Guest Speaker: Laryssa Speck
What a wonderful evening – a gathering of our community, friends and family to celebrate the accomplishments of this amazing group of people. What a group! I have been teaching these people for the past 3 years and have really enjoyed them. I have loved challenging them with the different aspects of the courses that I have taught – and I hope I have not been easy on them. I hope for this because I believe with my whole heart that these 6 people are incredible and I want them to reach their full potentials.
So just how amazing are these people? Many of you know our graduates individually, and might know the others as well. This class has the most unique dynamic, and each person in the class has a unique personality that compliments the others. One thing that every single graduate has is that they are each highly competitive. All 6 grads have been on our successful school teams and most have been in a leadership position on the team, or at least been looked at as a leader. The 3 girls have each gone to compete in both volleyball and basketball at the provincial level at least 3 times! Each time they go to provincials, they represent the smallest school at the provincial level. Here is how I will remember these people. At the beginning of this year, Menno made an announcement: 'I am going to have fun this year …. this is my last year at school and I am going to do everything and have fun'. I believe that Menno did. He dressed up for the dress-up days, and participated in the activities. Menno is the big guy with the big heart. He is one of those guys who the younger students look up to, and I am glad because he is a great role model. He believes that you can have fun and still follow the rules. He works hard when he has to, but can kick back and hang out for as long as he needs to. Menno, I will miss your voice, your innocence, your joy in life and your heart! Brent was the gentle one. He is the thinker and the worker. He seems shy, but I assure you that he is anything but shy. He likes to hang out and observe; then he jumps in once he has figured everything out. Brent is intelligent, fair-minded, competitive and lovable. My earliest memory of Brent is when he was about 5 years old. We were all sitting around in the living room one night at his sister's and he just came over to me and sat on my knee. I would like to take this last opportunity to have Brent snuggle up to me one last time! Wacey is one of those people who has a permanent smile on his face. When he enters a room, it lights up just from his presence. And he always seems happy to see you …. even if you are bugging him about homework! He is impulsive and has an enthusiasm for life that is infectious. Whenever Wacey greets you, he has this smirk on his face. It is as if he knows something about you …. something funny and is keeping it a secret. I am impressed by Wacey and his tactfulness. One day in class, the group where supposed to working but were beginning to have a heated discussion about some topic (I really wasn't listening but I knew it was starting to get intense). Wacey had been quiet for most of the conversation but then he interrupted it, stated his opinion and just like that, the argument was over. His is a leader, a friend to all, fun-loving and the guy everyone wants on their team. Jocelyn is the most persistent and hard-working person that I may have ever met. I cannot believe all of the things she does and to the degree of efficiency and excellence that she does it. She is one of the most excellent students that has ever walked our hallways in terms of commitment. I appreciated her hard work and determination, and I felt that she was as passionate about the class as I was. Tonight, the gym was transformed into this magnificient room because Jocey dreamed it. I truly believe that Jocelyn is going to go onto greatness in her field. Her determination and work ethic will drive her there! Shelaine is our laid back grad. She is friends with everyone and seems to be able to talk to anyone. Shelaine is the quiet leader. She is the one in the background coaching, guiding, teaching others. Shelaine has had a tough year but I admire her determination and work ethic. Her work ethic would leave many to be impressed. Out on the court or in the classroom, she gives 110%. She is insightful, hard working, curious, humble and has a huge heart. I am so exicted for your future, Shelaine …. I wish you luck – work hard and cash in on all of your opportunities! Brittany is a leader and it has been a joy watching her develop this skill over the past 3 years. Brittany joined our school in grade 10 and it was very evident that she was a leader. Even in her role as a junior on the volleyball team, I saw her be a leader to others both on and off the court. Brittany's determination to excel is one of her best qualities. She was determined to be her best in class – which led to our long Social Studies sessions in the Phys Ed office. And she was going to be the best on the court. She is amazing to watch on court – no matter the game. Brittany the leader, the academic, the lady, the friend. The hallways of Worsley Central will not be the same next year. I have would like to instill some of the life lessons that I have learned so far – my top five. I am still not an expert on what makes a successful life but I have observed some traits in people who are successful. First and foremost, be a good citizen. This means …. you need to vote. Voting is the simplest thing to do; it only takes 2 minutes. But without the right to vote our life would be quite different. We would not have our basic rights and freedoms that we have today in our great nation. Whenever I think about how important democracy is to our basic way of life I think of Blake Berggren. He has gone to Afghanistan twice, representing Canada, to fight against the Taliban to establish democracy in that desperate nation. I am proud of him for this and see him as a personal hero of mine. The least I can do to show support to Blake is to vote. Please vote – be a responsible Canadian. Be on time. I was brought up with the belief that if you were on time, you were late. My father drilled into my head that it was better to wait than to be waited on. And he always said 'What if you get a flat tire … if you leave early then you will be on time if you have to fix the flat tire'. My Dad believes in the simple things, but he is someone who everyone respects because of his values. I would dare say the most basic value to him is to be on time! Something I still struggle with! Manage your time and money wisely, as both are extremely valuable and can slip away from you easily. This is something that I still struggle with – life is a continuous learning process but I think I am getting better at it (albeit slowly, but I am starting to figure things out). Stay organized – find time-saving methods and look for inexpensive ways of doing things that you need to do. Right now we are in an incredibly unstable economy. Canada is in a recession, but Albertans have decided that this does not apply to us. We continue to spend as if we are still in a boom. I fear that we will all get caught in a desperate situation if we continue doing what we are doing. I believe the challenge is to find cost effective ways to live our lives. I feel that you are lucky to be entering the work force or the adult world just at this time, because you will learn to think economically and this will set you on the right path for the rest of your life. You will learn that things are not easy to get and very easy to lose. Your grad theme tonight is 'Dream Big, Aim High Shoot for the Stars'. I truly hope that this is exactly what you do. What a wonderful time in your life …. you are setting the course for your future. The decisions you are making today are going to affect the rest of your life. Now that thought is awfully scary, but it does not have to be. When making decisions, keep in mind your dreams …. what big goal are you aiming for? Everyone has dreams …. one of mine was to teach. I come to work every day and I cannot believe my luck …. I get to hang out with young people and talk about what I am passionate about. The kicker is that I get paid to do this. You need to find that dream and just do it! My last important piece of advice is to always put family first. Without our loved ones where would any of us be? Tonight would be a sad affair without all of your families here to help you celebrate. The support of your family is earned, and you need to work on keeping that support. Before you make decisions you need to think about your family. You are not the only one who has worked for this moment of yours. Your life has been supported, fought for and celebrated by many family members. Include them in your life. Keep in touch – make sure they are on your Facebook and write on their walls every once in a while. Family can make or break you, and so far they have done a great job with all of you. Allow them to keep it up by keeping them in your lives, thoughts and futures. I want to thank you for the honour of speaking tonight. I wish you a safe journey in life and a lifetime of sweet memories. I hope for challenges in your life because this will only make you stronger. I wish you a strong support system – everyone needs a team behind them. I wish you success in whatever you wish to do with your opportunities. When I was asked, the girls said to keep the speech short …. not more than an hour! Since I have a bit of time left, I would like to discuss with you the high demand on our fossil fuels. I was originally going to discuss the Darfur with you all tonight but that might be a bit heavy for tonights' atmosphere. But the current price of oil is going to send our economy straight back to the 1973 – Yom Kippur War economy. You guys remember me discussing this with you during class. If you can go back to the causes of the Yom Kippur War... [Laryssa is dragged off the stage by Menno] |