faculty staff community members families and graduates it is my distinct pleasure to welcome you to the forty fifth commencement of mt mansfield union high school with the select chorus please come forward the senior select with the assembly please rise for the singing of our national anthem thank you select course to our graduating seniors i cannot express in words the gratitude i feel for having had the opportunity to work directly with and see you grow from gangly awkward boys and girls to strong confident men and women watching you struggle work hard twist your face an angsty smile with peels and laughter there is no greater joy than to have the opportunity to work in a high school to work in your high school mansfield union high school so thank you this year's address on behalf of the senior class will be delivered congratulations class of two thousand and twelve we all worked hard to get here we developed our skills in music sports theater arts and many other areas we learned about as a base reactions walt whitman square roots the transcontinental railroad and conjugating verbs but we also learned many life lessons some silly some serious most a mixture of both i spent the last week compiling a list of the life lessons i learned in high school i eventually narrowed it down to six that i'd like to share with you number six show up if you don't jane will find you number five if you climb out a window into the school courtyard response insurance will see you and she'll pay your class a little visit i know i saw it happen twice it's hard to forget the consequence she shows the second time she had the blushing student perform the mexican this unforgettable incident reminded me that many things have unexpected results usually however this is a good thing we often find our favorite people activities even careers through mere random actions and seemingly unrelated events in my case i found a love of preventers and spanish linguistics in latin class and discovered a passion for stage managing through an almost random decision to sign up for theatre so plunge into things the stranger the better just don't plunge into the courtyard when response insurance might be watching number four living in vermont it forces us to be adaptable the power could go off at any moment whether or not we've saved our term papers in the last four hours so we store canned soup and flashlights in the cupboard and keep an eye on the weather we're flexible and we're tough we even made national news for our compassion and community spirit helping our neighbors after tropical storm irene even though most people seem to think we're somewhere in canada and despite the fact that our cell phone coverage resembles the spots on a farm more than the swatches on a holstein we were monitored have a lot to bring to the world number three unfortunately the way that we reacted when we were screamed awake by a mechanical baby remember those at three am says a lot about us but i don't think i want to draw on that let's and moving right along number two teachers who play banjo in the hall keep a box of costumes in the corner or call anything pod wired and cards are generally worth going to now teachers like these are one of the reasons we are here one of the driving forces in our li and number one the most important life lesson i learned in high school appreciate people especially secretaries cafeteria staff and other people you see every day but might not talk to you very often i found that few things a someone state by asking them how they're doing or just offering them a smile when i take a moment to talk to people i don't know i'm often astounded and touched by their stories in ways i never would have expected maybe we find a common thread that links our lives and interests and sowing a love of strong black tea or maybe the tomatoes in our gardens maybe i discover that the person i'm talking to has something to teach me the difference between preaching and critical accents for example or that i have something to share with them these encounters have given me a greater sense of compassion for everyone around me and it built me a web of support and understanding everywhere i go as with a high school and move on to new things let's talk to people let's go out into the world and gather stories because everyone has something to say and everyone has their own perspective to share we grow by hearing their stories and by sharing our own but before reject all of our energy forward to our futures and congratulations again and i wish everyone of you the best of luck i would like now i would like now i would now like to call a group of seniors who are going to sing for us kara ledwith and rebecca young if you could please come to seeing wicked for good from wicked by stephen schwartz i don't know why i'm having a hard time with that but please come join us come up to the stage to sing your wonderful piece thank you kara kristen justin and rebecca group hugs are good i don't know if you saw the group hug over there they're always good the honored speaker chosen on behalf of the seniors to deliver the charge to the graduates is mr eric j kroll english teacher film critic musician creative soul and mentor mr school board members colleagues family friends and especially the ladies and gentlemen of the graduating class of two thousand and twelve thanks for giving this great honor and privilege of sharing three minutes of peerless an indelible wisdom with you begin by sharing a very personal preference an inclination i don't like wearing ties there was a time when i promised my father that unlike him i would never work a job in which i was required to the idealistic dramatic master of overstatement that i was at the time a tie was an unnecessary from melody that turned off as many people as it impressed the time i was horribly restrictive and uncomfortable it choked in stifled life so i tell it in essence but there are days this one included where wearing a tie is the respectful and appropriate thing to do in fact i have realized that there are regular moments in life that feel restrictive in uncomfortable it could be muddling through the completion of a tedious job task cleaning the bathroom living up to a promise or commitment that is no longer convenient taking responsibility in apologizing for hurtful comment or blunder or even wearing a tie but these are uncomfortable acts or the appropriate course of action when mom comes home one day the summer of next year to find you cleaning the bathroom she may think you're up to something she's probably right but your willingness to take on the restrictive uncomfortable to ask in a larger hello how are you honey what are you doing well that sounds funny we're going to go swimming later ok i'm talking to a couple people right now so i got to go ok i'll see you soon love first of all i want to point out to all the graduates that communication is still possible with a flip phone more significantly since becoming a parent i have aspired to be fully present in the moment i tend not to let these opportunities to talk to my three year old daughter be taken for granted as time in life has a tendency to fly by as i'm sure many parents are thinking as they see their babies crossing the stage today now i should note that this exercise here is being made to demonstrate a point neither encourage nor promote the answering of phone calls texts tweets shout outs and those passing if anybody still does that during public speaking engagements nor about driving or in a crowded restaurant and certainly not in any college class especially wearing anything with m m u or kugel cooter pride in blazoned on it but be present in life be present with the endeavors and people that are a part of your life find the things that you love in both work and play and do them with energy and passion not because you feel obligated or because you because someone else told you to but have energy and passion for life because you want to and like wearing my tie in brace it is the right thing to do to steal a notion from a recent you tube video gone viral rather than indulging yourself using the maxim yolo or you only live once consider the last catchy but more dignified ilu you live only once you grasp life with both hands jumping with both feet remember that the view from the mountain top is worth the hike that the struggl challenge it took to get there will shape you and the world in which we live in far more significant ways than the fact that people can see you up there finally since you have indulged me in sharing of pet peeves and personal phone calls i'm going to ask for your participation as i make one last suggestion i like everyone here to point their finger straight up in the air and look straight up at it and circle around in a clockwise motion and as you're doing that bring it lower and lower taking on unpleasant tasks being present with others and passionate about your life's actions can make you more effective with our world requires are people with not only the ability but the inclination and willingness to see the world from more than one perspective regardless of political persuasion spiritual belief race or gender we need people who can seek to build bridges of understanding rather than dig trenches of divisiveness you don't need to agree with or accept every argument o position but your ability to view the world from a perspective other than your own to live your life with passion and uncomfortable will make you an effective force to be reckoned with congratulations to the class of twenty twelve i thank you for your time in consideration be safe be well and stay in touch contests and the lovely outfits or teachers of thought of us most of them using it as an excuse to try the hot new dress and not just the lady teachers then there's our coaches either tossing a chair across the court or arguing with the ref till he proves his knowledge of every page in paragraph of the lacrosse rulebook we sat through that last food in contest not much more needs to be said about that then there's the better times like winning winter carnival and seeing tucker shah walk back in from trying to steal that golden snowboard with barker following him with a bleeding forehead the list of memories goes on but now look at us i'm so glad to be a part of this class we have been through a lot we've seen each other transform into who we are today each one of us bringing our own taste of greatness to this class as we split up and start our own lives whether it be here in vermont or across the world we cannot forget the greatness of each other or this state we've had a pretty unique experience growing up in this little state attending a small school where we've got the opportunity to get to know our teachers and classmates on a more personal level it will be hard saying goodbye just like when you have to wear tie you have to say goodbye these four years may not may have gone by quickly and we may not all feel ready to dive into the journey beyond high school but we must embrace the new and unknown paths of our lives and make the best of whatever we've  we may be faced with great challenges but if we look forward past the challenges this class is capable of a lot of great feats thinking back throughout the years there have been so many times where people have stepped up and showed everyone that we really do have the ability and skills to accomplish greatness we may not have seen will heads too often because he's always out west end in on those his same goes for his usually some way operating his large escalator we've seen noel could share in matt as transform from their sometimes quiet personalities into hilarious loud characters up on stage many of us have even asked colma lazo to teach us how to duggie at the school dance or it may even just be the simple things like always being greeted at school with a big smile b just about everyone the list goes on and on the point as each and every one of us has something unique and valuable to offer not only to each other but to the rest of the world i'm excited to see where we'll all be in twenty years we may not know for sure where will be i know i don't and that's definitely a scary thought but embrace the unknown and make the best of it knowing that your classmates are out there also working hard to accomplish their own greatness already we've had to make some very important decisions in our lives but most of us are only eighteen which means we serve the majority of our lives to live and many more life changing decisions to make we may not want to wear those ties or make the hard decisions but we have to look to the future and see that final product see the greatness each and every one of us is capable of i guess what i'm trying to say is we are about to embark on this crazy journey and start our lives where decisions have a much bigger impact on the rest of the world most of us will be leaving the comfort of our homes and security of our friends that many of us have had since preschool it's scary i know i'm scared but i'm also excited we have to have a good outlook we have to have a positive attitude we have to wear those ties if you're going through a hard time just take a step back try to look at the situation from a different perspective don't limit yourself to any one thing be open to new and maybe scary opportunities that present themselves as important as it is to look ahead to the own unknown we must also look back to the past and remember everyone that has helped us to get where we are today we owe them a lot our parents who have put up with our sometimes crazy stressed out attitudes are teachers who may have let that late paper slide a couple more times than they should of and our friends who have been there through the good and bad always stepping up with support when you need it a big thank you goes out to each and every person that's made it possible for us all to be here sitting in these seats today june sixteenth two thousand and twelve we are graduating together as mt mansfield students we have change from river rats and camel humpers into a solid group of cougars now ready to be able to be able citizens of this wild world now let's do it thank you allison i now would like to acknowledge mt mansfield union high school's highest honor the citizenship award presented to two seniors for outstanding citizenship for all four years of high school so they get to take the flowers home and so nick wanted to take them right now with him but i told your parents beforehand to so at this time it's about time to give your diplomas so at this time i'd like to present mr john albert gainey superintendent of our school district or supervisor union and miss judy judith jones chair of the board of school directors of super  the board of school directors and superintendent of schools for students who have satisfactorily completed the prescribed course of study according to the requirements of the state of vermont the the chittenden east supervisory union and board of school directors from out mansfield union high school i recommend that they be recognized as graduates of our high school the class of two thousand and twelve it is now time for the awarding of the diplomas at this point i'd like to just take a second and acknowledge and thank our retiring teachers who have given over four hundred years of service you guys can go ahead this is i there's a couple things i need to share with you we have edwin alexander my great santa bear to research stores deborah beretta rocky robert miller charles weber dorothy kerr linda porter and linda streeter who combined have given over four hundred years of service to our school let's give them for the awarding of diplomas parents and family members you are more than welcome to come down and take photos but be sure to not get in the way of the graduates and then once you take your photo if you could head back to your seat so others may do the same we have a professional photographer from free who will also be taking photos and the link will be up on the website and now i will call mr michael westen our associate principal to read the names elizabeth rae armstrong elizabeth katherine b caleb daniel boardman chelsea j carpenter madeline coach cories katherine marie champne charlotte kennedy clark dylan shane cody james tanner brant courier alexandra elizabeth  stephanie do sherm matthew estes cynthia claire fyfield marry kirsten fisher alicia marie christopher alan david flanders gli tyler a griffin george william haley abigail carrol nicholas robert hunt emily margaret jacobs caitlin elizabeth jewel ryan michael kelly jamie rose kendal kimberly marie kenny catherine catch him harvey benjamin branigin king west in donald cursed bomb angela marguerite claps griffin clark night elizabeth hemingway lane dylan robert leech sherry marie liberty timothy jerome lindber john loud junior jennifer elizabeth man hand may marshall adam tyler martin mary kay kelly  trevor allan mor elizabeth w mor erin william newton james arnold nickerson the third samantha clay parker robert maxwell peterson tyler james patrick nicholas scott david anthony person gregory david potter david james pryor tyler james raman carolyn richard jacob gregory reader mary catherine elizabeth roberts michael steven riggs agger molly catherine sargent erin david schwartz nicholas james shallow cody harris sher tucker james sho charles scal elizabeth smith trevor hunter colin michael spencer james springer donald wm time in the third michele beverly you line erin t webber emily renee  timothy edward wess tyler f white house catalina machelp right of all of us congratulations before we had out i would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who have spent countless hours to make today possible first class marshals michael  my mother and i was taking a picture of me over there coral director killer pillsbury i'd like to remind all of the graduates that project grad tonight at m m u at five thirty parents they should not drive you should drop them off and the pick up is sunday morning at seven am if the audience could please remain rate where you are until all the graduates have left the auditor or the gym gymnasium yes so this concludes the commencement exercises for mt mansfield union high school with the graduates please turn your attention to your class marshals move your tassels from the right to the left and