Hi everybody! My name’s Woody Brown. I’m going to be honest with you and say I feel I shouldn’t be up here right now. Maybe one’s chances of speaking at graduation increase with one’s demonstrations of symptoms of senioritis, or are inversely proportional to the amount of work one does during senior year.
In any case, here I am. I think the real story of the year occurred on February 27th, 2006. This date probably does not ring any bells among City Honors’ parent, teacher, student, or managerial bodies. On that fateful Tuesday, however, a decision was made that would influence the quality, quantity, and punctuality of all assignments ever to be handed in by the class of 2007. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it was then that Mark Zuckerberg, creator of Facebook.com, chose to permit college students to invite their highschool friends to join the legions of procrastinators who were already faithful members of the Facebook army.
Needless to say, we were never the same.
On a far more serious note, we need to thank those numerous and varied people who contributed to the general success of the class of 2007. We must first thank our family and our friends. They deal with us when our teachers can’t, or won’t, or are trying to tell us things we don’t want to hear. They have done everything in their power to help make us whole people, not simply students, but contributing members of society, responsible adults, and most of all, something resembling civil men and women. On a personal note, Mr. Gillian Brown and Mrs. Carla Higgins, my father and mother, picked me up from Roswell Park Cancer Institute at least three times a week for the majority of my highschool career. They’d both be upset if I let you think that I did the rest, however, something that is quite far from the truth. They refrained from beating me mercilessly when I acted ten, sometimes fifteen years younger than I am, and for that, I suppose this is more of an apology than a thank you. I am also indebted to my stepmother, Dr. Aranya Maritime, for giving my inner nerd an outlet and encouraging me to pursue what I want in life. My grandmother, Dr. Olga Karman, is someone with whom I’ve never felt awkward, or uncomfortable, or unintelligent. She has striven to reconnect me with my roots, both metaphorically and literally.
I can assure you, I speak for the class when I thank Dr. William Kresse. We sincerely appreciate the constant effort he has put forth to assist, encourage, and many times force our grade to succeed. Besides having absolutely stunning taste in clothing, Dr. Kresse is a welcome breath of fresh, motivational air that has helped make this school number 4… or number 8, but mostly number 4. We must also recognize the incredible, sometimes mind-boggling devotion demonstrated by Mrs. Elissa Banas, our class advisor. She has weathered challenging circumstances to encourage… and really insist that we work together as a cohesive group to give back to the institution that has given us so much. I have had the sincere pleasure of working with Mrs. Banas two years in a row, and it’s been great. She has been to Japan and Europe, among other places, such as space, and always has an interesting story to compliment our curriculum. Our sincerest thanks to Mrs. Mary Kiefer for working tirelessly to familiarize the student body with the intricacies of the International Baccalaureate program, even while suffering from the most severe of illnesses. Mrs. Kiefer has not only our appreciation, but also our admiration and our respect.
But of course, the disclaimer. I can not possibly name everyone who has helped our class over the last eight years. After all, it has been eight years. Eight! That is 80% of a decade! I regret that most of the teachers who have positively influenced me throughout my middle and high school careers will never know they did. Many times, it was not what occurred during class, but outside of the time we are allotted for schooling that truly stuck with me. A picture on the wall of a Denny’s once told me Mark Twain never lets his schooling interfere with his education. I would say I strive to do the same, but I don’t; it just happens. We have been fortunate enough to be taught by a faculty that encourages extracurricular learning in all respects. Debate meetings with Mr. Gearing discussing the right, the radical, and the ridiculous; free periods with Mrs. Franke talking about Nathaniel Hawthorne, a wandering Eve’s place in the Bible, and the sound and the fury of literary criticism and argument; long, sweat-fogged evenings spent with Coach Daniel The-Civil-War-Veteran Sullivan on rowing machines at West Side Rowing Club, where you haven’t worked hard enough if your foot doesn’t shake with exhaustion on the gas pedal during the drive home; these are only a very few of the times that have shaped me into the person I am and the person I will become.
I wish at this point that I could offer some brilliant, buttery morsels of wisdom, maybe complemented with quotes from Henry David Thoreau or Albert Einstein. The truth is, I really don’t know what’s going on. I’ve felt like time has been moving faster than I’ve been since high school started. I would give advice to my peers, but we are, as we have been since the day I first came to City Honors eight years ago, all equal. I am as bewildered, as excited, as nervous, and as apprehensive; as satisfied, as tired, as educated, and as wide-eyed; as devoted, as dedicated, as strong, and as intelligent as every other member of the class of 2007. I don’t have any advice for anyone in this room, unless you hit a parked car next to the student parking lot on your second day of school. All I have is thanks. Thank you, my friends of the class of 2007, for being with me for so long. I’ll never forget these years, no matter where I end up.
And to all you teachers, I hope you get a raise sometime soon.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Friday, June 01, 2007
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