Salutatorian Speech 2019 by April Markowski

Good Morning, Interim Head of School, Dr. Chen,, Board President, Mr. David Stewart,, High School Administrator, Mrs. Wade,, our guest speaker, Dr. Dale Meredith,, to the faculty, staff, parents, friends and to my classmates, I would like to welcome you to the Commencement Ceremony of the class of 2019.

You passed by your middle school hallway in the fall of 2015. As you made your way to the high school, it was announced that your lockers would be the same ones you had in 6th grade. You were disappointed, yes, but only a minor set back, because you were finally a high schooler. 

You went to Hickory Hill completely unprepared, wearing everything but the class color you were apparently supposed to.

You saw new faces, and old ones, and you were ready for the next 4 years. 

Within those first moments, you felt like high school would last forever. 

In a way this is all you have ever known. This way of living. Four years of complaining about walking up three flights of stairs each morning. Every day a routine, a close copy of the days passed, and yet you made these memories. Maybe they will be something you hold onto, or maybe your time spent here will be something you let yourself forget. Either way, these years, these seemingly endless days, have come to an end. 

You expected a lot from senior year, finally at the top, finally being able to count down to graduation. But when the year began, for one reason or another, you felt let down. Your high hopes were not being matched, because maybe your expectations were set too high.

Looking back though, you do not want to generalize, because when you actually take the time to think about it, there was truly a lot of good. 

You learned that it is important to love others and yourself and who you are becoming, even if you make mistakes along the way. 

You learned to drive, and turned 18, and visited colleges. 

You ran through the sand in the rain and jumped through the waves with people that you love in the Dominican Republic. 

You had the best classroom entrance when you broke through the door during Bible. 

You mastered the route to Mighty Taco, and proceed to go there far too many times. 

You had political discussions, and became comfortable with not knowing all the answers. 

You started your own coat check business at the Gala. 

You learned that defending a friend when they are not there to defend themselves is one of the greatest things you can do.

You were a voice of reason and a shoulder to cry on. 

You saw the school play for the last time, and you laughed so much that you cannot even remember the plot. 

You went to Denny’s so many times. 

You picked a college that suits you best. 

Things were already different when this year began. Your mind was already set on the next step, whether you wanted it to happen or not. You knew that it was all coming to an end, despite the freshmen year belief that all of this would probably last forever. 

It has been within these walls that you have been shaped into the person you are this morning, sitting in these seats on stage with me, as we are all ready to graduate. 

Here we have learned to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love,” as it says in the book of Ephesians chapter 4, verse 2. That sense of humility, gentleness, patience, and most of all love, should not fade away as we leave here.

You can look back and clearly see who you have been throughout these years. The accomplishments, the mistakes, the good with the bad; you are the sum of all these things. You will continue on, you will continue to change. Let your past here always inspire you; to be better, to be set apart, to always choose love over indifference, trying to always have a sense of understanding. 

Be excited for the future. Be mindful of yourself, and who you want to be. Ask yourself how you want to be seen by this whole new audience of people around you. 

You passed by your high school hallway in June of 2019. You felt at peace for the last time as a student here. Now it is time to graduate. You are the farthest thing from disappointed, because you will finally be an alumnus from the Class of 2019. We are all better graduates today for our time spent here.