Taejah Noble, a recent graduate of Elia Middle School delivered a moving speech to the 2014-2015 graduating class.
Congratulations class 2014-2015. Sometimes, the greatest relief you can get from a valedictorian speech, is when it is over. Quoted by your very own Taejah Noble, but I want that you will get at least something from this speech. Good afternoon,distinguished guests, principal Mr Yafeo,vice principle, Mrs Silvera, other staff members, visitors, parents, and of course my fellow graduates. I would like to start off by thanking the valedictorian committee for nominating me; it is such an honor and a privilege to be here. Wow, all of you graduates sitting before me are looking so lovely and well dressed. Visitors and Staff can you please join me in giving a big round of applause for our graduates. May I add, I am partly surprised to see some of you guys with your pants actually at your waist, one of the evident reasons why graduation is a special event.We all have a story, which includes a plot, a problem, and a solution. We all have a self-written book that's always being updated until we die. This book contains chapters and with our graduation tonight, we are closing a chapter. We are closing a chapter, but not the book because it is still the beginning and not the end. Now that we have established this chapter, I'm here to bring you anticipation, motivation, and preparation for the next chapter along with reminiscing and missing this one.Wow, look how much we have grown, we came from three recesses to one and from cubbies to lockers. If you really think about it, time has zoomed by like Usain Bolt . In our three years at Elia, they're like a cycle.We have our summer break and then after summer break we tend to forget what we have learned. That cycle has been repeated for the three years. Remember, in kindergarten reciting our ABC'S was one of our top priorities and we still use it now while utilizing a dictionary. This just shows that everything we learn and experience we bring with us in different ways. The excitement, awkwardness, adapting and fear on the first day of grade 6 we will bring yet again in grade 9, starting from the bottom all over again. We have grown as individuals, although with some of us, our height doesn't really show it. Who can remember the firstday of kindergarten where some of our parents were crying a river and some of us were the opposite, saying 'goodbye' with such ease. That confidence has been used in other areas of our development. That is, adapting to change while using what we already learned.I think one of the two most unforgettable memories at Elia is the first day and the last day. This is because we have our starting point and our finishing point; of course, in between we have our little milestones with several obstacles. How about those times we were learning something in class and questioned to ourselves 'when will this ever help me in life?' with a sigh and for others who were always intrigued. Who could forget the countless times we actually didn't want to come to school, both teachers and students or, for others who have always enjoyed coming to school. Those days where we would consistently watch the clock, thinking we could make the bell ring faster or, when a favorite class of ours was too short to enjoy. Then there is anxiety for some of us taking a test we studied for five minutes ago, or the anxiety of completing that test on time and stumbling upon a tricky question. I don't think there were any classes with Mrs. Ricketts where my name wasn't mistaken for Tajay instead of saying Taejah. When it comes to laughter, I cannot forget the countless outbursts from Mr. Spencer's weird remarks and I know I am not the only one. I absolutely cannot forget Mrs. Silvera's closing line for the morning announcements, which I would always try to attempt. Memories play a big role in our lives and sometimes make us happy when we need uplifting. I want all of you to think of your favorite memory through this year or people who have helped to create that memory. Now, I want you to keep that memory instilled in you and when hard days come along, retrieve that memory.I have a question for my fellow graduates; raise your hand if any of you sometimes felt like you came to school by force and not by choice? Well, for those of you who feel that way, that is common in the working world as well. Of course we have a long way to go before that, but I want you all to take something from this speech and bring it with you no matter where you are in your chapters. As words of motivation, success is great, but being unhappy and successful will not sustain. Robin Williams is an excellent example. I am saying this because we are still in the beginning of our book and are able to prepare for the end. As you excel and have the opportunity to choose the profession that you like, go ahead. Go ahead, so it does not feel like school all over again.I think one of the common mistakes some valedictorians make, is unrealistic anticipation. This means that the picture painted is just too hard to duplicate. I'm not going to bring your hopes up and predict that your future will be as smooth sailing because that is far from reality. As individuals we will all experience an inevitable change that varies for all of us. However, what is important is how we choose to handle it. This comes back to our story and we are all the main characters in our books. Some characters excel with minimal disruptions, others have so many disruptions and still manage to excel, but what is important among these characters? Excelling, something we are all capable of doing, but some of us fail to do. If that is any of you today, I ask that when you continue your story, you will find what helps you excel, and use it to your advantage of excelling until the end. In reality, I'll be blunt with you, life sucks sometimes, we are all going to go through hardships and have bad days, but in any story which main character doesn't? Therefore, do not focus on the inevitability of change, but on the capability of handling it.I would like to take this time to commend my fellow graduates and acknowledge those who have helped usget here. I would like to say thank you to my classmates, who have always helped me when I did not understand the work. How could I ever forget the parents, thank you all for helping your children excel in school as it is a hard job sometimes. I would like to thank all the teachers for helping us with our work and being so dedicated. You have provided us with many opportunities to learn and grew socially and academically special. Thank you for planning the trip to Montreal. Let's hear a shoutout from those who went. Of course, I would like to thank all my friends for creating unforgettable memories. Congratulations to all the students who have won an award today. I commend those of you who have done extracurricular activities such as robotics, sports, leadership, student council, performing arts, eco club, math enrichment, and anything else that I have not listed. Thank you to my other fellow graduates for sitting through my speech, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you to the administration for organizing this. There are many things that all of you have achieved throughout this year, so excellent job.Sometimes many of us considered school as a dungeon. However, there is something so strong about Elia, that even if the doors of this "dungeon" were open, I wouldn't escape, which may be different for others. Itis quite contradicting because I would always be the first one escaping to leave at the end of the day and I’m pretty sure my classmates are witnesses. Besides the foregoing, no matter the hardships and struggles experienced in this unique school, Elia has furnished and equipped my peers and I for an opportunity of a lifetime. It certainly catered to our development in a thorough way. We could never forget Elia, no matter what we thought of this school sometimes. I hope that when we all leave here, we will remember the things that have molded us as students and made us smile. Don't forget to thank the people who have helped you and made you smile, as you never know when you will see them again. Even though we have completed a chapter, this is just the beginning of a new in our chapter lives and we have the capability of handling our story until the end. It is in fact, the beginning and not the end. As I conclude this speech, I want to leave you all with an anonymous quote.. "In life we do things. Some we wish we had never done. Some we wish we could replay a million times in our head. But they all make us who we are, and in the end they shape every detail about us. If we were to reverse any of them we wouldn't be the person we are. So just live, make mistakes, have wonderful memories, but never second guess who you are, where you have been, and most importantly where it is you're going."
