The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
by Crystal Ryder
Welcome classmates, families, and friends. Thank you all for coming to celebrate our graduation. This is a momentous time in our lives and I am glad to have all of you here with us.
I would like to start off by thanking a few people. I cannot thank everyone I wish because it would take way too long.
First of all, I would like to thank my family for being there for me. They have always encouraged me to do my best at everything, and not just my schoolwork. They have encouraged me to be a good person and to be nice to everyone.
My family has helped to shape the person that I am today and they have always been one of the greatest influences in my life.
I would also like to thank our heavenly Father, because without Him we would not be here today. He sent His Son to die on the cross for us and I will be eternally grateful for that. God has helped me to make the right decisions and to learn from some of the wrong ones.
I also want to thank our teachers for putting up with us these last 12 years. Who can ever forget the field trips we took, especially to Mark Twain's Cave and Chicago.
Remember when we used to have birthday parties and invited the whole class over?
And then this year we visited the nursing home residents.
Remember the dances, and the fun dress-up days, and especially trying to sneak food and pop into class.
I know that for our teachers it has probably been hard to deal with us sometimes. Thank you, your patience has not gone unnoticed.
I would like to extend another thanks to my friends. They have helped to keep high school entertaining and enjoyable. Without my friends, I do not know how I would have made it through high school the way that I did.
I extend another thank you to this community. It is so nice to have people that you can rely on and always feel welcomed.
Our community has been very supportive through all of my family's struggles and I would just like to say thank you; it has been greatly appreciated by my family and me.
Now, I would also like to congratulate my fellow classmates. Even though we might have been referred to as the "class that got put together in the 3rd grade' or sometimes the "unmotivated class' we have finally made it to graduation.
We should all give ourselves a pat on the back because look at what we each accomplished!
Who among us would have ever thought we could have made it this far? It is so amazing to see how each of us is very unique and different.
I do not think that in any other class you could find such a diverse group. I know it has sometimes been hard to get along, especially these last few months. However, here we are together graduating in what could be one of the last classes from La Harpe High School.
As I look back on all the memories, it seems like it was only a short while ago when I moved to La Harpe. It was the end of the first grade.
I was so scared that I would not have any friends. Now looking back, I am so happy that out of the places I could have gone, I grew up in this community.
I have friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.
In how many towns can you find such a close-knit community? That is a rarity.
And La Harpe is that kind of town.
This is a place where you can feel safe about raising a family. It is very comforting to know that you can always count on someone, especially when you are faced with difficult times.
Everyone in our class has dealt with many issues in their life. I think that it is really awesome to see how each of us has grown as a person.
Personally, I have been dealt many problems in my life. I have tried to learn the important lessons from them.
For example, I learned at a very young age that "life is no always fair.'
I know that many others in our class have come to this realization as well. These important life lessons that we have learned and will learn, really help to shape the people we are.
Now I am not trying to say that we know everything about life and are ready to face whatever the world throws at us, but what I am saying is that we have a pretty good start in life because we really have just begun.
We are now moving into a world that is more demanding and less forgiving than what we are graduating from. We are transitioning from our childhood to the adult world.
Even though it may seem that the people who succeed in life are the ones who make the best grades, have the most money, or have the most friends. That is not always the case.
I can tell you that everyone in our class has succeeded. Each one of us has their own special talents, whether it is making someone laugh, being a good friend, being honest, or being their own person.
So, where do we go from here?
Some of us will go to college, some to work, a few might even join the military and others may go to places we have never thought of or planned on.
We will each take a part of this community with us in life, and wherever we go we can show others what a great place La Harpe is.
I challenge the class of 2005 to do your best in whatever life hands you, and to remember where you came from and the values we have learned.