Paris, Tenn.–The following speeches were delivered Friday night at the Henry County High School graduation ceremony by Class President Landry Horton; Valedictorian Shelby DeMorato; Salutatorian MacKenzie Petronico; and Honorable Mention Lauryn Russell.
A total 321 seniors graduated at the ceremony with over $5 in scholarships (see separate article).
Class President – Landry Horton
Thank you, Dr. Webb. And thank you to the family, friends, and teachers who have helped shape each graduate into who we are today. Your continuous encouragement, advice, and prayers have helped us along more than we will ever know. It is an honor to be standing before you today as we recognize and celebrate the past thirteen years of our lives.
Life up until this point has been fairly simple in the grand scheme of things, except trying to find a parking spot every day for school. We’ve grown up around loved ones, drove only five minutes down the road to our best friend’s house, and constantly surrounded ourselves with people we’ve known since Kindergarten.
While there has been so much beauty in the simplicity of our lives up until now, there is even more beauty in the unknown of our futures. Sitting before me are future mothers, fathers, doctors, lawyers, engineers, soldiers, lineman, teachers, and cosmetologists. We have the opportunity to not only change our community, but also the world.
May we never forget the feeling of celebrating when Javion Boyd pulls off an almost impossible catch to take us to another round of playoffs, the heart warming high-fives Coach Norman gives every morning while walking through the bottom of E, the sense of accomplishment when getting back an essay from Dr. Paschall and it’s finally a passing grade, the familiarity of hearing Coach Summers say “Go Big Red,” the lunch tables where laughter was made, the comfort of telling Ms. Wood every detail of your day, and the kind “Bonjour” that Madame Hope greeted us with. Lastly, I hope we always remember this moment where we are gathered together one last time.
We’ve experienced love, loss, acceptance, rejection, success, failure, celebration, and criticism. Not to say we won’t continue to experience these impactful emotions, but I hope that our experience gained in high school has built a foundation we can all stand on throughout the good and bad. I hope we gained a lifelong friend or two who we can call when we need someone to lean on.
When looking back on high school, I hope your mind doesn’t recall the girl who made you feel less than worthy, the boy who left you crying in your mom’s arms, the class that dropped your GPA, or the coach who ruined a sport you’d loved your entire life. Instead, I hope you remember the formals and proms, the nights playing on the field or cheering in the student section, the jam packed YoungLife clubs, and the sleepovers with your best friends. I hope you choose to hold onto the good memories.
Whether you’ll be moving forty-five minutes from home, across the state, or across the world soon, I hope you soak up each and every opportunity you have to see the people who got you where you are today before jumping into your new life. Don’t rush through a work shift with your co-workers, you’ll miss them when you no longer see them everyday. Eat as many meals with your family as possible, for quality time with our parents, grandparents, and siblings is dwindling quickly. Spend some time with those friends who got you through the days you didn’t think you could bear to live through; they won’t be five minutes down the road once you leave. Make a point to meet with that teacher who changed your life, who knows? Maybe you changed theirs. Spend time with those you love; it won’t be time wasted.
You may have the next ten years of your life planned out down to the minute, or you may not be sure what you are going to do tomorrow when you no longer wake up as a high school student. Either way, I hope you face each day with the certainty and confidence to fight for what you want. Be fearless and exceed expectations. Persevere when struggles arise. Remember where and who you came from. Make it a priority to embrace each moment because it will soon only be a memory.
I hope you know how proud I am to be here with you today. We’re doing this together.
Honorable Mention – Lauryn Russell
Good evening friends, faculty, and family members of my fellow graduates. My name is Lauryn Russell and it is the greatest honor to be able to speak to all of you tonight as the Class of 2024 Honorable Mention. Many of you may conclude that you do not know me too well, but I bet we have more in common than you think. Just as you may be, I am anxious for what is to come and for what my future holds. I know I am not alone when I say that this is a moment I have been waiting for, but while writing this speech I questioned “what exactly makes graduating exciting?” Is it dressing up with your friends, getting your family together to celebrate you, or finally getting to live out your High School Musical dream? Although all of those are valid reasons, I truly believe it all comes down to seeing the success of our fellow classmates. Today is our day to acknowledge the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of our class.
There is a quote that becomes common near graduation time: “All of this work for a fancy piece of paper.” But, graduating is more honorable than that. Graduation marks the end of many beginnings, and our beginning started us on a journey that shaped us into the individuals sitting in the crowd today. Up until this point, each one of us has had a unique path filled with challenges, triumphs, and irreplaceable lessons, but we all worked hard to make it this far. Friendships could have ended; relationships may not have worked out, and you might have failed a few tests along the way; however, we all grew together and will leave a trace of us behind at Henry County High School. Although one journey has ended, do not dwell on the past for too long and always remember those who helped you get here today. Whether you go off to college, trade school, join the military, or enter the workforce, I have high hopes for the class of 2024. To wrap up my speech tonight, I would like to share a sincere quote from a book called The Kite Runner, a book we read in English class. The brothers had an indisputable love for eachother. Each of them said at one point, “For you a thousand times over.” I can confidently say that we will always have their indisputable love for the friendships formed, the lessons learned, and the memories we have made throughout high school. For those who have not read The Kite Runner, you may be more familiar with Winnie the Pooh: “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” Thank you!
Salutatorian – MacKenzie Petronico
The time has come for us to turn to the next chapter of our stories. There are many things we are saying goodbye to as our high school career comes to an end, and I hope you all never forget all the people who have helped you be able to walk across this stage tonight. However, there are also so many new things to welcome.
There will be new experiences no matter where you go after tonight. One of these new experiences may be moving out and living on your own for the first time or being able to travel somewhere new.
With new experiences come new opportunities. You have the ability to start a full time job in the career you want to pursue. You have the opportunity to continue your education at a university, community college, or trade school. You have the opportunity to go straight into the workforce to start making a career for yourself. You have the opportunity to go serve our great country in any branch of the military.
In addition to new experiences and opportunities, life will take you to new places. These places may be physical locations, but they can also be spiritual or emotional places. You may be headed to somewhere you have never been before. You may travel the country or even the world.
With new experiences and new opportunities, you will meet new people. Some of these people will be there to test your patience, but some of these new people will be some of the best people you meet in your entire life. You will find people who have the same interests, values, and morals that you do. Embrace these relationships. Life will make you learn more about yourself and who you really are. You will be in a totally different place mentally in just a year or two.
To add to the new experiences, new opportunities, new locations, and new people, there will be a new you. You may not have your friend group right down the road anymore. You may not have your parents right down the hall from you. You will be starting your journey to independence, and this journey will make you a better version of yourself. You will learn what you really enjoy, what you really value, and most importantly what you really want the rest of your life to look like.
I want to thank you all for some of the most memorable years of my life, and I wish you all the best in the endeavors you choose to pursue from this day forward. Thank you.
Valedictorian – Shelby DeMorato
Public speaking has never been something I’ve enjoyed. After I was told I’d have to speak, it didn’t take very long for me to get anxious. Even so, to my surprise, writing this speech managed to stress me out more than Mr. Hampton’s weekly five question quizzes.
All joking aside, I’d like to welcome all family, friends, and distinguished guests as we celebrate the Class of 2024 tonight. I am honored to be able to stand in front of you all.
As we walked through the halls of Grove for the first time or, for some, opened the first assignment online at home, graduation felt like it was so far away. I’m sure most of us were told that the time would go by fast. Well, that day is here, and they were right.
In the past few weeks, we have had many lasts. Some of us have been called a tiny chicken nugget of love for the final time or heard the last alien story from Coach Norman. Others have had their last encouraging conversation with Dr. Huber or their last trip to their favorite teacher’s classroom just to talk.
However, this occasion also marks the end of a milestone and the beginning of another. We waited for the last day of school each year with such excitement and dreaded the first day of school before it even began, but this time we won’t becoming back. For some, tonight might be the last time we see each other, for we will all be starting our own lives.
As we begin our adult lives, we are going to experience life in a different way. Our routines will change. Our responsibilities will expand. Our stress levels will probably increase. On the other hand, we will make new friends. We will gain new knowledge. We will make new memories.
In closing, I’d like to quote a statement from Lyndon B. Johnson: “Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.” With this night being bittersweet for most or simply joyful for some, it is a night of recollection and anticipation. We have all had moments where we didn’t feel supported, where we struggled, or where we simply failed. These are inevitable occurrences, but our pasts are merely avenues for us to redesign tomorrow. Tonight is ultimately a celebration of years worth of work that got us to this point. Thank you for your time, good luck on your future endeavors, and congratulations Class of 2024!
Forever Communications photo.