remember that present you talk to me about well i know what it is now it's a time machine and i can get in the time machine and go anyplace i want any time i want and the old man smiled again and said when you receive the present you won't be dreaming about any place except where you are well the young boy grew up he went to peter's township high school he got good grades he excelled in athletics he had a girlfriend a part time job he had it all but he wasn't happy always could dream about was going off to college getting a good job and becoming rich he went to talk to the old man again and he said remember when i was younger we talked about the present is that something that's going to make me rich oh yes said the old man but not in the way you're thinking not in the way of money or of gold he said will it make me happy yes said the old and successful too what do you mean by success the young man said and he said well success is working toward what you think is important or sending a helicopter over when you're giving a speech and the young man said so i get to define success sure said the old man we all do we just define it differently at different stages of our life but what is the present he said and the older man said oh you know what it is and you know where to find it you know it better when you were younger you've just forgotten remember when you were out moaning those lawns and the young man said yes he said good times are bad be young man said good so what were you thinking about when you were moaning those lawns oh i was going around those tricky spots with the mower and how many lawns i could get done but mostly the grass in front of me i needed to get a cut exactly said the old man you were fully engaged in what you were doing you were happy well the young man said what and he said what is the present and he said you want me to tell you where to find it too well no one can tell you where to find you have to find it for yourself it's a gift you give yourself the young man said you know i don't even think this present exists so when i went on and he graduated from peter township high school he sat in one of the very chairs you're sitting in right now he went off to college but he didn't forget about the president he did a little research search the internet asked some of his professors about it still didn't know what the president was but that's ok he graduated from college he got the job of his dreams he was in a good relationship everything was going well but he wanted more he wanted a promotion there was that job on the twelfth floor with the corner office he was dreaming about that job and where his relationship was going and while he was doing all this dreaming the promotion went to someone else he became very angry and consumed with the anger and that anger made it such that he wasn't doing well at work and he broke up in his relationship again he was unhappy he had to talk to the old man so he scheduled an appointment the afternoon with the isle of man and they sat and had a great afternoon together there they reminisced about when they were younger and talked about good things and finally the young man said you know when i'm with you i'm always happy and relaxed this is have anything to do with the present we talked about when i was younger well the older man said it has everything to do with the present and the young man said  i just i can't get it i don't know what the present is so the old man looked right into his eyes and he said to find the present think about when you were the happiest and the most successful in your life and the young man tried and he said i just don't know the older man said you need to get away from your normal routine and the answer will come to you so he did he went to the mountains he rented a cabin he dropped the things off inside the cabin and went out for a walk and while he was walking he wandered about the old man and he thought how does this man go from an entry level position in a large prosperous corporation all the way to the very top while still giving to his community having many friends maintaining a sense of humor an eerie sense of calm and more energy than most of the people half his age i know what it is i know where to find it i knew it better when i was a child but i've forgotten well before you know it he started thinking about not getting that promotion again he started thinking about breaking up with his girlfriend and he wasn't happy it was getting dark so we headed back to the cabin when he got in there was chilly so he lit the fireplace and although there was a fireplace there before he didn't notice it now with the flames there he saw the fireplace he stepped back from the fireplace and he said wow the mason who built this fireplace must have been an artist every stone was hewn by hand every stone was placed appropriately it was beautiful this man could have been thinking about getting a promotion or breaking up with this girlfriend he had to be right there he had to be focused he had to be fully engaged in what he was doing he was happy that was it the young man finally figured it out that was the present the present is the present moment he was so excited he went running back to tell the old man and while he was going back he was thinking what if the present moment is a difficult one what if it's one where you don't think you could be happy and so when he saw the old man he asked and the old man said in every situation there is something that is right now and something that is wrong now if you focus on what is right now you will be happy if you focus on what is wrong you will not you'll lose your confidence and you will be unhappy but what if that situation is painful how can i be happy in a painful situation well the old man said all of us will experience pain it will come and go and it's something you have to learn from so you can't always be in the present sometimes you have to learn from the past so the young man said fine that's it he headed off for work he said that's it i'll be in the present i learned from the past he went to work he was present in all of his meetings he paid attention he took on all kind of projects he was present in his relationship and before you know it he had taken on so much he couldn't take it anymore he had to see the old man one more time when he went to see the old man this time he explained what happened in the old man said you're missing the third component the third component is the future the young man said i don't even want to think about the future when i think about the future i get nervous and i get worried the old man said do not be in the future planned for your future think about what a wonderful future will look like for you come up with a plan and every day work for that plan so think of it like a tripod holding up a beautiful camera if any one of the legs of the camera is unbalanced the picture will not be clear the young man said thank you and he went back to work in a few months he found out the old man had passed away and he wondered why such a wonderful man would spend so much time trying to share the present with others and then he realized there's a common thread that runs among the past the present and the future that common thread is a purpose that man had a purpose and his purpose was to step outside of self again and help others to be happy and successful that is my purpose for being here with you this evening my purpose is to help you by finding the present to be happy and successful i wish you luck and now graduates i'll give you a real present will you please ri to the power vested in me by the commonwealth of pennsylvania i now pronounce you graduates of the peters township high school class of two thousand and ten congratulations