Valedictorian Advises Graduates to Set Goals, Have Fun

What follows is the text of eighth grade valedictorian Patrik Harsanyi's speech, given at the promotion ceremony, June 21:

Dr. Fuchs, Mr. Kraemer, Members of the Board of education, Administration, Faculty and Staff of JTMS, along with my fellow students, parents, family and friends:

 When they told me that I had received this honor I had the biggest grin ever. I am honored and humbled to have received this award. This year we all realized how important our education is and how well Jtms has taught us what we need to know for the years to come.  I came to America when I was three and a half years old and not able to speak a word of English. That rough start only made me stronger.

It seems like only yesterday I arrived here in Jefferson for the 5^th grade. At that time I could not have stumbled upon a greater group of kids.

Coming into the middle school we had the reputation of being a very good group of students. As sixth graders, our teachers raised the bar of standards and we met them every single time. Six grade laid down the foundation for all the things that we needed and more. It made us students who were ready to learn and ready to pave the golden paths of our future. We also found extracurricular activities, for me it was sports and later Gateways, many others found time to go to clubs after school, such as Math Counts, Band, chorus, art and many more to fill their interests. Those who did, found it very rewarding and I know that to me it made me a better student. I also remember how cool it was to have teachers that were so caring and patient, even after asking them for the 100 and some odd time to open our lockers they still helped us with a smile on their face.  Additionally, it was our first experience with the elective teachers who dedicated themselves to teach us even more. By the end of the year we started to make the lifelong friendships that many of us still have today.

Then came 7^th grade, where we also found a balance between the forces of 8^th grade and 6^th grade. We no longer felt new but instead more confident in ourselves. We came out with one important lesson, which is not to dissect a frog if you are queasy or get sick to your stomach easily. Moreover, we had the Stokes trip, which was fun and educational and we all thank the teachers for planning.

In the eighth grade it felt remarkable to be the leaders, now to be the ones the 6th and 7th graders looked up to. Even though it was a big undertaking I think we accomplished it. We were now in charge of the School, or so we thought, but really Mrs. Widgren and Mrs. Howe still made our spines jiggle letting us know who the bosses were, with a smiling and welcoming face.  In the eighth grade our teachers inspired us to set ourselves up with goals to reach and high standards to achieve. These lessons reminded me of all I learned coming to America. I think I could speak for the rest of the school when I thank you for the magnificent 8^th grade experience that you gave us. I think that the Dorney trip was a great way to close the school year for it was fun, made us sweat, and again showed the level of commitment of the teachers

In closing, I would like to thank all the parents for their support and encouragement throughout our lives. Thnak you also to the teachers we have had. Now for my fellow students, I only expect great things from this class of 2011 in high school, but it will not only stop there. In the future, our accomplishments will be very well known thus giving us a better chance at being successful. This is not a goodbye or anything of the sorts; it’s just a transition, a transition from one step to another where the duties and responsibilities expand. I only expect the best from every one of our eighth graders and want to advise you all to set a goal for yourselves and do everything you possibly can to reach that goal. I say goodbye middle school class of 2011 and hello high school class of 2015. Thank you and goodnight!