Now please welcome the graduating class of 2025 from Hamilton Weham Regional High School.

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00:00:12,369	This

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00:01:18,170	Oh, I'm good.

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00:02:33,330	Alright, OB, what time is it?

00:02:42,870	Alright. Good morning, families, friends, faculty, and most importantly, the class of 2025.

00:02:57,599	I want to thank you all for coming on this momentous day. For those who don't know me, I am Matt Fitzgibbons, and I've had the privilege of being the class advisor alongside Aaron Donovan for the past 4 years. It has been an honor to lead this class and have the opportunity to give this speech today.

However, when I took this job as class advisor, I should have read the fine print of the contract. I did not realize I would eventually have to speak in front of this many people. When I started to write this speech, I went to see my good friend Mr. Walsh for some advice, as he has given the

speech a few times before. The great advice that he gave me was, don't blow it.

00:03:32,569	So if I newfound confidence in public speaking, here goes. I want to start off by thanking Whitney Fitzgibbons, our class president for the last 4 years.

00:03:46,199	And the rest of the student, student government team. They have made my life easy and they've been amazing behind the scenes in helping run the school. I could not have done any of this without you. I've had the unique perspective because along with being a class adviser, I was a school counselor for each of you

during freshman year. I got to know each of you at your earliest time in high school, and I've watched you grow into confident young adults before my eyes. I've had the privilege of seeing the real growth that goes beyond the classroom. I've seen friendships blossom, leaders emerge, and people find their true potential.

I've witnessed all of you shape the school community in your own special ways. One great thing that you did as a class is always support each other. Whether that is cheering on your peers at a sport sporting event or helping a friend through a difficult time, I've seen it consistently over the past 4 years.

One great memory that I have of the class was last year's prom. Everyone was on the dance floor, having an incredible time with each other. You wanted to be around each other and enjoy the moment. The smiles and laughs are something that I will always remember and the fact that you all have Mr. Manningone crowd

surfing like he was at a 90s Metallica concert.

00:04:47,870	Each of you are so special in your own way and have made a lasting impact on this community. You've all taught me a lot, and I've learned so much from you over the last 4 years. I've learned that even though Gian Gelli can hit a pop up to

the Cassidy's house, they're going to show up just in time for homeroom. I've learned that is unfair to anyone else when Jake Flynn walked into a karaoke competition. I have also learned when to ask for help. After 2 hours of sweating profusely at home, trying to put my 5 year old's bike together, which ended with my

wife and I take some time apart in different rooms. This bike was still in a million pieces, but I knew I had a person for it. I'm not kidding when I say Kyleha and put this bike together in 12 minutes, only looking at the directions one time. It was incredible and absolutely crushed my ego.

However, this did not turn out well for me. Now my kid thinks I can put anything together, so thanks Kyle. I learned that when Georgia Wilson shows up to a track meet, a school record will be set. You know, when Ben Rich enters the race, everyone else is coming in 2nd. I learned that some people have charisma.

Richer just oozes it. It's literally the name charisma. I learned that Sadie Gamba should be the quarterback for the Patriots as she led a dominant powder puff team in the victory of the past two years, thrown to Caroline Monaghan and Tesla Hunt, who looked like Jerry Rice and Randy Moss reincarnated. The Patriots had these 3.

Bill Belichick might still be the coach. I've learned that no matter what the conditions are, there could be gale force winds, it could be a hurricane outside. Cooper Miller's hair is going to stay perfect.

00:06:22,930	I've learned that I would want Shelby Allen and my foxhole with me, as anyone who rides a motorcycle is way tougher than I am. I've learned that all Naomi Provost does is win state tennis titles and that her forehand terrifies me. It always amazes me when I see the incredible artwork like

that of Julia Byle or Kaya Olsen's as mine looks like my 3 year old druid. If there was ever a flu outbreak among the staff, I know that Maddie Carey would be able to step in and teach any subject with no problem. Uh, she somehow knows everything, could do it way better than we could, and would

probably assign less homework too. I know that the world could be ending, or even worse, the cafeteria could be out of chocolate scones. Annie Moynihan would still have a smile on her face. It brings me so much joy when I see Noah Peabody and Catherine Reed always displaying true acts of kindness.

And finally, the class of 2025 is going out as two-time Spiritly champions.

00:07:21,569	Now to get serious, to the parents and families, thank you for trusting us with your students. Your encouragement and guidance have helped shape them into the wonderful individuals we celebrate here today. Class of 25. You have heard over and over how fast time goes. I've heard it constantly from you the past few weeks that you

can't believe how quickly high school went. Guess what? Life is not going to slow down. It's going to keep moving and you need to find your place in it. I implore you to follow your dreams and passions, whatever that is, go chase it. You may stumble. You will hear no more than once.

But remember, every no you hear is a life lesson. Every setback is a chance for growth. The most successful people aren't the ones who never fail. They're the ones who get back up again and again. Keep pushing forward, chase your dreams, not just with your feet, but with your whole heart.

You never want to look back and live with any regrets. The world is full of great opportunities waiting for you to take your place in it. Each of you has left a great mark on our school in this community, and I wish you nothing but the best as you move on to the next chapter of your life.

Thank you and good luck class of 2025.

00:08:34,169	Good morning everyone and welcome to graduation. My name is Brian Menegoni, and I have the great honor of serving as the principal of Hamilton Wenham Regional High School. This class holds special meaning for me. They started their high school journey the same year I began my first year as principal, and it's been a privilege to grow

alongside them over these past 4 years. Today we come together to celebrate the class of 2025 and all they have achieved. Their journey has been marked by resilience, growth, and countless accomplishments that reflect their hard work, spirit, and especially their connectedness. Among among this exceptional group of students are

individuals who have gone above and beyond, and it's my pleasure to introduce one of them now, our salutatorian Kate Cassidy.

00:09:34,200	Good morning everyone. Classmates, families, teachers, and friends. The summer before 7th grade, I sleepwalked out a window, not metaphorically, literally. I was at one of my best friend's birthday sleepover, dreaming that I was being chased by the Russians from Stranger Things. In the dream I needed to escape, and apparently even asleep I'm very resourceful.

I opened the window, popped out the screen, and dove out headfirst. What I didn't realize in the dream or in real life was that the ground was much farther away than I had thought. I hit it hard and ended up with some bad bruises and a broken collarbone. When I landed, I was groggy and confused.

The back door was locked, so I walked around the house, barefoot in the dark and knocked on the front door. You can imagine how my friend's mom reacted when she found me at 4 in the morning, bedraggled and with leaves in my hair. Shout out to Kristen Monahan.

00:10:38,370	Looking back, it's a funny story, but it has also taught me something important.

00:10:45,899	Sometimes your dreams take you places you don't expect. Sometimes you think you're chasing a dream and still end up face first in a bush. Sometimes you fall hard, because you aren't aware of your surroundings. You're half asleep, not quite ready. You might end up bruised, broken, and far from where you

thought you'd be, but there's always another way back into the house. That summer, my way back in wasn't just the front door. It was also people. People who helped me when I couldn't help myself. A friend's mom calling a nurse at 5 a.m., friends who dropped off gifts to keep me occupied while I healed.

Annie Moynihan writing a card for me that still hangs on my wall. Teachers who set aside time to catch me up, Jack Cook, who offered to carry my backpack for me between classes because I couldn't. That's what I've loved most about this community. We show up for each other whether someone's fallen out of

a window or just had a really bad day. And the truth is, we're all about to climb through some new windows, move to new cities, new countries, even, start college, try new things. And yeah, some of us will fall. But when we do, I hope we can remember what we had here.

Friends who checked in, teachers who believed in us, and families who picked us up off the ground.

00:12:10,129	So let's stay in touch and keep knocking on each other's doors. Let's also find new doors to knock on, building the kinds of communities we had here wherever we go next. Because no matter where or how hard we land, the people who help you find your help you find your way back in, they're

the ones worth holding on to. Thank you all and especially thank you to the class of 2025. It's been a pleasure and a privilege.

00:12:47,799	Thank you, Kate, and now I am very pleased to present our valedictorian, Maddie Carey.

00:13:01,000	Thank you, Mr. Mannegoni. A machine without all of its components malfunctions. A body without all of its organs suffers. A team without all of its players disintegrates. A theater without all of its members crumbles. A graduation gown without the individual beneath it is just a piece of fabric.

And the class With all of its graduates, ceases to exist. Therefore, as I was trying to write my speech, it felt odd that a select few would have the opportunity to orate a piece of our class's legacy, while most others would remain voiceless. So, a few weeks ago, a survey was sent out.

Well, you might have forgotten about it or simply neglected it, as it came in the midst of surveys from desperate statistics students, it asked you to give one word that summarized your high school experience. From the responses that I got, I curated a representative sample. I now ask you, graduates, to look under your chairs.

Taped to the bottom, you should find a laminated piece of paper with a word written on it. It is one of the words that came out of the survey. When I say the word that matches the one on your slip of paper, I kindly ask you to stand up.

And Kate, I forgot yours, so please just stand up with whatever word you feel most comfortable with.

00:14:38,600	OK, so in your words, high school is community.

00:14:49,730	It's formative.

00:14:55,669	It's quick.

00:14:59,730	It's resilient.

00:15:03,669	It's transformative.

00:15:07,870	It's memorable.

00:15:12,029	It's challenging. It's growth It's impactful. And it's engaging.

00:15:34,629	These words do not represent any one individual, but instead a collective experience shaped by those standing beside us. As for my word, it is perspective. Both our individual perspectives sculpted by our education and experiences along with the united perspective we have woven as a class. The whole cannot exist without all of its parts.

Together we stand in our sea of navy blue polyester, but a unique individual, different from the one standing to your left and your right, lies beneath each of our gowns. While our regalia may appear solid in color, we are truly a patchwork, a quilt that brings all of us in the fabric of our own perspectives together.

OK, you can all sit down now, the speech will continue though. This was the words what would be meaningless had they not come from a group of unique individuals, each with our own backgrounds and experiences and stories to tell. Had each of our perspectives on high school been the same?

Had we all the exact same experience, every word on this list would have been the same. That would have made for not only a very boring list, but a collective perspective without personality, nor intrigue, nor surprise, nor depth. Nor power Sure, we have shared in some of our experiences. Alongside one another, we have struggled through late night

research paper edits and outlandish word problems on math tests. Together we have traversed literary space from Romeo and Juliet to the Lord of the Flies to the Crucible in 1984, and historical time from the Middle Ages and Enlightenment to the revolutionary and civil wars, to the World Wars and Vietnam and everywhere in between.

Together, we have triumphs to not one but 2 consecutive Spirit Week victories and represented the generals proudly, regardless of sport, or for those of us not athletically gifted in other extracurricular activities. However, our experiences undoubtedly do differ. We are all our own people with our own scars and successes, battles, and bewilderment.

The fabric of our collective perspective is fortified, strengthened, and downright dependent upon not only our collective identity as the Hamilton one class of 2025, but the individual knowledge, skills, and passion we each carry along with us. Yes, we have learned from one another. Yes, we have impacted one another.

Yes, even if you are not consciously aware of it, the people sitting beside you and in this room will never vanish from the fabric of the perspective you are weaving. However, it's imperative to recognize that while our collective identity has materialized, our individual perspectives, the unique stories we have the opportunity to tell, are only just beginning.

Just as our class identity is enhanced by the presence and participation of our diverse perspectives, our individual perspectives will continue to flourish as our world expands beyond that of Hamilton Wenham. A growth is not limited to the experiences of high school, nor should it be. Hamilton Wenham has laid a foundation, and the experiences

we have taken part in with peers, faculty, and family have eternally integrated into our perspective on the world around us. Yet the exit from one didactic environment doesn't mean that our perspectives should stagnate. On the contrary, we should allow the new people we meet, the mistakes we will make. The new experiences we will have and the diverse

perspectives we will encounter to color in our blank spaces or weave new threads into the fabric of our perspective. Because society isn't altogether different from our graduating class. Its progress is dependent on a diverse array of backgrounds of expertise of knowledge. We have demonstrated time and time again that the equitable

recognition and inclusion of diverse perspectives is crucial to solving the complex problems that plagued our society. So as we all enter into this illustrious and unpredictable notion to the real world, I encourage you to recognize the power of your perspective. In a future filled with uncertainty, it is up to us to

ensure we are not barred from the conversation as we transition from the next generation. the now generation. After all, your point of view in the world is completely your own. It is not only unique from every other member of our class, but it's unique from every other person in this

room, in our towns, in the states, in the country, and if you see where I'm going with this, yes, in the world.

00:20:48,529	So just as important as learning and collaborating with those who differ from yourself, remember the significance of your unequivocal and incomparable perspective. Never hesitate to use your voice. Never hesitate to share your thoughts. Never ever hesitate to let your perspective and all the experience woven into it be known. Our words matter.

Together, they build something bigger than ourselves. Our power is our perspective. We should know its limitations, know when to listen instead of speak. But also know how to wield it wisely. Congratulations, Hamilton Wenham class of 2025. We might not all be cut from the same cloth, but together we make a pretty incredible quilt. Thank you.

00:21:57,170	Great, I get to follow that. That's gonna be easy. Thank you, Kate and Maddie. You both are outstanding representatives of your class and of our community. While you certainly have created incredible opportunities for yourselves through hard work, your most enduring mark is the positive energy and kindness that you brought to us every day.

Keep sharing that no matter where you go. Now switching gears a little. The best place in the world, I think, to go people watching is Las Vegas. I've been many times and have never been disappointed by how bizarre people are when they put their guard down. Unfortunately, 99% of what I've seen while meandering down the

strip is wildly inappropriate for today's ceremony, so I will stop there. And Mr. Tracy is sitting right behind me, so it's probably not a good idea for that reason as well. The 2nd best place in the world to go people watching. A high school cafeteria, of course.

The best part is I get paid to do that every day. It really is a bit of a radical experiment. If you think about it, But a large group of teenagers in one big room, many of whom may not want to be there. Sit them around on comfortable circular tables, serve them

food they don't like, and then see what happens.

00:23:25,869	Where I stand at the front of the cafeteria watching students chew their food and make a mess. For one hour a day, every single day. I get to see a lot in our strange social laboratory. So what did I learn about the class of 2025 over the last four years?

I noticed you make the typical migration from the freshman tables at the front to the big kid tables at the back.

00:23:54,970	I saw repeated failure to grasp the basic idea of ever forming a line. A lot of you just regularly jumped into the express lane to grab your lunch, which, by the way, is not really a thing, just so you know. Some members of the class of 2025, I won't mention names Jack or Ben.

Exhibited exhibited perfect throwing form on a couple of occasions, and it often seemed like a group of young men from the class of 2026 may have been a favorite target. And after some thought, I have to admit that I really don't blame you for that. Interestingly, your class started with and ended with

single gender tables, except If you are fast or can jump far. As the members of the track and cross country teams were the only ones to figure out that boys and girls no longer have cooties and that they can sit together.

00:24:57,430	One thing sadly that I could never figure out about your class even after 4 years of lunch observation. Is the difference between Kate and Marin Cassidy. For all I know, it was Marron who just gave Kate's speech a few minutes ago. I honestly wouldn't know the difference.

00:25:18,769	But when I step back and reflect on what I've really learned about your class during these last 4 years of watching you eat, I always land in the same place, friendship. More than anything else. Your class has shown how deeply you value your friendships. These have grown stronger over time and have been shaped by

laughter, challenge, loyalty, and shared experience.

00:25:48,470	Coach John Wooden once said, make friendship a fine art. You've done just that. You've taken care of each other. You've lifted one another up, and I hope those friendships continue well into the future, because they are rooted in something real. These are your friends for life. At 51 years old, balding with two artificial hips, it's

really hard for me to put into words what these friendships mean to you. Or the impact they've had on your lives. So rather than hear it from me, I'd like to invite your classmate Gian to share a bit of his own experience from his time here at the regional Gian.

00:26:46,230	Good morning. Writing a speech for any event is no small task. You want to convey the right message. You want to connect with your crowd in a particular way, and you want to get your words just right. It's not always simple, but they say it's easiest to write about something you're passionate about, which is why

talking about the incredible group sitting in front of me today is the easiest speech that I've ever had to write. My name is Gian Gamelli, and I'm honored to have the opportunity to speak to you today. I was brought in front of you this morning to talk about the

powerful role that friendship and compassion has had in our high school journey, developing us into the united class you see before you. However, I feel like what this class has cannot be covered by the word friendship. The word I would like to use instead is family. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a family is defined

as a group of individuals related to one another by blood or marriage. Now, I'm not about to argue with the Oxford Dictionary. I'm sure the people over there know quite a bit more than I do. But I can't help but feel as though what makes up a family goes a little bit further than just blood.

In my mind, a family consists of the people who accept you, support you, and love you through both your achievements as well as your setbacks. Families who are committed to see you reach your best self and who stands with you every step of the journey. Loyalty and trust are what make up a family.

By these definitions, loyalty, commitment, support, and trust, I'll be the first one to say that the class of 2025 is my family. Since the first day of kindergarten so long ago, we have worked together, played together, grown together, and stayed together even when challenges were faced. Every new experience that we encountered only brought us

closer, and now as we arrive at our last day, we are more united than we've ever been. I couldn't be more proud to have been a part of this class, to be a part of this family, and our stories are just getting started. Before I leave you today, I want to share a short story with you.

Let me take you back 4 years to our first day of freshman year. We had just arrived experiencing for the first time a brand new school, a foreign environment, and many unfamiliar faces. We were brought together into the auditorium for a class meeting where a principal that we had hardly met told us about

the importance of leaving a legacy, a legacy. We were just kids at the time, barely out of middle school, and with no idea what the next 4 years of our lives would look like. Our biggest concerns at the time consisted of how much homework we were going to get, passing our classes, and the

hope of making some friends along the way. We barely knew what a legacy was, let alone how to go about leaving a good one. But here we are four years later. 4 whole years have gone by, and today we walk out of these doors knowing that the class of 2025 left a legacy of hard

work, community, and accomplishment that symbolizes what the towns of Hamilton and Wenham stand for. To all the parents, siblings, family, teachers, mentors, and friends sitting in these seats today, you all are the real heroes of this story. Today I speak for our class when I say thank you. Thank you for your endless support throughout this high

school journey. Thank you for your tireless effort in making Hamilton one of the incredible community that it is, and thank you for your role in building up each and every one of us so that today the product of your hard work can walk across this stage. And to the class of 2025.

Today marks the closing of this chapter in our lives, and we now head out on our own paths. All good things must come to an end, but a thing is not beautiful because it lasts forever. It's been an incredible four years, and the bonds that we've built here will last a lifetime.

I have no doubt that each and every one of us is on our way to doing amazing things. I leave you today with this. Whether I've known you since the first day of kindergarten or if it took us until high school for us to finally cross paths, I'm truly grateful for the relationships that have

been built during our time here at Hamilton one of them. Whether we hung out together every weekend or if we simply simply saw each other in the busy hallways between classes, each and every one of you holds a special place in my heart. It has been an absolute pleasure growing up with you,

and I wouldn't want to spend the best time of my life with anyone else. Thank you very much.

00:31:13,869	Thank you, Jian. That was a great message. But we aren't done there. A few more generals have a story to share about friendship, so Caroline, Noah, and Jake, please come on up.

00:32:28,500	If we

00:32:32,029	And we

00:33:05,829	I've been

00:33:32,799	So let me say before we So

00:33:39,269	I made