Fox Lane Salutatorian Reflects on Past Four Years

addressed his fellow graduates at the Below is the full text of his speech.

Welcome Dr. Hochman, Dr. Adelberg, members of the administration, Mrs. Elion Wollin, and members of the Board of Education. Teachers, parents, guests, and my fellow members of the Class of 2012.

For those of you that know me, you know that I like to talk…a lot. I’ve always been the kid with the really loud voice who never stops talking. But when it came to writing this speech, I found it difficult to come up with something to say. This was a new experience for me because as many of you know, I ALWAYS have something to say.

As I thought back over my time at Fox Lane in search of an idea to talk about today, my mind was flooded with great memories and defining moments. And somewhere in that reflection, I realized that it seems like we have been constantly looking ahead, always facing pressure to think about and prepare for the future. Middle school was just a bridge to high school. High School was meant to prepare us for college. And college is meant to get us ready for life in the real world. But when do we get to just take a deep breath, step back, and think about today instead of tomorrow? I’d say now is as good a time as any.

We’ve spent the last four years working hard to get to this point. We’ve all been through those nights where it seemed like our pile of homework just kept getting bigger. We’ve all suffered through those days when it seemed like all the teachers got together and decided to torture us by giving their tests all on the same day. We’ve spent the last couple of years taking standardized tests, writing countless essays, and filling out applications, constantly worrying about the impact it would have on our future.

As I stand up here today, it’s hard to grasp how the past 4 years have gone by so quickly. It seems like not too long ago that we were dressing up in our team colors for Field Day, or cheering for our respective houses at Almost Anything Goes. But now that we’re all done, take the time to reflect on our experiences. Take this opportunity to, for once, look back instead of ahead.

Think about all the teachers who have challenged us to expand our thinking and explore alternatives. Look around at all the friends and family surrounding us, all the people that have been there for us and supported us since the day we tied those red balloons to our mailboxes and waited for the bus on our first day of kindergarten. Think back on our time at Fox Lane, to all the things we’ve done together.

Many of us have traveled together- by bus to Boston for APUSH, by plane to Europe with Mr. Broggy, by boat around the Hudson River for prom, and by train to New York City to go to, or at least try to go to, Terminal 5 Concerts. We’ve suffered together through days of unbearable heat, much like today, wondering why our school doesn’t have air conditioning. We’ve had fun together- from fun ball in gym to roller coasters on our trip to Six Flags just a few weeks ago. And we’ve learned together- from physics with Mr. Ludwig to any topic you can think of with Mr. Ullrich, or as many of us know him, Perry.

After all we’ve been through together- after all the valuable lessons we’ve learned, the friendships we’ve formed, the memories we’ve created, and the experiences we’ve shared- it’s hard to believe that we are graduating today.

This fall, everything we know is going to change. Most of us will be away from home and away from our friends and families, some of us much further away than others. We will make new friends, explore new interests, try new things, and form new memories. But as you look ahead to where you’re going, take the time to appreciate where you’ve been, and to enjoy where you are, right here, right now.

For the past four years, we’ve worked hard to get to this point. And today, right here, right now, we can proudly say that we are the graduating Fox Lane High School Class of 2012. Thank you, and congratulations.