Good evening, faculty, family and friends. My name is Maddie Minick and I’m our class treasurer. When I was asked to give a speech tonight, I reflected back on my past 13 years in the school district, one particular story repeatedly came to mind, although it dates all the way back to first grade on October 20 of 2012, the remnants of hurricane Sandy traveled through our town like any curious six year old. I sat in my kitchen and listened to the storm just outside at points throughout the evening, acorns and branches dropped onto our roof, hearing the worrisome noises above. I was sure a tree had fallen on to our house. So naturally, I asked my dad what it would sound like if a tree fell over our roof before he was even given the chance to respond. The universe answered my question. For me. A tree had fallen onto our porch just a room away from where we were sitting while this may sound like an unbelievable occurrence. It has been the story of my life. I have found myself continuously predicting events and occurrences by just speaking them into existence to manifest means to focus your thoughts and energy on one specific goal making it happen. Tonight, I would like to share some final aspirations for our class first, make a positive impact on those around you. As we get older, our reputation will become more important by positively impacting others. They will do the same for you. Second, have no regrets as we approach our final days together. It is essential to enjoy every moment. Pursuing each desire to your fullest potential will have the most positive impact on your success. Finally turn your goals into a reality set, attainable, yet challenging goals for yourself and work to achieve them. Like the concept of manifestation demonstrates goals can be reached by just putting your mind to them while it is sad that our time together at the high school is coming to enlo coming to a close. I’m becoming increasingly excited for the future and to see what our cause has to accomplish. Thank you for your time and I hope you all have a wonderful evening. 00:04:58,800 Good evening class of 2024 parents and faculty. My name is Stuart Bernard and I am the senior class secretary to start off. I want to go back to sixth grade to talk about a very distinct memory I have regarding Walkers, the pure joy, joy, and excitement I had about the prospect of having my own locker could probably be related to my feelings on Christmas morning. I was that excited I had the folding shelf and the plastic mirror and small white board and plenty of other decorations that ended up either in the depths of my locker or the trash can by the end of the year. But in the moment of setting up my locker and putting all my binders in it, I could only think how I couldn’t imagine ever getting used to the concept of going to my locker between classes and switching out my books. It’s a small thing. But to me, it signified that I was getting older. It felt like a quintessential part of growing up because it was something I saw in movies symbolizing being a teenager and progressing through school. Now as an almost graduated senior, I have absolutely no idea where my locker even is. And throughout all four years of high school, I’ve never known where my locker was. Nor have I tried to find it or attempt the unnecessarily difficult task of unlocking it while the novelty of lockers may have stayed in middle school, high school brought with it a whole array of new and exciting things. Having each class with a whole new set of characters, being able to use my phone in the halls or at lunch or Power block, the freedom of power block in general. And let’s not forget how new and exciting each milestone of overcoming COVID was. We were wearing masks until spring of our sophomore year. And the fact that we aren’t in masks right now is something I’m sure most of us are taking for granted. All this being said, I want to make the point that sometimes as the novelty of experiences or things wear off, we begin to forget the excitement it once brought us and I know it may not feel like it right now with the anticipation of what’s next. But at some point, we might look back on our, on high school and miss some of the everyday things that we overlook. Now, like seeing our friends every day or going to or getting to go out and walk the track when it gets warm, my point is whatever your next plans are, embrace the excitement of your new experience. Try to remember the parts of high school that have been exciting and for now find excitement in what’s left of our high school experience for as long as you can and don’t take a moment for granted. Thank you. 00:07:59,730 Good evening class of 2024 faculty, family and friends. My name is Julia Maher and I’ve had the pleasure to serve as class vice president for the past three years. It is my privilege to be able to reflect about my time with my classmates and community tonight over the years, especially throughout high school. Our class has proven time and again that we are unique. We are a class of a variety of passions I have found. However, despite our diverse personalities and varied interests. It’s the little things that allow us to relate to one another such as when I go to pick up my drink at Starbucks after school and notice that every Hamilton Wenham student who was making a stop had ordered the same drink as me or that I can always count on seeing someone I know at Cherry Farm on a Friday night or Dunkin Donuts before school as a kid, I used to complain whenever we went to a local spot and my dad would talk to every single person in the restaurant. Now that I reflect on growing up in small town, Hamilton Wham. I realize it’s moments like these that are special to me because I can no longer rely on seeing a classmate in our usual clockwork schedule. Now when I see you in public, it will be rare. I can’t count on the consistency of seeing your faces in the morning the next day as we have spent the last 13 years getting to know each other. Our small class size has offered us an advantage that most schools lack. We are able to know each individual by name. Although I recognize we each have formed our own unique circles. Our memories are a testament to the connections we’ve built together. For example, running a summer camp out of my backyard with Ellie Anna and Eva going downtown daily with Tyler and Charlie Burns in sixth grade, making a dance to Rainie Rodriguez’s song with Andreas or playing capture the flag with Gabby and Sadie or take, for example, painting the mural with Eugene Annabella and Jake struggling through a AA P test day with Sophia Brown driving Joe and Timmy to school every day. End of sophomore year singing to lush life with the tennis team or even just getting ready with my friends before night out. All of these memories reflect the special bonds we’ve created. You may not realize it. But so many of you have impacted my life in giving me lasting memories through the numerous experiences we have shared. We have formed a bond, this sense of unity we’ve cultivated over time. Assures me that at times of hardship, each one of us would show support to one another and lend a helping hand. I hope you continue to demonstrate this support to everyone you meet and always treat people with kindness, knowing that you truly can make a lasting impact. Thank you all and have an amazing evening, 00:10:38,299 good evening friends, family. And most importantly, the class of 2024 I’d first like to thank the faculty for giving me the opportunity to share a few remarks at tonight’s candlelight ceremony. My name is Eva Schultz and I stand proudly before you today as a singular story to represent the graduating class of 2024. I am one of the collective 117 whose unique experiences weave the web that represents our last four years together to effectively recognize what we have accomplished. I must acknowledge that each one of us took different paths to get to this moment. Each with its own set of obstacles that we have encountered. High school is commonly known as a period in our lives where we experience the most change, whether we like to admit it or not. The initial change is the scariest part. When we first stepped foot into these hallways, we were forced out of our comfort zones and burdened with a newfound self-consciousness. However, as these four years have passed in an instant, we have not only adapted to this environment, but we have thrived in it. We have mastered our daily lives here but are now faced with another change as we prepare to embark on our next chapter. While change is a common theme in all of our individual stories. I have noticed one aspect of my life that has remained a constant during my time here. My drive to school until recently, I had not recognized how much I disregarded something so present throughout my high school experience. I am one of the school’s many school choice students. I live in Lynn. And for the last four years, I have commuted 40 minutes to school every single day, many days. I discount this drive as just another morning commute. But in these last few weeks, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I will soon be making my last drive to this place that has done nothing but embraced me with this realization. I began to understand how significant this drive has been in developing me into the person that I am today. Every day. I think of this drive as the same routine. And for the most part, it is I pass the same road signs and local stores and take familiar turns that lead me to here. However, it is this drive that has distinguished my story from others. My drive and the landmarks I pass have remained constant. But by gazing out my car window for the past four years, I realized that I have in fact witnessed inevitable changes occur each year, the seasons fade into each other as the trees arching over the back roads of one them turn from vibrant green to warm shades of orange and there’s one less student at the bus stop as another one has gotten their license. These drives have also been a testament to my own growth. At first, I was driven to school by my older sister. Our drives gave me a sense of comfort in knowing that we had each other. Since the transition to Hamilton Wham Regional High School had been a different experience for us. Both coming from a different school district. I was forced to immerse myself into a new community when many of my peers had grown up together their entire lives. Eventually, it was time for me to take over the driver’s seat. This change terrified me and not just because my driving skills were still a little bit questionable at the time I was growing up and this was a change that I couldn’t avoid over time. However, I was able to find comfort in my drive to school again. It has become a source of independence and a reflection of how I’ve grown to become the driver of my own life from reflecting on my own growth over these last four years. It has also become apparent to me just how far our class has come. Freshman year, I remember us joining and being greeted by various faculty members. We were told that high school was an opportunity to develop not only as individuals but as a community. However, the piece of advice we were told that has stuck with me the most throughout high school were two words said by one of our guidance counselors, Mr Fitzgibbons get involved. The short phrase seemed simple at the time. The impact of this advice however, became clear when I heard this guidance councilor repeat this phrase to this year’s incoming freshman class. The difference now was me and my peers were standing with the faculty members as the mentors and seniors of the school, we had come full circle. Collectively, we grew from timid freshmen to confident upperclassmen who actively involved themselves in their school atmosphere. We quickly learned that our involvement within different activities was what shaped us into the individuals we are today for myself, I found confidence within captaining the girls hockey and lacrosse team in being a representative for our student government for the past three years. With this encouraging advice. As the foundation of our four years, our class immersed itself into the school’s community and flourish. Since our freshman year, our faces matured. We became taller and friend groups have inevitably changed. Ultimately, we are not the same group of people that we were. The first day we entered high school, we have all evolved, facing many challenges that have forced us to change for the better. Although we will never be able to go back to that first day. Our evolution over these four years has given us the ability to find success in the next chapter of our stories. High school is not meant to last forever. You get four short years to embrace every opportunity and make the most of everything that you are given both the good and the bad as we are now preparing for the concluding moment of receiving our diplomas. There’s a sense of fear of the unknown. The next step we will take is one of excitement and uncertainty as our stories will now diverge from both here and each other. Even as we part ways, the words get involved will remain a part of our lives. After high school life is full of endless opportunities. It is our responsibility to not let these pass us by, but to involve ourselves directly in them. Making the most of each opportunity that we encounter. I have been lucky enough to witness the creativity, leadership and desire for learning that each of you possesses. Because of this. I am confident that we will all accomplish a credible things in this world. This next chapter is another inevitable change. Although we may all go far from this place. It is my hope that the connections and memories we have shared allow our paths to cross again in our futures. My next drive will lead me to a new destination, but I now have the knowledge to appreciate the changes that but right now, but I now have the knowledge to appreciate the changes. I am able to witness looking out the car window. I cannot express enough gratitude for the support and opportunities given to me by the Hamilton Wham community and the people. I’ve been lucky enough to get to know over the last four years. Thank you. 00:18:31,900 Be myself, be, be my womb, be my oh, be my river, be the stillness of the moon if I could . But I go with you to a place I never knew 00:19:04,799 eyes so dark and there’s a lot that leads me back to you. 00:19:34,730 You to care on your 00:19:59,730 thank you. Then 00:20:10,730 say guitar. 00:20:34,930 These are her 00:20:54,369 and don’t be afraid of the in your, you’re gone. I enjoy to, I don’t out of the world on your uh you’re gonna find your, don’t be, it’s all 00:21:25,799 you’re gonna for to carry of world on your, 00:21:37,569 you’re gonna find your way home. 00:21:53,130 Ok. Good evening friends. It is an honor to be asked to address the class of 2024 tonight to be chosen to stand here and be allowed to offer you on behalf of all your teachers. Our sincerest, congratulations. And to say how immensely proud we are of all of you. Many speakers start with a story tonight. I’m gonna start with a story as well, but I want to tell the story of you for some students here tonight. I have been blessed to be with you on your first day of kindergarten back in September 2011 and now your last days as graduating seniors, what a wonderful gift. This has been, I have been able to help many of you not only learn to read but read to learn. And over the past four years, we have taken a remarkable journey together through fundamentally transformative changes in our world. In four short years, we’ve experienced profound changes, beginning with a global pandemic, an ending in a new age of technology. But we’ve also walked a journey that would not have been unfamiliar to previous graduates of the regional. When we think back on the past four years, I know you can all identify those very personal moments of happiness as well as grief success as well as failure, moments of confidence, as well as anxiety and moments of connection, as well as loneliness. Those are the things that make us uniquely human in any generation. No matter the technological innovations. To that end, one of the reasons we can all celebrate this moment fully is that we have experienced many of these emotions together. We live and work in a community that cares about each one of us. Deeply. Many of your teachers from Bucher Cutler and Winthrop schools, including myself could stand here today and recall stories from before some of you were even born. We remember your siblings eagerly announcing your birth and proudly showing you off in baby carriages during open houses and ice cream socials. We saw you at the park in the grocery store at T ball games and even at the dentist, they see you over there. Elementary teachers in particular have very special relationships with the families in our community. It took great trust for your parents to leave you on the first day of school. And your teachers assured them day after day, year after year that you were safe and loved and that raising you was a community effort. They were not alone. I remember trying to assure some Bucher parents that it would be ok to allow you to walk into school and down the hallway by yourself. You, you remember there isn’t some of you out there tonight. This was a very big deal to a five year old and their parents. But this simple act sent the message that school was truly a safe and trusted place. That relationship evolved as you grew. But many teachers here at the high school have accompanied you and your family on many joyous and difficult journeys as well through it all. Here at the high school, you were safe, you are loved and you are not alone when things get really tough. It’s human nature to want to give up. We’re inclined to want to be comfortable, to retreat to some place or something that is familiar to default to a place of safety. There’s a character strength that our school district has recently identified as something we want all graduating students to leave with. And that character strength is perseverance. Perseverance allows us to continue. Despite difficulty, uncomfortableness or uncertainty. Perseverance is often associated with something of profound focus and determination. But over the past four years, for many students, it also came to mean simply making the choice to get out of bed, come into this building and enter into community with others. Perseverance meant facing the day and not retreating into an online world or alternative reality. Because part of the meaning of perseverance is understanding that we are not alone and every decision we make not only impacts our life, but the life of those we are in community with. You began your freshman year with some unique and profound challenges in the fall of 2020 we struggled as a district to make the best educational choices in light of the threat of Coronavirus. We toggled between in-person and remote learning. Your teachers spent countless hours reworking the curriculum trying to learn and utilize the most effective technology and endlessly questioning the impact of our decisions. All of you had to make some different, some difficult decisions during this time as well at the most fundamental level. Though, every time you got out of bed, got out the door or joined in on Zoom, you demonstrated perseverance. It wasn’t always pretty, it didn’t always work perfectly and you were not always fully present, but you took the first steps by simply showing up for some of you. You might have needed support to even take that first step. But that too was perseverance. When you asked for help or accepted the help of your parents or mental health professionals, you demonstrated perseverance whether or not you got the most out of your mouth. Science English or social studies classes. These past four years, you’re leaving the regional with something far more valuable. You have learned that you can persevere. You can be flexible and you can show up for yourself and others. I want to take a moment to address your parents who are here tonight at open house each fall. I always assure parents that they could never write an email. That was worse than the one I had sent to teachers myself as a parent. Absolutely true. When I read an email sent from a parent, I always note the time it was written, usually it was late at night, sometimes two or three o’clock in the morning. I knew the anger. I knew the frustration, the anxiety, the worry that accompanied that email. I’ve been there myself as a parent. Your concern is that you are the only family dealing with this issue. And no matter how much others assure you that you are not alone, you believe that your child, your family is the exception and they will never be able to overcome the challenge in front of them. What begins as a failing grade at 11 o’clock at night ends as something insurmountable by 2 a.m. but be assured you were not alone. The most important lesson that I have learned as a parent is this trust that there are other people in your child’s life that love them, care about them and will serve as guides as they move forward. Often, these will be individuals that your child chooses for themselves and not necessarily ones you have placed in their path. Be open to these individuals, trust that you have raised your Children to make choices that reflect the goodness within them so much has happened in four years. I mentioned some of the experiences we have shared together. But personally, in the past four years, I celebrated the marriage of my oldest daughter and welcomed a new son in law and his family and to my own, my youngest child received her bachelor’s and master’s degree during COVID and moved 2000 miles away for a great job opportunity. But believe me, letting them walk down the Hall of Bucher is nothing compared to letting them drive away to Texas. In the past four years. I lost my brother suddenly. In the last four years, I decided to return to school once again to pursue a degree. I never could have imagined. 10 years ago, let alone when I graduated high school back in 1985 my advice to you is this, don’t treat the next four years as an obstacle or simply a stepping stone to the next big accomplishment. Don’t just get through it. Don’t just check the boxes, whether you’re headed to school or to your first full time job or taking a year to consider your options. Enjoy each day, get out of bed every morning, meet new people, open your minds to new ideas and experiences. Consider what you might have to offer another person. Humble yourself, ask for help, meet with your professors, find that mentor at work. Others want to connect with you and they want to see you succeed. Resist the temptation to retreat into the safety of an online world. The payoff of making the decision to show up for each day is that we get to live a truly full life, put down your phone and spend time with your younger siblings and cousins. They live to see you. You are everything to them. They go back to school and talk about you breathlessly and draw pictures of you in their journal. Toss a football, go for a walk, play Barbies do Legos. You are a superstar to the younger family members live up to their expectations. When you go off to college, call your grandparents. You’ve heard this from me over the years, four years they want to hear from you often. It will result in a car card with a little bit of money, maybe a five or a 20 or a check if you’re really lucky. But here’s the secret. Always send a thank you right away. This will ensure regular cards and checks. This will ensure regular correspondence, which in turn will make you and them very happy. Never underestimate how much they love you and are so proud of you wherever you go, create an environment that is welcoming a few bottles of lotion, a bag of hair elastics, a few bandaids and other trinkets are always appreciated by others. Be generous and lastly before all else put yourself first, do what is best for you. You can’t help others unless you’ve taken care of yourself, your education, your job, your mental health must come first, be a good friend, be generous with kind words, share what you have, provide a safety net for others, but set clear boundaries that prioritize you don’t lose sight of the goals that you set for yourself. I’ll end tonight the same way that I’ve ended all of my classes for almost 35 years with a book, a House from Hermit Crab by Eric Carl. I’m not gonna read it in this story. Hermit Crab decorates his new shell with various sea creatures and objects he encounters over the course of a year together. They all traverse the ocean floor. Each one contributing something that makes their time together special. Hermit Crabb relies on his friends during this time and together they form a small community, but like all hermit crabs, this one eventually outgrows his shell and he needs to find a new one. But before he can feel comfortable moving on, he hesitates to leave his old friends behind and wants assurances that they’ll be ok. He encounters a smaller crab that is in search of a new home. Hermit crab offers up his old shell and the small crab promises to be good to his friends. And the story ends with this, the following January hermit crab stepped out and the little crab stepped in couldn’t stay in that little shell for ever said hermit crab as he waved. Good bye. The ocean floor looked wider than he had remembered it but hermit crab wasn’t afraid soon. He spied the perfect house. A big empty shell. It looked well a little plain but dot dot dot Sponges he thought barnacles, clownfish, sand dollars, electric eels. Oh, there are so many possibilities. I can’t wait to get started. Congratulations to the class of 2024. It’s time that you step out of your shell. Thank you. 00:47:36,199 Good evening faculty, family, friends and my fellow graduates. It has been an honor serving as your class president the past three years and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to give this short speech tonight. My camera roll is so photos and videos that when I went to get a new one recently, the manager helping practically scoffed at how obscene my lack of storage was. You would think 500 gigabytes would get me farther than it did. But alas the memories piled up in pixelated heaps until I realized it was time to organize the clutter in my photo app while I was browsing through, I found myself passing by photos of wonderful places and scenic views and instead paused on the videos of my friends laughing or funny photos from the nights spent doing or trying to do homework together. My most meaningful and gleeful memories are the ones filled with people I love. Although your story is your own, the people that surround you are what often fill the pages because as we write our stories, the moments we share with each other leave an invaluable mark. We are all a combination of the people that have passed in and out of our lives while it is difficult to leave one another. Now, the human experience is precious because it is transient. If high school did not have a definitive end, it would not feel so important. If I thought Abel Fleury would be my neighbor for ever. I may have taken her for granted as we move on to college, work, travel and beyond. It may feel difficult to say goodbye to the people that have influenced our lives so tremendously. Although this transition is unavoidable, a mental camera roll composed of people most precious to you is impermanent. Allow the lessons you have learned love you have received and experiences you have had guide you through what lies ahead. Although we are physically leaving each other, that does not mean the influence we have had on one another ceases to matter. Remember to appreciate the friendships, family and people that comprise the film of your life and there lies the beauty of this change. The people that have been so pivotal in your life thus far, do not disappear but simply make room for new people to enter in my camera roll may be cluttered. But think of how many wonderful people are stored in its confines and how many wonderful people it has room for in its unused storage. So looking forward, let the people you haven’t met yet. The love you have yet to receive and the memories you’ve yet to share, bring light and luster into your lives. Appreciate this change. Because it means there’s so much you have yet to discover. Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening and congratulations graduates.