LFHS Class of 2011: Senior Class President Speech

By Catherine Kesman

If you had to describe your high school experience in a few short words, which would you select? “Hard Work,” “An Ode to Athletics,” “Pardon Our Dust”? Maybe you would touch upon “The Gift of Service,” “Clubs Galore,” or defer to a song title. Whichever title you would choose, no one title encompasses our respective passions. The class of 2011 is an ever-evolving, collection of titles.

We are students. We earned this title struggling through Shakespeare, revising research papers, and getting extra help in the  Math Resource Center. We learned to think critically both in and outside the classroom, constantly challenged by enthusiastic lectures and stimulating discussion that brought complex subject matter to life.

We are athletes. We earned this title attending extra practices at inconvenient hours, sprinting to the finish line, and opting for an assist instead of taking the shot ourselves. We would not have been State Champions and competitive opponents in numerous sports were it not for our dedication, commitment to teamwork and shared Scout pride.

We are performers.  We earned this title forgoing free periods to pursue those electives we loved. We nourished our talents outside the classroom performing for audiences in the RMA, at Varsity Field, and even on trips abroad. When we nailed the last note, it was not a tribute to the role, but rather the time we invested and the joy we brought our audience.

We are volunteers. We earned this title living our Emotional Wellness values: acceptance, empathy, integrity, and accountability, and by committing ourselves to service that reached far beyond our community. Whether it was bingo at Westmoreland or classrooms working together to Adopt-a-Family for the holidays, our class logged over 14,000 hours of community service, with countless more left unrecorded. While this number is impressive, it is the sincerity of our actions that endures.

We are spectators. We earned this title quietly supporting a peer after they presented a big speech in class, or applauding when a friend scored the winning goal. These moments have humbled us. We are grateful to have shared in such achievements, if only from a distance.

Yet, we did not earn these titles alone. The teachers and faculty expanded our minds and went above and beyond to encourage us, whether that meant displaying newspaper articles featuring students or making a point to call us by name in the hallway. Family members attended our competitions and reminded us they loved us regardless of our performance. Inspiring coaches motivated us to work harder and dream bigger. Our friends have made us laugh in the midst of it all.

As we embark on a new path this fall, we will work to regain certain titles we held in high school, while shedding others that didn’t quite fit. Although various titles shaped the path we took in high school, we reached the end together. For the same reason the labels we relied on freshman year now limit the people we’ve become, the titles we use now will continue to change. The performer may become a director, the student a teacher, the athlete a coach, the volunteer continues on their path of service.

Class of 2011, know that while past titles, both good and bad, have shaped us into who we are today, each of us has the ability to choose the title we earn tomorrow.

Class of 2011, on this day, we share the title, Graduate of Lake Forest High School.

Congratulations and thank you all!