By Tyler San Fillippo, class president
Here is graduation ceremony speech by Tyler San Fillippo, class of 2016 president.
"Before I start, I would like to announce our class gift. The Class of2016 is donating metal trash cans to the school and also giving a donation to the incoming freshman class for spirit night and other activities.
Wow. The Class of 2016. Our experiences here have made us entirely different people, almost as if we are doppelgangers of ourselves —completely different people that just happen to look like us.
We began as kids, full of innocence and curiosity, at our elementary schools, which seemed worlds apart. We moved up into Auten, a melting pot of schools, and were given one of the biggest responsibilities ever — a locker. After two years there, we finally came together as a class when we watched, envious, as those 5th graders traveled to NYC to see the premiere of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
Middle School breezed by, most of us hit our awkward phases, and our innocence faded and we started to realize the world ahead of us. Then, the prime of our lives as we knew it, some might even say the “golden age” approached —high school. We started as little freshman, backpacks full, eyes wide, looking for that swimming pool on the third floor. We thought we would be freshman flight forever but soon realized that there was little time to be kids anymore.
So, what did high school give us? Or the better question what did OUR high school give us? Our HHS diploma represents extraordinary memories, and the will and opportunity to succeed.
It has been a four short years here but the memories are longer. Do you know how many times I’ve turned to my friends and said “Wow, this is going to be a great story to tell my kids one day.” Yeah, we have an amazing staff, and are lucky to have so many academic opportunities, but what made this school special, is all that we have learned OUTSIDE of class. Many of us got involved in sports and clubs, striving to be the best, exploring our hobbies — all of which taught us consistency and dedication. And most of all, what makes our diploma like no other, is the experiences and knowledge we gained from Spirit Night — excuse me, spirit life. My best friend, Brett Magliaro, puts it best: “Do you remember that time when we won Spirit Night? Because I remember that twice.” It had us all working with groups of people that we never thought we would work with. Everyone was able to have a part. Everyone’s different proficiencies were so fundamental to make that night our own, and at the end, it united us, as we basked in the culmination of all of our efforts.
After spirit night and prom, it was pure bliss. Our class was inseparable, for a while anyway. You see just one week later, after engaging in a townwide water gun game, we decided we were ready to get out of here.
But high school didn’t just leave us reminiscing, it was about setting up our futures. Our town and schooling has given all of us the foundation and a chance to pursue whatever our perception of happiness is. Whether it’s being a rapper or working for a large company, it’s what we want for ourselves.
In the words of one of the most influential people in our generation, Kanye West, “I refuse to accept other people’s ideas of happiness for me, as if there’s a one-size-fits-all standard for happiness. If you want to be a waffle truck vendor in Venice, you go do it, and be the best flippin’ waffle truck vendor this world has ever seen. Nothing will ever be as fulfilling as doing what makes you happy and to the best of your ability. THAT’S what success is. It isn’t being famous or wearing the newest pair of Yeezy Boost 350s, it’s doing you. But success isn’t like a plaque that you get to keep forever. It’s something you need to work harder and harder each day to achieve.
Listen, the finish line is the same for everyone. But while we are here, what can we do to make this journey through life the most gratifying it can be. What contribution can we make? We all have the opportunity to change the world, whether it be in a big or small way, but so few take full advantage of that. Don’t let that slip away. Go for it.
Yes, we may have had our last spirit night, our last prom and this may be our last time all together, but there are so many firsts ahead. When we see each other in 10 or 15 years for a reunion, I can’t wait to see what different paths we’ve chosen, and the beautiful things we have made of ourselves. And even if we don’t all cross paths again, all of us always will be a part of the crazy high school stories we’ll tell our loved ones when we’re older.
Stay golden, Class of 2016, stay golden. "
