Class of 2014
I'm visiting the Unicorn Bell and chatting with the lovely Kristin.
Come on over and say hi and sign up for the give away :)
I take great pleasure in introducing my guest blogger, Cole Seckman.
Unbeknownst to Cole, I have copied and pasted his Valedictorian speech from my hard drive to my blog.
Cole is the second Valedictorian in the family. His big brother, Caleb was the valedictorian in 2012 and his address can be found Here.
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| Cole Seckman |
“You won’t lag behind, because you’ll
have speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll
soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best
of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the
rest.”
~Dr. Seuss
I’ve often heard
people say high school is the best time of their life.
I know I
will miss walking through the halls of Magnolia. I’ll miss the sound of closing
lockers and the chatter in crowded hallways. I’ll especially miss the sound of
the dismissal bell at the end of the day.
I will
certainly miss that walk from the locker room to the grass of Alumni Field; the
sound of coaches’ whistles in practice; and the referees on Friday nights. I’ll
even miss hot summer two-a-days and after game lectures. I’ll miss players who
are like brothers, and the ones who truly are my brothers.
As for my classmates,
most I have known since kindergarten, I will miss you all as we head off on
different paths. I think growing up together in a small town develops a special
camaraderie that is difficult to duplicate. We know each other’s history and
our families. Few classes can say, “there isn’t a stranger in our group.”
And there is
no denying, our time at Magnolia High School has been an amazing ride. We’ve
accomplished so much from state championships to outstanding academic success.
But the trip
isn’t over.
If we believe the best is behind us, we will
never move into the future with any sort of speed or success, no one can lead
if they refuse to move forward.
For that
reason, I hope that each of you remember the days at Magnolia fondly. Always hold
fast to your friends, the memories, and the valuable lessons, but also bear in
mind that our time at Magnolia was just four years, not our whole life.
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| Cole: diploma in hand and he's off! |
Our time in
school was our foundation, a single piece of infrastructure in our travels
through life. Like a bridge from childhood to adulthood, we have to go all the
way across to reach our future. And our futures are filled with endless possibilities,
if we agree that we must face forward, not back.
Magnolia, we
are eagles, and eagles are meant to fly. And when we fly, we are moving ahead. We
stay focused on our goals, ignoring the harshness of the world and any
obstacles around us.
Eagles don’t soar above all others by refusing
to leave the nest.
And neither
will we.
Class of
2014, remember these days, but know for certain this is hardly the end.
Keep flying. Never lag behind because it is
the future that truly matters. Each of us has what it takes to forge our own
paths, create our own destinies, and go anywhere we want to go.
Thank you
and God bless.
Holy cow...that was crazy good! You should be dang proud of that address! Loved his eagle analogy. Man, hearing the first half about walking through the school and what he would miss makes ME miss high school :(. Kudos to successful kids and apparently good writers like their hottie momma!! Give them all squeezes from "that Tammy". ;D
ReplyDeleteLOL. I will most definitely let him know That-Tammy said good job!
DeleteWhat a great speech! Your kids are going to do very well indeed!
ReplyDeleteThanks Trisha!!
DeleteThat was absolutely wonderful. You must be incredibly proud, Elizabeth! What a fabulous family :) xx
ReplyDeleteI am pretty proud of them. They're good boys.
DeleteGreat speech - you must be so proud of him. I'm just impressed he can stand up and talk in front of people at his age - I haven't mastered that yet!
ReplyDeleteI haven't either!! I am a horrible public speaker. Makes me sweat and I stutter.
DeleteHow wonderful - something to cherish and be so proud of. Well done, Cole! (Will he kill you when he discovers what you've done? ;-) )
ReplyDeleteHe never reads my blog, so he'll never know. Hehe
DeleteIncredible words from someone so young! He's right - the best is yet to come.
ReplyDeleteHe's a bright boy. The first draft was a sort of, heck with this place turn me loose. I had to tell him to think of something he would miss and add it. Okay, so it was the dismissal bell, but it was something!
DeleteWhat a wonderful speech and so inspiring for the rest of his class. Onward and upward.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit, I've told them since they were young that high school is a blip...keep moving and growing.
DeleteCole...you are wiser than your years. Excellent ;)
ReplyDeleteYes he is. I've watched this boy respond to peer pressure with more wisdom and strength in his teens than I have at forty.
DeleteThat was really well written. What wonderful words to give to his classmates.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rena. I was impressed...though he didn't thank his parents like all the rest. ;)
DeleteWow-so mature beyond his years. Congratulations to him AND to you-- for such a fine kiddo.
ReplyDeleteHe is a very mature young man. All of my boys are pretty confident in themselves and don't really care what people have to say about them. They get that from their dad!
DeleteThat was great indeed, wise words. There is more to come in life, like umm bills and rent and bills umm is it better? lol
ReplyDeleteBills. I must pay my bills. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteHe sounds like an exceptional young man! You can be very proud of both Cole and Caleb. I'm sure they'll go far. Big shoes to fill for the younger ones in your family. :)
ReplyDeleteThey have left big shoes. Each boy is unique though and excels at something. The youngest doesn't sweat the grades as much (he informed me that he got a C an no one died, so why worry?) as his older brothers do, but he's so very confident and laid back, I am just as impressed with him.
DeleteWow!!! What an awesome speech! And Congratulations on raising such an astute, amazing young man! Way to go, Mom! (And you had two valedictorians . . . whoa. You rock! And they do too!)
ReplyDeleteThanks Tyrean! God gave me good material to work with!
DeleteYes! I'm all for forging our own destinies. Such a great speech. I sometimes wish I could be as inspired and motivated as I was at that age. The world was my oyster. =)
ReplyDeleteI know. I think of that sometimes. At the age of 18, my dreams had no limits. I was going to rule the world. Oh well, I may not do that, but I do have it awfully good!
Delete*applause* That was great! Congrats on graduating!
ReplyDeleteThanks Loni!
DeleteYou go Cole! Liz you must be so proud! That speech was great, looking forward to the future is definitely a great move. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree. Can't return to the past anyhow, may as well go forward.
DeleteThat was absolutely wonderful. You must be incredibly proud, Elizabeth!
ReplyDeleteI am. So proud, I took the day to publicly brag ;)
Delete"Eagles don’t soar above all others by refusing to leave the nest"
ReplyDeleteGreat speech! What a smart kid! You must be so proud!
Two valedictorians? Wow. Congrats to you too mum!
Thanks Michelle! I do have some smart boys. They've been a blessing.
DeleteI LOVE that speech. I remember sitting there on graduation day, listening to people say high school was the best time of a person's life and the party's over and all those things...and all I could think was, "I sure hope this isn't as good as it gets!" High school had its fun times, but overall it was among the worst times of my life. I didn't know who I was, had no confidence, was too worried what boys thought of me... Life is better after 40! My 30s were pretty great, too.
ReplyDeleteI was like you. I was ready to go on. High school was fun, but I hoped it wasn't the best with all the insecurity and awkwardness. I loved my thirties. I'll miss my kids being little, but like Cole says, can't dwell there...onward and upward!
DeleteCongrats to your son! Wonderful address. Take me back... I kept in touch with most of my closest friends.
ReplyDeleteI've kept in touch with mine too. Helps that I only live twelve miles from my home town. And Facebook helps. Got to love facebook for that.
DeleteWhat a fantastic speech! The best is still out there. I feel inspired to reach for my own (best life, that is). Congratulations to your son (and you).
ReplyDeleteThat's true Robin! We do have to just keep moving forward and making the best of each new day.
Delete*applauds* Awesome speech! Congratulations to Cole. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Christine!!
DeleteHow wonderful this is! He'll love that you shared it. I do.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that he knows I shared it. But he won't mind. He's a pretty cool kid.
DeleteI love it! Such a fantastic speech! What an amazing kid. Way to go Cole!
ReplyDeleteThanks Leigh!!
DeleteI feel so proud of Cole, yet I haven't met him. You and hubby did great. Two valedictorians in one family - I'm awestruck. Geeze, I couldn't even spell valed...without looking back at how you spelled it. =) Celebrate your many blessings.
ReplyDeleteAw thanks Robyn!! (and I had a hard time spelling it too, LOL)
Deletevaledictorian??? incredible!!! and wat a speech! im blown away!
ReplyDeleteproud mama!
Yes I am Tara!! :)
Delete