Every year my high school chooses a student to give the farewell address at the Baccalaureate Mass. It is supposed to represent who you are as a student and more importantly who and what made high school the life-changing experience it was. It is the last time you are given the opportunity to say thank you, apologize, and reminisce about the "good old high school day" without sounding like you are living in the past. Unfortunately, the class of 2015 never heard what I got to say and never really said goodbye. Therefore, I figured I would say goodbye a year later by sharing my speech, or what I would have said at the Baccalaureate Mass. Happy One Year Since Graduation Class of 2015.
Good evening everyone! I am Tiffany Perez, but tonight I am just another member of the class of 2015. On behalf of our senior class, I would like to welcome you and thank you all for sharing this special night with us. Each one of you is here because you have impacted the life of at least one of our graduates and for that you all deserve a big round of applause (applause). When I heard that one person was going to be asked to be representing the Senior Class by giving a Farewell Address at the Baccalaureate Mass I immediately knew I wanted to take this challenge. I thought long and hard about how to go about this in a way that would be appropriate enough to please the teachers but would not be too boring-- I mean appropriate-- that it would put you all to sleep. So I thought to myself how can I relate this to everyone here? So I decided that I am going to put it to you in numbers. Just ask any of my math teachers, numbers are not my strong suit, so bare with me. We dictate our lives by numbers.
- At 14, it is how old we were when we started high school
-18 is how old we will be when we finally graduate high school
-21 is how old I can be to… call my grandma and tell her I love her.
In the same way, we measure our whole lives by numbers, we also use them throughout high school.
-1202522 is the number on the back of our IDs; we memorize in case we lose our IDs and hope that Ms.Barbara, the lunch lady, accepts you memorizing these numbers as enough proof to let you buy lunch.
-4.0 is the GPA we strive for
-2400 is the SAT score that we spend countless hours studying for and our parents spent enormous amounts of money on tutors to help us achieve, thanks again mom and dad.
The numbers that all seniors have been focusing on have now dwindled down and we are left with one, one day until the past four years become a memory. However, the reality is that we need to look back on the past four years and reflect on more important numbers. Numbers too big to count; such as the amount of laughs we shared, all the friendly faces in the hallways, and the endless memories and stories we are leaving with. But we cannot forget the little numbers that make up the big memories. I am here to tell you the story written by the class of 2015 about the last four years and like all great stories I need to start from the beginning.
Basic math teaches us that in order to build something up we need to have a base and then add upon it so let us start. I vividly recall my first day as a scary one, I remember sitting in the car crying and my parents having to drag me in the main doors of the building. However, once I settled in I realized how blessed I was to be attending a school that let me play "Temple Run" and "Trivia Crack" during class-- I mean gave me an iPad to better my education. And just like homecoming pep rally freshman year that had basketball players jumping over fire, we jumped over freshman year and into sophomore year. That year, we saw Mr. Jean and Mr. Ho preform "Gangnam Style." Moving forward another year, we became juniors and realized that there are two things more terrifying than the first day of freshman year; the SAT and a Ruggie Test. However, we studied and survived! Then senior year rolled around and the class of 2015 applied to college while it felt like we had just gotten into high school. We shared many lasts-last first day, last homecoming, and last maverick games. We saw Mr. Jean ride a camel around the courtyard which became a Snapchat sensation, except I have a feeling the Snapchats were screenshotted and are still circulating much longer than the designated 10 seconds. We came together as mavericks for the last year. Freshman plus sophomore plus junior and senior that equals four.
Each year we took six classes. They have taught us what we are passionate about, whether it be U.S. politics, chemistry, business, or, yes, even math. The six classes that we used as our laboratories to experiment with who we are and whom we wish to become. It is also representative of the six teachers that we have gotten to meet along the way. Whether we looked forward to their class or dreaded walking in the door they taught us each a lesson every day. For me, I learned perseverance in Mrs. Zocco’s computer applications class, I learned responsibility every time Ms. Hedges told me to put on my ID as I walked into her class, I learned I had a voice in speech class with Ms. Stalnaker, I learned humility when Mr. Grossi said “Being on top is one thing, staying on top is another. You need to constantly drive to stay on top." I learned what humor is through sitting in one of Mr. Falcone’s class, and I learned that your environmental teacher or your law teacher could teach you more than just their subject but about life if you just listen close enough. These are the kinds of thing we learned in our six classes a day.
Being bad at math led to another confusion in my life that McCarthy helped me figure out…religion. To me the idea that three separate and miraculous entities could equal one God reminded too much of fractions or ratios and made my brain hurt. However, thanks to Mr. Gonzalez’s long prayers-- and I mean long prayers, Father Dalton’s impactful homilies, and three retreats I think I have finally gotten it. From the overnight experience on Pieta, that led to everyone falling asleep at mass the next morning, to the talks and tears we have shared at Cedarkirk, to Christian Demby serenading us at the senior retreat; these moments brought us all together and taught us that no matter how many times we fall,that God will pick us up and carry us until we can walk, again. Without the school masses, morning prayers, and the entire campus ministry program high school would have been very different and we would have never learned to "Let Go and Let God."
Now, give me one second while I take out my calculator (takes out calculator) because I do not want to mess this up. four years added to six classes added to six faith experiences and added with the number two, that would be to as in T-O, representing our moving on toour future, we get 15. Yes! I nailed it! 15, the most important number tonight. 15, the number that will forever bind us as a class and as friends.
I also want to take this moment to thank our parents, families, friends, Mr. Jean and the administration, our teachers, the staff, the coaches, and most importantly Mrs. Mayne, who without her, we would have no Wi-Fi. I also want you to take a second and think of the one person who changed your life (take a second of silence) now I challenge you to call them tonight and thank them. Notice that the person you thought of was not Miley Cyrus or Tom Brady proving that those that society labels as ordinary are those that truly change the world. This should further inspire you to follow your dreams, embrace opportunity, and become who you want to be.
I want to share with you the wisest advice that I received during high school. Ms. VonFeldt said, “When at a crossroads the worse thing to do is stop. Pick a side and go! If you go left, you miss the things on the right and if you go right you miss the things on the left but if you don't go you miss it all.” I say this is to encourage you, the class of 2015, to push forward in spite fear and uncertainty because look around you, you are possibly sitting next to the future president, Grammy winner, or professional athlete. And like all classic stories the class of 2015 will and should live happily ever after."
