The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Jaden Anders
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, faculty, family, friends, and classmates. This is a very special day in my life and in the life of my classmates.
Thank you for being here to celebrate with us. I would like to begin by thanking my family and friends for always being there and for always encouraging me to do my best. I'm grateful to my parents for their encouragement and their presence at everything I was involved in.
I also would like to thank the faculty members for everything they've done in the past four years. Being in a small school, I have been fortunate to get to know most of the teachers really well.
The teachers at La Harpe High School have always been encouraging, yet honest to me. They always encouraged me too well, and at the same time were never reluctant to tell me when they thought I could do better.
It's hard to imagine, but I think I may actually miss Mr. Doyle's never ending notes (on second thought, maybe not), Mrs. Ramsey's crazy stories, being in Mr. Schmitz's classes for three periods of the day, and Mr. Lafferty's sarcasm and enthusiasm.
We have always been a class that can be described in no way better than being "different'. I think we've had this reputation ever since the third grade. Other people may not always consider being different a good thing, but that's not the way we see it.
We've liked being different because it made us unique. We have never been a class in which half of the class got straight A's, but we have always worked hard for what we received.
Throughout high school, we have been involved in many class competitions. As freshmen, we always participated and tried to win whatever the competition was, but when we felt like we had been cheated by the upperclassmen, that was the end of participating in class competitions.
However, this year we came together and won the homecoming float and door decorating competitions. We have always been a class that could achieve when we wanted to do so. We just haven't always had the desire.
We always stuck together if someone was in trouble - we would all take the blame and all be punished rather than telling on the person that was guilty (like when someone in Ag class locked on of their classmates in e tool room and the whole class served detentions for it.)
Unfortunately, not all memories are good memories. To arrive at this day, we have all endured adversity and loss throughout the years.
We have been confronted with hardships and we have overcome numerous obstacles. We have comforted each other in dealing with the loss of parents, siblings, close family members, and friends.
Many of us have friends or family serving in Iraq. Being in a small community, we have all been affected by the tragedies of losing young men just in the past few years. The amazing thing is, no matter what the circumstance, we always came together with moral support for each other, and made it through difficult times.
As one classmate to another, I want you to know that I admired and been strengthened by the resilience that many of you have shown as you have overcome some incredible challenges and obstacles.
On the outside, many people may call our class "underachievers", but in truth, after all the challenges we have faced, I believe we have achieved more than most people will ever understand.
Looking back on what we have been through and what we have become, I think of what we will become in the next few years. The most important thing to me, it that in the years to come, you do what makes you happy.
I hope you become the unique and special person you were created to be. Some people define success as being wealthy... our class views success as being happy. Happiness comes from that sense of fulfillment you get when you know you have become they best you can be and are doing what you were created to do.
If your goal is to become a teacher, I hope that you impact your students' lives like our teachers have done for us. I hope that those of you that continue to farm will be content in your work as you realize that you are providing for the needs of the people of the world. For those of you that are going into law or healthcare, I hope that you find happiness in serving others and making a difference in their lives.
I am especially proud of those of you going on to serve our country. May you serve with pride and may God bless and keep you safe.
If you plan to marry and start a family shortly after graduation, I hope that you become the best parents that your children could ask for. I hope that you influence your children in the same way that my parents have influenced me.
If you ever doubt your abilities, and believe that something is impossible, just think about how far you have already come, and what you have achieved thus far. This is only the beginning.
I believe true happiness comes when we see beyond ourselves and are willing to give of ourselves to enrich the lives of those around us.
I am grateful today for the many people who have given sacrificially for us to be here today. I hope these people share in the joy of our accomplishments. It is my hope that we will find true happiness and joy by giving our best to the lives we have been given.
As you are pursuing your new social life and career, I hope that you take the chance to experience life.
Dream big.
Continue to work to confound those who set limits on your ability. Even if you think you want to live in La Harpe for the rest of your life, I hope you will get out into the world for at least a while and see who and what is out there.
Continue to experience life.
In the years to come, I know you will make many new friends, but I also hope that as the years pass we will come to appreciate what we have shared these last twelve years and I hope we come to respect, appreciate, and cherish each other more.
I guess my hope, it that at our reunions we will laugh together at how surprised those who called us underachievers and will discover that we have become better friends than we are now.
No mater where life leads you, I hope that you remember our twelve years together and that you never forget the La Harpe High School Class of 2005.