we ask for the wisdom to be able to conquer every challenge step before us and to realize we cannot do it alas but with god and the right help we can achieve each and every goal we pray to become the leaders in the revitalization of america and american police and good morning and welcome to peter's tag ship high school graduation ceremonies for one thousand nine hundred three so wonderful day for graduating seniors families friends significant others alike to again give a very sincere welcome but we have some honored guest with us today we have both ends of the spectrum represented we have classroom teachers in the audience and we have honored board members with us at this time i would like to have those honored guest stand teachers any audience in the board members present at the front please rise i have just a very simple message for the graduating class of one thousand nine hundred three i like you to remember the power of positive thinking so as you move on through life and and there are some ugly or insurmountable turns that are thrown your way i would like you to focus on positive thinking i like you to remember the last three or four days that we had together as well focused on positiveness and i say thank you because you helped me overcome some some ugly turns in the road for myself so from my heart i say when i was younger i thought i had the worst luck in the world things just didn't seem to go right for me first of all i was sandwiched between two talented siblings what's a boy supposed to think when his sister can beat and then everything she could kick my butt on a ball field in a race or even arm wrestling she could do tension ups to my zero she could sing and play the piano my brother was even worse he was two years younger than me and  outperform me in every sport he even used to help me learn to read by figuring out the words when i got stuck as if that weren't enough bad luck used to strike at the most inopportune times like the day my family went to my dad's company picnic tons of prizes were raffle for everyone there are enough prizes for almost everyone guess who went home and they handed or the time a group of us went water ski everybody was to get a chance to ski when it was my turn the boat broke down a story member the christmas when my grandmother but each of her six grandchildren a disc camera all but one worked these examples may not seem to exceptional now but they started to add up this bad luck followed me on to the playing field i was plagued with one injury after another herniated disc dislocated knee broken foot broken ribs you name it but somewhere along the line i decided i would not be deterred because i struggled so much of the young age i learned and nothing was going to come easy to me but with hard work and lots of desire many things became possible which at first seemed hopeless there are certainly events in our lives that we have no control over that can be considered luck i could have been born in any country in the world but i was lucky enough to be born in the united states of america i had the good fortune to live in this community where i had the opportunity to pursue a variety of interests i feel fortunate to have a supportive family who encouraged me to do my best and set high standards of achievement and in spite of the aforementioned injuries i was blessed with a healthy body i realize now that i've definitely had some good luck but i also realize that there are many instances in which you can make your own luck it wasn't just a coincidence that so many of us have attained successes in various competitions throughout the year whether be in the arts the sciences or athletics it wasn't just blind luck that there were whitfield champs and a state champion from the class of ninety three it wasn't chance that members of our class works at that into the top ranked colleges in the country now that we the class of ninety three have proven we can achieve our personal goals let's work towards making a difference in the world it's time to be less self centered and more altruistic time to think of how our actions can affect the lives of others we must do things that will benefit society as a whole and ultimately we must help people that have never had the good fortune the luck that we've had thank you ninety three years ago frank baum wrote the wizard of oz is a satire of american politics most of us know it as a great movie starring judy garland however it is also appropriate as a metaphor for our journey through high school for example just as dorothy was caught up and carried away from kansas to oz in the tornado we two were swept in a whirlwind of emotion into the high school since then we've all followed our own yellow  paved with different activities some involve the arts part time jobs a flood ics or community service however each road had one common bond academics we've all had to face obstacles these past four years just like the scarecrow had to confront fire and the tinman rain we too have had to overcome difficulties some of these experiences might have been having to take a fifty question physics test the day before the physics final or debating whether to risk parking in the restricted first four rows of the school parking lot and receipt and getting the dreaded orange sticker on your car window or parking up by the tennis courts and getting late for the fifth time may be a dilemma for you was having a relationship with a long term longtime friend turned sour the share these experiences have resulted in both personal triumph and personal defeats but through those setbacks just like the four characters in the wizard of oz we've all had someone to help us maybe a friend parent or even a teacher but we haven't travelled alone whether we realize it or not all of our endeavors throughout high school have brought out and shaped our personalities that is what we've gained from high school our individuality and our character similarly in the wizard of oz the lion scare crow and tinman's personality traits that they were so desperately seeking in the emerald city were actually brought out during their journey all that the wizard gave  symbols such as a medal for bravery to the lion and the clock to represent a beating heart to the ten man these symbols were nothing by themselves but represent what was gained by them along the yellow brick road today we are receiving symbols very similar to the ones distributed by the wizard in the emerald city this piece of paper a diploma actually represents the people we have become through all our efforts and tribulations all of us now face another transition in our lives our respective journeys continue in new directions but hopefully now we are better equipped with the courage the heart and the brains to face the adversity of the future thank you good morning and welcome to the class of ninety three their families and friends members of the class of forty three the board of directors and the administration i'm especially proud to stand up here today since approximately seventy five years ago my great father  great grandfather graduated fifty years ago my grandfather graduated in twenty five years ago my father graduated all of them from peter's touch of high school i would like each of you to think back to a moment in your life when someone took time out to do something special for you it could have been his biggest loaning you money or a small acing a car to get you through a tough time an example in my life was when i had surgery on my chest i was six and friends relatives and even people i barely knew would come and visit or send me a card even though i was wrong i was young i remember how special these things were and how they helped me through that tough time as we sit here the graduating class of  three we should all take time to recall not only those individuals who have touched our lives in a big way but especially those that who have helped us in more subtle ways these people could be a teacher who gave us that extra push a friend who took time out just to listen or even someone  who knew what to say or what not to say when we needed it at the time we may have taken for granted the impact of what that person had done up until now we have been considered children and have not been expected to give back any more than we have received if give back anything at all now we are entering a time in our lives when we can be the ones doing those little things for other people and not expecting anything in return although society sometimes gives us the impression that this is not the accept thing to do i believe now more than ever we need to share the many blessings that we so often take for granted even though this may not seem like an important thing to us or we may think this may not do any good to someone who does not have these blessings it can be the thing to restore hope for them for instance many members of our class have been involved in community service with the elderly the young the sick the disabled or others with special needs this is the one and this is one of many ways that we can give back some of what we have been given although maybe a small commitment of time for us this experience can be very meaningful meaningful for everyone involved as we leave this gymnasium and continue on with our lives i urge the class of ninety three to remember that a little kindness goes a long way and even though you may not think you can make a difference you can include in closing may the lord watch between me and the while we were absent one from the other thank you very much and good luck  good morning i am proud to have the chance to introduce a group of people that we are privileged to have with us today these men and women graduated from our high school fifty years ago now that is hard for us to comprehend so i actually think it was possible to graduate without the use of computers and to actually complete a math requirement but at the use of a t i eighty one catholics calculator even though you the class in one thousand nine hundred eighty three may not have driven your corvettes to school well neither did i or you didn't get the privilege of seeing mike mcmillan's infamous blue aspirin every morning you did have some advantages and your high school years he did not have a mcdonalds to hang out at on friday nights but you could see an innocent movie like casablanca for thirty cents versus a not so innocent movie like indecent proposal for the outrageous price of six dollars even dating was cheaper back then you could have a romantic dinner for two for about eight dollars versus sixty seven dollars today and also as far as the problem goes he didn't have to worry about running a limousine over the years many things have stayed the same here in peter's township the indian is still the mascot as we were reminded daily by the bumper sticker and mis a english groom that reads once an indian always an indian something else that has not changed is the use of the official graduation march pomp and circumstance the traditional caps and gowns are still worn when the tassel and when the tassel on your hat is turned to the right side you are still considered a high school graduate but most of all when the time finally arrives it is very hard to say goodbye to the friends you have come so close to now today as we receive our diplomas let us remember that in one nine hundred forty three these men and women received their diplomas also they sit here as parents and grandparents teachers and active community members fifty years ago these peters township graduate sat for all of us are sitting today they wondered what life would bring them just as all of us are wondering now fifty years from now in two thousand and forty three i hope that just as many members of our class have returned as have from your class who would like to thank you the class of one nine hundred forty three for joining us on this special day the most of all we would like to honor you for your contribution to the history of peter's township high school now in recognition of this honor would you please rise as i call your commencement is the act of beginning or starting today is the beginning of a starting point of a new era in your lives it is the start of a period of great change from what you have become accustomed to during the past several years if you look back over the past twelve years for most of you that same circle of friends has constantly been there although your teachers have changed they've always been a part of peter's township the peter tosh of community has become comfortable to you and most importantly your family has always been there if you look around you today at the people in this gymnasium your family your friends your teachers they've been there to support you to encourage you and to come for you both during good times and bad times however as mentioned earlier today represents the beginning of a new era in your lives as you reflect upon the changes that will occur for many of you over the next four to six years you will see that you'll probably end up moving several times when you go away to college when you graduate when you start your careers to new friends the loss of contact with old friends new experiences new challenges and new opportunities there for the comfort that comes with the continuity in familiarity of your environment over the last twelve years or so will become very unsettling to you over the next four to six years however i would suggest to you that one of the biggest challenges that you will face during these hectic entomologists years will be the challenge to maintain the relationship with the people in this room and most critically your family it will not be a matter of not wanting to maintain that closeness or love for one another but instead you will find it demands on your time other commitments and distractions will always arise and provide you with convenient excuses for not calling or writing home or visiting family earth attending family functions i would hope that as you reflect back on what these people have meant to you and your young lives up to this point your young lives that you will realize that one of the many worthwhile challenges that you will face is the need to work at maintaining those family relationships as we read more and more about the breakdown of the family unit in today's society we begin to realize that successful families and i'm not talking in a material sense work at it success doesn't just happen therefore i would suggest to you that because of all the distractions that you will have and because of all the different directions in which you will be pulled over the next several years as soon as over the next several months you're all going to have to work a little harder in maintaining that family network not only for your own sake but for the sake of other members of your family and i would sincerely hope that you would find it worth the effort good luck to all of you and again congratulations stephen michael bell gregor frederick bender scott t w bruce kathleen lynne bowman christie lynn cumming shawn matthews byrn christopher brian campbell ryan matthew church david richard cram david ray cr derek jason co danielle elizabeth evan sarah kathleen fagan melissa lynn federline valerie jay danielle friday jennifer claire gallagher william powers driver david george divorce  mark john edward john albert fix christopher paul albert e franz the third william p ga andrea joy george heather christian melissa suzanne aaron william hartman jeffrey james h randolph robinson  jack ashley hol kelly renee kidwell nicole conrad logan llison marie look cart stephanie my show eric stephen forward scott john harbor michael anthony cale david gerard now toby g karate me michelle brandy j new master shannon emily peterson curtis alan leach douglas edward roger wayne lie barker frank james malaria both michael john mcmillan richard scott meyers david paul andrew richard catherine jane riley melissa marie schaefer james william nor sean o'connor jason t jonathan stewart pack wendy lynn schar janine and catherine and stock simple denise taylor lauren marie taylor beth lynn valentine laurie marie wilcox joy christina williams marla marie james eric  jason michael ray me shawn david race gary stevens and toro brian gregory shrine david schwartz jason william michael maxwell smith drew allen spencer john walter white daniel charles walker robert eugene worst the second at this time i would like to deduce dr dennis or so superintendent of schools the leader of our school district as we call made this important event here today all of us parents students faculty administrators members of the board of directors we should all be proud we have individual and collectively contributed to the success of thirteen years of education this indeed has been an arduous and pleasurable task particularly as we've often been faced with many countervailing forces at these trying times have placed before us thursday evening prior to attending an excellent baccalaureate program i was at my computer placing the finishing touches on a brief commencement address to be given here today after hearing the inspirational messages by the students and keynote speaker i returned to a blank screen to start over moved by the words provided by one of your classmates katherine riley after the program i approached kate and asked her for a copy of her speech informing her that i had intended to borrow a passage from her script falling far short eloquence of kate i would like to cite the phrase in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul the noisy confusion reminded me of the events over the past several weeks surrounding this very type of ceremony relating to the conflicting values that often send mixed messages to young people and not so young people approximately one week ago one of the prime time television news magazines aired a feature on michael milliken the individual responsible for proof for print for promoting the junk bond industry the show nearly glorified the man who was responsible for developing a system that caused millions of people to lose vast sums of money among its victims were many older citizens whose meager personal savings that were intended to see them through their retirement  lost with this i wondered if for some there might not be a bit of noisy confusion that people preying on people is valued while people praying with people is illegal at least at this type of ceremony i further wondered if there is some noise the confusion might not also be the fact that it is taboo to recognize some form of deity at the ceremony while  same time i'm sure that each of you has a piece of government currency of various doll use i would have used the term the nomination by must sure i can use that in this setting that on each piece of government currency one is being told on whom to place one's trust the noise a confusion continues to be about us as in the instance where the discovery of an illness in a leading sports figure gives cause for a do this bulletin during the middle of a television program while the hospitalization of the great humanitarian mother teresa barely goes unnoticed except for a couple of lines somewhere on page three of the daily newspaper throughout your life you will be faced with many examples of noisy confusion that w test your character as you chart the course of your destiny you may find the roadway leading to many of the personal and professional mountains that you will climb will be will be convoluted with noisy confusion  take with you not only the mind and the body to climb the mountain but the heart and the spirit to straighten the roadway so the class of ninety three let us go forth as mountain climbers and road straightene congratulations at this time i would like to make one announcement and that is there will be a a reception for our honored guests the fifty year grads in the cafeteria teachers administrators are welcome to attend and chris purana will give us a benediction and give thanks to god thank you god for the strength and courage achieved from the guidance of our parents friend friends and family thank you for the exceptional teachers and administrators that provided leadership and direction thank you for this wonderfully unique country that maintains a rich heritage of freedom and equality thank you for a good health and the knowledge that we take with us may we be blessed as we leave this gymnasium and enter into the real world may we move forward in faith and love to fulfill our potentials and make us worthy of the blessings we have received peace be with you