Valedictorian Address - Stuart Walsh

Well, this sure came quick. It seems like just weeks ago we were all walking into Waitsburg High School without the slightest clue of how to navigate hallways and seemingly endless stairs to our classes. I'm sure I can speak for most of the class saying: I can vividly remember racing up, down, and through the halls in a frantic search for the correct classroom and even barging into the wrong one. But Hey, look at us now, we lived through it. We know this school like the back of our hands as well as some of the memories created here.

As we move on through our life friendships and contact may fade between us, but, hopefully these memories will not. Unforgettable memories like Austin falling several feet out of a tree on the night of eight-grade promotion, landing with a ground-shaking thump. Or even the time when Penner & I organized a flash mob in middle school, where the whole class agreed to participate, but Penner & I were the only ones to actually carry it out, resulting in lots of laughs and a detention for the both of us. These memories have shaped my high school years, as well as other countless antics.

Despite all this we're here together.....still kickin' and ready for the next big adventure. However, we couldn't have done it alone. Not without the support of our school's staff, and our loved ones. The custodians for being able to clean up any mess we could throw at them, like Mark's Mountain Dew in the bathroom ceiling incident, or having to take apart the school ventilation system to retrieve my sweater, after it was eaten by the shop vents, resulting in a fire-hazard.

Not only must we thank the custodians, but the school administration and the teachers as well. No matter how difficult, or albeit lazy, we could all be, the teachers were with us every step of the way, repeatedly giving us every chance of success possible. Through Mr. Leid's "unconventional" ways of managing us, or Mrs. Groom's ability to answer virtually any question we could throw at her, or even the incessant nagging of our parents. During our time at Waitsburg High school we have become who we are today. A motley group of young adults, shaped and molded by experiences and memories we've had here at Waitsburg High School.

Well, class of 2016, we finally made it. We stand here together on the cusp not just a new future, but a new life. Reminiscing back to earlier this year, I was sitting across the class with my attention wavering in and out. Mrs. Groom was giving the class a lecture that commanded back my attention. This lecture spoke of how we all will live many different lives within our lifetime, such as our elementary school life, our middle school life, our high school life and so on. This got me thinking. We aren't just casually wandering off to find the next thing to do. We're embarking completely new lives, far different lives from those of our past. When I look at the class of 2016 I see eager-eyed students who are about to dive into their college life, some starting their technical school life, some starting their military life, or even some plunging feet-first into the workforce. No matter what life we choose or where it takes us we'll never forget where we came from and we'll never forget the adversities we overcame and the good times we had as a class at Waitsburg High School.