June 24th, 2002
Greetings fellow Graduates. Finally, after twelve years of countless tests, projects, and exams, after a lot of bus rides and way too many Monday mornings, we are done. After tonight, no one can force you to write about aerobic respiration, or to tell them where Yugoslavia is, ever again. Our compulsory education is over, and while this is exciting, we must also remember that these are our last moments together as a class. Though you will see many of your friends and classmates over the next couple of years, it is unlikely that we will ever completely assemble as a class again. All of you in front of me here, will, after tonight, take different paths and follow different dreams. As we move on and, consequently grow apart, we will no longer be together at, nor connected by, the physical building of Bluefield. However, we will always have our experiences from our time at the Blue, both good and bad, all have which have hopefully made us better people and stronger individuals. My three years at Bluefield, and I'm sure many of you can say the same, were among the best three years of my life. Every day was an adventure, and meeting each one of you was an honour.
As relieved as we are to be free, our freedom from scholarly responsibilities will come at the cost of having to leave behind the best High School on Prince Edward Island. I'm sure many of you won't see a problem with having to leave behind the overcrowded cafeteria or the smell of manure in the morning, but Bluefield for us was not only a school, but also a community. A community where we worked and laughed and studied and played much of the past three years away. From this point on we will move onto new communities, as we move out into the world and find our own places in it. Whether that place be at university or college, in law offices or in hospitals. Maybe at a farm, or in a bank or at a church, maybe at Burger King, or, God forbid, maybe back in Mr. Cameron's good old Math 621, once again learning the intricacies of trig and logs and sigma notation. Wherever you find yourself, we all have the common education of Bluefield, where, if nothing else, we have learned to work hard, and to have fun.
Many of us have also experienced loss and pain along with our great memories. Many students lost parents or guardians, relatives and friends while at Bluefield, and we as a class lost a great classmate and friend who would've been sitting with us here tonight, but, I am sure, is watching from above. I think the community at Bluefield, the friends who were beside us through both highs and lows and everything in between, were always there for us when we needed it. High Scholl presents many obstacles for students, and the people of Bluefield, especially this class, helped make transitions at least a little easier. Twenty years from now, it won't be the falls we remember, but the friends around us that picked us back up.
Graduates, look around you. This will probably be your last chance to ever see all these brilliant faces in one place again. Chances are you have gotten to know most of these students around you over the past few years. In three short years, these strangers have become teammates, allies, and friends. Whether you played on a team, went on a trip, or whether you just attended some classes or parties with them, all have become familiar faces and the memory of these people will be with you for years to come.
Behind your brilliantly smiling faces of course, there are our families. We owe a huge mount of gratitude to our parents and guardians, whom we didn't, and don't always listen to, agree with, or obey, yet whom we have always respected. They were there on the first day we went out the door with our new Ninja Turtle or Barbie lunch boxes, and stand behind us still, relentlessly pushing, but always offering support. Brothers and sisters were there too. Whether scribbling on our homework, stealing our clothes, or just beating us up, they supported us in their own little way.
Also, to our teachers, who provided direction and guidance, or at least comic relief, throughout our High School lives. Thank you for a world of knowledge, even if we choose not to use it. Mr. Coady, even though you explained it very well, I'm still under the impression that when using the Chain Rule and Power Rule, that they are the... SAME. And I'm sorry Ms. Gillan, but most of us will not remember what the mercantile objective of the Hudson's Bay Company was, nor recall, Mrs. MacDonald, the symbolic and complex differences between Greek and Elizabethan theatre. But I will always remember some of our discussions, about everything from weather to the playoffs, from politics to who was getting kicked off Survivor next. Hopefully the educational tools you have armed us with will stay with us and propel us to new heights, but if not, we have awesome memories, and your guidance and insight was appreciated.
...And stay in your seats until I'm done.
Graduates, through our interactions and experiences together at Bluefield, we have been forever shaped into the individuals we are now. We leave behind out High School tonight with not only enlightened minds, but also with incredible memories. Mostly good, memories made with friends and classmates, and all looked upon with some nostalgia, and with some relief, but also with the hope that someday, we will see each one of our classmates again. Tonight the separation is real. For the first time I'm beginning to realize that these certificates mean that next Fall, the big yellow bus won't be waiting for me at the end of my driveway. Tonight we leave it all behind: The fantastic yellow lockers and the greasy pizza. The Blue Cross Relay and Oktoberfest. The excitement of the Electric Circus dance and the glamour of the Christmas dance. Our contaminated water and explosive sewer system. Chicken Match and ball hockey playoffs. Cramming for exams and playing cards in the cafeteria. Field parties and the now illegal Bluefield Midnight Movies. Band trips, rugby victories, field hockey champions. Soccer with Mr. Steele, Des's riveting lectures on isotopes, Mrs. Blanchard's analogies, Ms. Gillan's debates, and Mrs. MacArthur's proud tradition of 'To Kill A Mockingbird' every semester since 1978.
And of course, tonight we leave behind the proud, the strong, and the mighty, Bobcats.
Before we do leave tonight, I want to share some insight and thoughts for our future. First of all:
You only live once. So live each day of your life with nothing undone, nothing unsaid, and leave no regrets.
Gandhi once said: "There is more to life than increasing its speed." So take time to stop and reflect, or just to have a good time.
I'm not sure exactly what he meant by it, but in his eternal wisdom, Des Murphy was once quoted as saying: "Life is a series of polymers," and that "We're all heterogeneous mixtures."
"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." - Nelson Mandela. Always remember to never give up, to never give in, and that it's better to lose than know that you never tried at all.
And finally, on the path of life, "Always keep your crayons sharpened, your sticky tape untangled, and always put the caps back on your markers." - Mr. Dress-Up
Tonight fellow Graduates, Class of 2002, we leave Bluefield tonight to pursue higher learning, and to join other schools and companies and institutions. But no matter where we go, I, for one, will always be proud to be a Bobcat.
After tonight, we will move on ahead, expanding our horizons. Sadly, some of us will lose touch, but best friends are forever. And though I may never see you again, everyday, when I look back at my three years at Bluefield, I will remember something about you. A smile, a joke, your friendship, and you will always be there: in my mind, and in my heart, back at the Blue.
Cheers Bluefield.
Thank You.
