ladies and gentlemen good afternoon my name is dan richardson on the principal of belmont high school we begin our program i would like to introduce our honored guest behind me mr john allen superintendent miss janice darrius assistant superintendent members of the belmont school committee with us today we have come here today to celebrate all that the young men and women before us have mastered the skills and knowledge of the community that has determined the skills necessary to be successful and today's future the belmont high school school diploma which they will receive today is a symbol of this mastery while the diploma they receive only bears the signatures of school committee chair the superintendent schools and the high school principal the are scores of individuals in our school system who have made it possible for these young people to complete their thirteen years of education i need to take the opportunity to recognize the tireless efforts in the faculty and of the entire belmont public schools and guiding our students to meet the standards for graduation today we have a group of brought back and see here to help preside over the ceremony and celebrate your success to the belmont public schools and the greater belmont community i would like to personally thank you for your dedication in preparing these students for this moment your years of hard work and  have paid off thank you this afternoon you will hear speeches from our students about their memorable years at belmont high school this year i would like to dedicate one of my favorite end of the year messages by rachel crowdy to the hard work in belmont high school parents and guardian thank you for your endless support to write young men and women over the past years their parents and guardians as we pack up our classrooms our offices tucking away our books pens and memories as educators we are very reflective of the class of two thousand and fifteen we give you back your child the same child you intrusted to our care each fall we give them back pounds heavier inches taller years wiser more responsible and more mature it has been our honor to be part of their learning and their progress although we know they would have attained their growth in spite of us it has been our pleasure and privilege to watch the thinking on full each day and marvel in the splendid miracle of development we enjoyed seeing how each child change and mature from those first days when they arrived excited and anxious to learn we give them back reluctantly for having spent the last few years together and the narrow confines of the crowded classroom we have grown close become a part of one another's changes and thinking and learning their changes were as subtle as when they came back from winter break just a little taller they were significant as when we saw them truly understand what they had learned then turned around and use it in their own unique way we have lived loved life played studied learned and enriched our lives together these past years your child's level of thinking and their growing ability to understand the complexity of our world became more sophisticated and amazed us we wish it could go on indefinitely but give them back we must take care of them for they are precious remember that we shall always be interested in your child and their destiny wherever they go whatever they do whoever they become your child has charmed us and at times a they have cut they have pushed the boundaries of learning and thinking to new horizons we wish all our students the very best and know that they leave us well prepared for the next steps in their journey through life we will miss their energy and their endless ideas but know that each will put that creativity and intelligence to good use finally my last piece of advice to the class of two thousand and fifteen i would like to leave you with a simple quote and i hope you remember it through the seasons of your life don't cry because it's over smile because it happens i'm confident that if you do it the way we did it here you will bring a piece of that special community we've dealt with you and share it with the world because being a member of the class of twenty fifteen doesn't end here being a member of this class is forever congratulations my high school class of twenty fifteen this truly been an honor would like to now as superintendent billing to come to the podium for the presentation of the first of two school committee awards good afternoon graduates of the class of two thousand and fifteen parents grandparents friends relatives faculty members members of the school committee and other special guest i am glee's to present the first of two school committee awards for outstanding achievement in scholarship the first award is presented to a senior who loves learning for the sake of learning is a national merit scholar whether it has sought out academic opportunities outside of don't want high school such as the harvard extension school an active member of the belmont school committee or a freelance writer for the belmont citizen herald a member of the foundation for belmont education's program committee a class treasure has nearly three hundred captain of the belmont high school varsity men's swim team and manager of the women's swim team middlesex league all star for two years and has participated in the state championships in the new of the marvel u and teen he will be attending yale university in the fall the reception of this award is thomas civil w thank you superintendent fail him assistant superintendent areas principal richards and members of the school committee weaving the building after my last exam and snapping a picture to celebrate the occasion i realize that high school is a lot like the self deleting pictures sent using snapshot there for four short years before it disappears forever perhaps that's a little too extreme if i've learned anything over the past few weeks it's that i will remember plenty from my years about my high school the time when our bus to a coral competition broke down outside a wal mart and how we spent the evening roaming the aisles that was something how my friends on the spanish strip consume ounce of churros before they regretted it later that night at the hotel the sporting events the promise the concerts the musicals and the fundraisers all the events that interrupted every day life with flashes of excitement and energy but what i would miss the most wasn't really any one of these particular investments instead i began to long for something less tangible a feeling of contentment and belonging that i came to find in even the most mundane situations at p h s about a month ago everything fell perfectly into place and i was left at the giant block of freeze in the middle of the day i spent them all in the library with classwork already winding down i focused my attention elsewhere the rhythm of the maad schedule that felt so strange as a freshman felt so natural and like clockwork each new free broad familiar faces through the door i heard snippets of conversation about everything ranging from political issues to shows on netflix and seeing classmates working together  final projects and printing assignments i reflected on the rituals that bind us together as a class unscripted and unnoticed i know who thinks of the hours s i've heard that life out there can be pretty different life beyond high school is full of unfamiliar faces and strange situations that just won't seem as comfortable as the routines that bind us together and at least from the leaving them behind seems a little scary even as we're on the verge of discovering so much that's new however we have the ability to slow life down and treasure the times that we take for granted think about the mundane moments between your most vivid memories whether you're setting foot on a large unfamiliar campus or starting work at an unfamiliar workplace a minute to notice as you build community and forge ties with the people that share things with you even if that means just sharing the table at the library because even if the pap past week's events slip out of our memories we will always remember each other congratulations the class twenty fifteen and thank you to all the parents teachers and administrators who supported us along the way thank you the second school committee you ward for outstanding achievement in scholarship is presented to the seniors who has surpassed expectations in her academic achievements community contributions and overall integrity isn't national merit scholarship finalists and national a p scholar award winner a harvard book award recently and a leader in many arenas as captain of the science team president of the art blog editor in chief of the yearbook and captain of the belmont off and swim team a talented artist who has been recognized with gold keys in the massachusetts scholastic art competition she offers free introductory our classes at the senior center and has grown into her row at the discovery center at the museum of science in boston starting her sophomore year as a volunteer and then becoming an inter meeting volunteer developing and helping to create a new exhibit she will return this summer as an employee canvas to find a way to create something from the dregs i was completely out of my comfort zone yet somewhere along the line i found a way to put myself into the painting as quite literally the image of my face emerged from the this painting was different from anything i had ever done before and perhaps for that reason is the one piece i am most proud of our plans our systems our seniors on behalf of the backlist out of belmont high school i would like to say has been an honor and a pleasure to have been able to work with you for the last four years