By Travis Inglis
"For I know the plans I have made for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29: 11.
Hello Reverend Fathers and Sisters, School Board Members, Honoured Guests, Teachers, Family, Friends, and most importantly, most prestigiously the graduating class of 2011.
I have thought long and hard about what to put in this speech and I did what every good student does. I Googled it.
To the teachers and staff of Sacred Heart High School. Anything we need, want, or desire, you provide it for us. On the odd day when we thirst for knowledge you grant us our wishes. When we want to partake in sports, arts, or various clubs you are willingly present to volunteer without complaint. Teacher assistants and guidance counsels, you give us someone to talk to.
We learn lifelong lessons from teachers. From Mr. DePape and Mr. Enns we learn lessons of love, and that it is okay to have a bromance. From Mr. Digout we learn that, if you want attention, you must clear your throat in a very loud fashion. But most importantly teachers, you provided us with someone to talk to, and present yourself when we need it the most. We thank you for being here. You make Sacred a home away from home. Thank you to the Sister Servants of Mary Immaculate for beginning the strong tradition of Sacred Heart and to the Christ the Teacher Catholic School Division for enabling us with the information we need to know for the long road ahead.
To our families, you are our biggest supporters, willing to do anything for us. Parents: Thank you for everything that you have done for us. You are the people that come into our room late at night when we are wired on big gulps and red bull and say "johnny time for bed". Who else would be our alarm clocks for those early morning work shifts when we were out having fun all night. You guys teach us about respect, love, patience, and caring through your own actions towards us in our early years, you lead us to success.
But as we get older, you allow us to find it ourselves, sit back and watch us persevere, work hard, and never give up. Sometimes we may fail, struggle, and fall short. Thomas Edison once said before he discovered the light bulb, "I have not failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work." In the same sense we may be confused at what we want out of life.
We thank you for allowing us to experiment and try new things, even though you do not always agree with them. It allowed us to grow, independently. Thank you for forgiving us when we have come home late for curfew, and for having patience with us when we are not dressed in time for supper. No matter how far away we travel we will always need your advice. Just know that we look up to you and will always love you.
To my fellow graduates. We all came to sacred heart four years ago confused, scared, and a little hesitant. You guys might not have known this but I considered myself a bit of a loner, a one man wolf pack if you will. Over the years I have made friends and my wolf pack grew. And a few weeks ago at the grad retreat and during this past week, I sat and thought to myself, wait a second, could it be, and now I know for sure that all of you are a part of my wolf pack.
We are all very unique and one of a kind. Why try and fit in. We were born to be different and stand out. There are many different clicks, groups, and associations in this class, but when it matters the most we come together for all the right reasons. We may have started out as classmates, but we have journeyed together to become friends willing to do anything for each other, whether that be a ride home, a helping hand out of a fire, a lesson in how to dougie or just a heartfelt hug.
We had a very emotional grade twelve year filled with accomplishment, joy, heartbreak and sadness. Together we coped and fought through our troubles. Adversity became our best education. In our own way, we were all there for each other. But in the future, our friends will not always be there to help us through tough times, and difficult decisions.
However someone will. Philippians, 4: 13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." No matter what illness, fatigue, mountain or valley lies in front of us, with faith in God and ourselves, we can accomplish anything. Cherish each other, treasure every moment you have.
Life is very short and there is no time for fighting and fussing my friends. Life moves pretty fast, and if you don't stop to look around every once in a while you could miss it. Take time to enjoy the thrills of everyday life. Everyone has a dream or an accomplishment to fulfill. As we attempt to complete these dreams, learning along the way, let us enjoy every day trying to get there.
Throughout this whole year, we have been asked what we are going to do after graduation. That is not what this day is about.
Today is not about emphasizing our decisions, it is a time for us to learn and make mistakes. 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. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Don't cry because high school is over, smile because it happened.
A crucial member of our graduating class, and someone we will all remember once said, "life is what you make it." So grads get out there into the world, be in control, experiment, try new things, take charge of your life to experience success and find true happiness, wherever that may lie.
You Stay Classy Sacred Heart and God Bless.
