Huron Expositor, 2009-10-28, Page 4410 -
PAGE 16 - CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2009
The Valedictorians #%. Central Huron Seconda
Vive la
Gary Paquette
CHSS's Valedictorian for 2009
Hello gradu-
ates, parents,
step-parents,
second cousins
twice removed
on your moth-
er's side of the
families. Thank
you very init
for coming to
the graduation
of the 2009 CHS
dass. Now, whether you're here of your
own free will is a differept matter But hey,
you get to hear my speech so it's not al
bad. • - • •
I was sitting in my room in the basement
and no, not every nerd has a. mom in a
basement. I was just relaxing, a
frosty cold bevera e with my roommate
tel him about. greatest band of all
time, Rush ... yeaah: When it bit me. I sat
up straight as an arrow, turned to him and
said, "holy! I graduated from high
school." Yes, that was three weeks ago.
Wondering how slow my reaction is I'm
surprised I've. gofteothis far. But,'
here I am. Here we are.
My original plan four years ago, before
I entered this building„ was not to sweat
high school but to get by on life simply on
my spectacularly good looks and
ing smile. And don't get me wrong, it was
obviously a good plan, but I can't deny
that during the past four years, I've
learned much about many different
and I'm sure that you have, too.
for instanceorpu've learned the
structure of writing an essay, per, -
1
,
School
-12
haps you had the fortune to learn that the
best writer's know how to break that struc-
ture. Maybe you learned to be all over the•
sine law, definitely not something I found
easy or, you know, maybe you were at the
back of these dasses thinking, "Wow, 1 can
actually make these stick figures move if
I draw lines in here and there" I know,
personally, I spent a good chunk of the
time perfecting my cousin's Arnold
Schwarzenegger impression.
Don't get me wrong, I got the other stuff
-Own, but who is ever going to need
proper speech structure more than an
Arnold Sc.hwarzenegger impression?
Apart from sitnply leamhtg, high school
is about about finding out whO you are.
There is alovely over-quoteddiche poem,
written by Robert Frost, that I will use to
draw your attention. It is called The Road
Not Taken. Please, Mr. Oliver; don't kill
me. The literal meanin, of the poem is
about a gent who is w on a path in
a forest when he reaches a in it One
route is well v is
quite rough. He chooses the less travelled
path and it reportedly "made all the dif-
fetence."
The poem is usually interpreted as a
contention for indivklualism and for the
purposes of this speech, we're just oirig
to go with that. See, throughout our •
school careers, we've each certainly •
sen our own paths. I chose a nerdy_ path.
I love videogarnes, I love guitar, kwe
Rush and gosh dam it Hove my Mont in,
the basement. That's just how I person-
ally developed and I'm proud of it. Some
of us - well, a lot of us here„ are party
pie. To these people, almost nothing
ts going to a party after along week of
classes or after a special occasion or, heck,
after just leaving another party. Frosty,
cold beverages aplenty. But; while the
path you chose that led you to this point,
I hope it served you and continues to do
so and, who knows, you might find new
paths to tread, other paths that could lead
you to bigger and better thin . or jail.
I'd suggest avoiding those pa I
If I may, l'd like to get serious for a mo-
ment. Don't worry, it's me, it won't be a
long moment.
When I was electeil
approached by numerous
commented that they voted
cause they thought I had "som
I was
who an
Me be -
to
say" or that' I'd at least be funny. It's true,
what I have to say in earnest is
about how this class has managed to
overcome a problem that many high
schools across Canada have. Put where
do I begin?
Difference. Ifs a trait to which we all
hold common, every single one of us in
this room. Whether it be size, weight,
ender affiliations musical difference, it
doesn't matter because we are different
fixim each other. Sometimes these differ-
ences can make us feel scared because
maybe our difference for whatever rea-
son, is hated and wow whata harsh word
hate is. But maybe your difference is
hated, nonetheless. Maybe you and your
difference are hated because someone or
some people simply said it was supposed
to be. But for whatever reason - maybe
your difference to another has caused you.
'ef as; I know, it has caused mine be -
Maybe
you have felt the heated burn of
judging stares as you trudge down the
hallway. Perhaps you felt the stinging
sensation of a word, a slander against
your difference: Or even worse, maybe,
just maybe, you have suffered the long
coldestrangement ethent the quiet left by your
peers to endure in silence.
But, let me say, if not anything else to -
right that for Me it was no longer this
ool, or this class, • that would tolerate
that hate any longer No. Because this
glass, these graduates here rose above the
petty hate. The difference that could eas-
ily divide became our strength. It didn t
Matter. If you listened to punk, or played.
guitar or Witite poems and played yid-
eogatnes. No. The only thing that mat-
tered was the character of the person
-doiriithese things. -- •
How evident that' diaractex is, too. I
have seen people stop in the middle of
their daily activities to help anyone who
needed it. I'veseen nerd's and jocks talk
freely amongst each other and random
stpupsof people stop in t1 cafeteria and
joins with ease to share music, food,tirieir.
experiences, anything i!ally. And it is in.
that character and that resolve that I saw
every day in these halls that:allowed a
lowly nerd to be voted as valedictorian.
Parents, step -sisters, Sttortd,couSins
twice *moved onyour mother's side of
-•
the families, . please, when you get the
(*rice tonight, congratulate these
ates, for not only have they comp • a
milestone of academic achievemetits, they.
managed to turn these daunting hall of
.stat* into a pommutiity. Now, and this
part. is important, people, in whatever
Way you choose to ventide from, this
sthool, if at all, you choose toendure from
this 'school this year, I knot44tat you'll do
Magnificently because you bringthis
character, this resolve, with you. •
Thankyou.
rat410,tionslw to Air:42009
q-Curon Secondary, Schopland
gifine's Catholic ,Seconiary School