 I would like to welcome you all of you to our U32 graduation, mothers, fathers, families, friends, U32 staff, and most importantly, the graduating class of 2019 to the 47th Commencement Ceremony of Union 32. I would like to ask everyone here who came to recognize and support a graduate to stop for a minute. At some point tonight and reflect on a memory that stands out for you. Of either supporting or celebrating the small successes your graduate has had along their journey to where they are today. Tonight, we are here to celebrate your educational life. It started when you first walked into kindergarten and now here you are today on your way to new journeys and experiences. During that time, you've learned a lot, had a great times with your friends and now you're ready to go. But I want to give you one thought from one of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. He had the ability to take profound ideas and concepts and say them in an accessible style for both kids and adults. In his book, Oh, The Places You'll Go, he wrote. Kid, you'll move mountains. You're off to a great places. Today is your day. Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way. Today starts a new part of your life for the class of 2019. So as you go out on your own adventures, have fun, go exploring, try new things and remember the great times, the good friends and all the knowledge you have gained while you've been here at U32. Welcome again and graduates have a great future. I believe from this point onward, your life will change in one very important way. You've had a lot of people making decisions for you up to this point, but now it's up to you. Now I would like to ask everyone to rise as Deanna Hill will sing the national anthem. Oh, say can you see by the dawn what's so bright whose broad stripes and bright stars. So good evening and congratulations to the U32 class of 2019. I'm Stephen Dellinger-Pate, U32's principal and I just wanna welcome the parents, grandparents, siblings, family, friends and everyone else who's joined us for this wonderful occasion. I want to especially thank our guest speaker tonight, Jim Willis for being with us this afternoon. So I've been with this class for five of their six years here at U32 and I'm delighted to see them reach this milestone and share the joy with you and your families on this great afternoon. And while we've reached the end of one part of their life, the faculty, staff and larger community is confident that they are prepared to contribute to both our local and global community. We hope that we've instilled in them the passion, creativity and power to make a difference. This ceremony is the major event that marks your passage from youth to adulthood and the class that sits before you has shown to our community that they are ready to engage with the world in and out of central Vermont. So I want to encourage you graduates to give back to the community that has supported you throughout your education. This community has attended your plays, your concerts, your sporting events and served as your mentors and advisors. This community puts its hopes and dreams in your hands and they expect you to rise to the occasion. Many of you have already given back to the community that supported you all these years and so at this time I want to recognize the seniors who participated in the Senior Community Outreach Project or SCOP this week. So would you please stand if you participated in SCOP? This group of students went out into the community on Monday to help others, a testament of the spirit of giving that exists here at U32. And as a member of this community as well, I hope to see each and every one of you become a strong, vital part of our towns. No matter where you travel for school or pleasure, please remember your home here in central Vermont. I also want to take a moment and recognize the people that helped get them here and that is the faculty and staff of U32 who give tirelessly and joyfully to educate these students. So a round of applause for them as well. So tonight's program is a celebration of our achievements and we do so by hearing from our students themselves. They are the ones that we are all here for and so tonight we have two student speakers, Lucy Wood and Max Sabo. And now our first student speaker, Lucille Grace Wood. As I stand before you tonight, I'm not the person I was six years ago. None of us are. When we first walked through those fateful doors all those years ago, we were nervous, afraid and unsure of where we were going. Through child and error and failure and success, we made it to where we are now. We have evolved into stronger versions of ourselves that are ready to face the world. I've always been told that life goes by in the blink of an eye, but I never really realized what that meant until now. Well, I could make this whole speech all about what we've done in school for the past few years. I've come to realize that the most important growth and development we've had has actually happened outside of the classroom. U32 provided us with a place to learn, a place to excel in our classes, sports and theater productions. Many of us experienced great success in these areas and the success must be celebrated. But is this what defines us as people? No. The deepest learning we experienced came from fights with our parents, conflicts with friends, breakups, summer jobs and many late nights spent trying to finish our assignments. Through these experiences, we learn what it means to be people and we learn more about who we are. Sure, history is certainly good to know and while they say we will use calculus at some point in our lives, though I'm still suspicious, the hours spent in our classes taught us more about ourselves than they did about the subject matter. Through the dedication of our teachers and staff, we are taught how to balance work and play, how to manage friendships and how to be good students and good people. We learn how to work hard, how to be resilient and what it means to be a person in this world. We are young and still have much to learn but we have a good start. Over the years we've certainly had our political and interpersonal differences and conflicts but we've learned to respect the opinions of others. Each and every one of us is entitled to their own unique set of beliefs based on their life experiences and they must be honored. Perhaps because of our classes, conflicts and disagreements, we've solidified our ability to speak our minds. Whether it be through means big or small, we excel at speaking up and advocating for ourselves and for what we believe in. This skill is indispensable in the real world and will take us far beyond the realms of high school. For the sake of brevity, as I'm sure many of you are bored of my voice by now, I like the class of 2019 to congratulate ourselves. We've all worked incredibly hard to be sitting before you today and we're excited to see what's in store for the next chapter of our lives. We wanna thank each and every one of you for the support that you've given us to get where we are today. We also wanna thank Ray Powers for being best friends, her words not mine, with the administration and for plastering her selfies on any surface including associate principal Jodi Emerson's office. I'd like to close with a quote from a celebrity here amongst the class of 2019. As the wise Michael Scott once said, may your hats fly as high as your dreams. Thank you. Thank you, Lucy. Our next speaker is Max Sabo. Please come up. Thank you all for being here today. My name is Max Sabo. I think it's fair to say I've waited for this day for a long time. Not because I can't stand being in U32 anymore but rather because I'm excited to see what the future holds. And I told myself back when I wrote this that if I was selected to speak, I would make sure not to do two things. Two things that stuck out to me having been to graduations before. First, I would make sure not to stand up here too long. These things are already long enough. And second, I would make sure that I didn't get up here and just share a bunch of memories and funny inside jokes that only a few people can relate to because no one wants to hear that. So instead, I'm just gonna focus on one big takeaway. Similar to what Lucy said, a lot of the content we've learned in school is foundational with some classes and lessons being beneficial for my personal studies and interests. But those others, well, those have helped me learn in their own way. Those other experiences in foreign settings or foreign subjects have brought me to the important questions that so many of us have encountered, such as how do you manage the work? How do you balance responsibility with free time? With jobs? With sports? How do you communicate with adults? Schedule appointments? How do you access help when you need it? To me, these are the important questions that prepare us for life after high school. Because wherever we end up next year, be it college, the workforce, the military, traveling, we've all had to learn how to make mistakes, how to pick ourselves back up, how to think for ourselves, listen, empathize, problem solve. These things all make up an untradable skill set that is worth more than any test score, any trophy, any short-term accomplishment. Because this is the time right now where we have to grow up really fast. Many, if not all of us, on our journeys so far have had times where we've been forced to be strong, to be mature, be it from ongoing conflict or sudden loss. And now, looking forward, we can use these skills to tackle this big transition out of high school. And when the world so rapidly demands us to grow up, we can be ready to do so. I'd like to close by saying that while these years since middle school have passed in such a different fashion for all of us, and that the rest of our lives will pull us in so many different directions, it is truly special to know that wherever we end up, all of us here today have something in common. I can look back at photos in the yearbook, I can recall memories, and in that way we are all connected through these years at the zoo. And with that said, I couldn't be more excited to see where each and every one of you go in these next four years, and the success you will achieve. Thank you. All right, at this time I would like to bring up to the stage Abby Latour, who will introduce our guest speaker for this evening. So Abby? I would like to take a moment to thank our next speaker, Jim. Jim's dedication to the students seeking his help will not go unforgotten. When students are asked to describe Jim, they often use words such as cool, respectable, courageous, a good friend, and having a huge heart among so many other things. Jim is the kind of teacher that is so dedicated to a student's success. He will do anything he can to get them to succeed. One memory I have with Jim is when he met another student and I outside of school over Christmas break on his birthday, just to help us on material we needed for our reassessments coming up. It's a time like this that causes everyone at U32 to love Jim and appreciate everything he has done for us. On behalf of the class of 2019, I would like to thank Jim for everything and wish him the best of luck. He will be missed by many. Brought my speech. Thank you, Abbs. That was wonderful. You know, Danielle, I was still all right until I saw you. Excuse me. I came to talk to the kids. So if you'll forgive me, I'm gonna turn my back on you. I know you're there and I'm gonna talk to the kids, okay? Do they look mad? Hey, Ray. What an honor. My wife will understand this. I forgot my glasses. What an honor to be chosen by this year's senior class to mumble a few words at you. I can't tell you. Shit. I'm sorry, I didn't say it. Jordan taught me that word. That's why we're sending the main. I was told by many of you that I should be funny, but as most of you know, I do have no sense of humor. Having said that, the Lord said to John, come forth and you will be granted eternal life. But John came fifth and won a toaster instead. Some of you will start laughing on the way home. I'm wicked sure, guys, that I do not wanna give you a talk where I tell you how amazing you are and how successful you're all gonna be because I don't know if you're gonna be or not. Only the Lord knows that and he ain't tellin'. Plus I guarantee you by nine o'clock tonight you're gonna forget every word I said. Guarantee. Jim, who the hell's Jim? Now that's a good deal, Lucille. If you know who Travis Roy is, please raise your right little pinky. And for those of you who are directionally challenged like me, this is your right pinky. Nobody knows. Anybody out here know who Travis Roy is? Okay, thank you. Autographs afterwards. Wow, well let me tell ya. Travis Roy is from Maine. I'm from Maine so I know a lot about people from Maine. Okay? If you don't know about him, it's okay because all what I'm about to tell you happened before you guys were born. There was never a world before then, you know? Being from the great state of Maine, I'm very familiar with him. He played high school hockey at Yarmouth Academy in Maine. Travis was a wicked good hockey player and was given a full complete scholarship to play hockey at Boston University. One of the better hockey college programs in our great country. I mean, they rock. Turn page, it says it right there. Can you imagine the excitement and the thrills that Travis was feeling on his graduation night when he was sitting right where you're sitting, honey? Can you imagine that? I'm certain it was much the same as many of you were feeling. Free at last in the start of a brand new adventure for each and every one of you. Let's flash, wait, I lost my place. Let's flash back to Travis's first ever college hockey game. He was good enough as a freshman to be playing on a regular line shift for Boston University. 11 seconds, 11, not 12, not 10, 11 seconds into his very first time on the ice, he was checked into the boards. He went down and he did not get up. Turns out he fractured his third and his fourth vertebrae and was paralyzed from the neck down. He still has no use of either his arms or his legs. He can only move things from the neck up. He was a kid, guys, who was pretty much assured of playing in the National Hockey League. You hockey players, you know how big a deal that is. Maybe even the basketball players, do I don't know Bryson. In less than two seconds, his entire life had changed from king of the world to I can't move. Once I decided I didn't want to live, I realized I could live according to the same values that made me successful before my accident. This is a quote from Travis. He started a foundation for research into spinal cord injuries. To this date, guys, he has raised more than $10 million. Do I see a picture or a video of him when he is not smiling? He's been in that wheelchair for more than 20 years, 20 years. How many of you guys are 20 years old? He was in that wheelchair before he was born, but he's a hero. Now, let's flash to tonight, June 14th, 2019. I didn't come here to make you feel crappy. I do that enough during the day. Yeah, I can promise you right now the one thing I know, because I'm old. I had Abraham Lincoln in the third grade. Life is tough. If you don't believe me, ask these guys. It ain't easy, guys. I'm not gonna tell you it's all bluebirds in lemonade. I guarantee each of you, each one of you. Yes, even you, Bryson. Blessed all of you. I forgot where I was. Oh. Good job, Bryson. Yeah, it's your fault. Once again, Riley's brother did it. I guarantee each one of you that you will suffer many setbacks. Losses, broken hearts, and disappointments. But here's what I want you to take away from tonight. If you learn anything from me other than synthetic division, it's that how you deal with these setbacks will define what you are as a person. It doesn't matter if you drive a Mercedes or if you drive a pickup truck. People are gonna judge you by how you react to setbacks. Trust me. That's important. It's hard for me to imagine a much worse setback than Travis experienced 20 years ago. Yet he turned it into a very positive life. I can't imagine. I wish I had the strength to say I could do that. He started out just like you. Sitting in chairs just like this. I've been to the Arathn Academy. This is bigger. All right. He's a true hero and he's made a huge difference in so many lives. When life kicks you in the butt and kicks you in the butt, stop and think about him. Whatever happens to you can't possibly, I hope, I pray to God be worse than what happened to Travis. Think about him. We got pretty small stuff in our plates. Bad things will happen to all of us. We lose children before their time. Sorry, Brad. We are asked to leave. I'm better than this. We are asked to leave a friendship or a partnership or a job that is the best job we have ever had in our lives. We mourn those losses and then you become a better person. That's my message to you. You're gonna get kicked in the butt, get up and move on with it. When you go down into that black hole when bad things happen, and they will, and you stay there, will you stay there or will you climb out of that black hole and become a better person? When you're down there thinking of me, I've been there with you too many times but I'm here today, I got your food. Nobody guys likes a winer. I guarantee nobody. My students know that. A person who constantly, and you know him, is on social media saying, why does this always happen to me? Why does all the bad crap happen to me? Well, let me tell you something that happens to all of us. Get over yourself. All right? So, every speaker's favorite words. In conclusion, I challenge each and every one of you. And I know you all. To honor Travis by being like him. Overcome whatever adversity life throws at you and make lemonade out of lemons. My wife put that in. Stay away from automobiles if you've had anything to do with alcohol or other drugs. I don't wanna go to your funeral. You got it? I love you guys too much. Learn to forgive. Holding grudges will eat you alive from inside. It really will. Let it go. Let the balloons go, Julie. She hasn't, and I won't say that. This is a big one to me. Speak and listen to all people. Older than me. They have so much to give to you guys. They just aren't old farts. They've let a life just like you guys have let a life. Ask them questions. Ask them about their kids. Ask them about their grandchildren. You'll learn more than you learned here in seven years. I guarantee it. Here's a big one. Wear sunscreen when you go outdoors. Cancer sucks. If you don't smoke or vape, don't start. Don't do it. If you do smoke or vape, get help and stop. Cancer still sucks. And they will kill you guys. 13 more pages, I'm almost done. Next time you see a veteran, shake his or her hand and thank him for your freedom. You're here. Thank you. I thought you'd all leave when I turned my back on you. I would've. Live in the moment, guys. Enjoy life, it's a blast. It's tough, but it's a blast. Live in the moment. How hard is it to smile to someone? You know my favorite part of the day? What do you think it is? What do you think it is, Peyton? No, yeah, right, seein' Peyton. When you see me. Standing in the hall before school starts, gettin' smiles at all ya. I'm gonna miss that more than anything here. As soon as this gig is over, this is the last one, as soon as this gig is over right here, I want you to run to the people that raised you before you get out of here and you give them a hug and you thank them. Because without them, you wouldn't be here. You hear me? That's an order. Tell them how much you love them and appreciate it. They loved you as best they know how. I guarantee it. Guarantee it. I wanna thank each and every one of you for the opportunity to work with you. As you know, I got one more week left here. This has been the best job I've had. 53 years I've been teachin'. You guys, the best. And to about three kids, I call them kids. Danielle, you're probably not a kid anymore. That I had in the school in the class of 1984. I think some of you belong to them. I'm gonna miss you guys so damn much. Jody. That's one of those inside jokes that Max was talkin' about. There isn't a person this in buildin' that I respect any more than Jody Emerson. She's top's guys. I hope you appreciate her. So, that's about all I get to say about that. Let's each of us go forward in our next adventure and have a happy and healthy life. I love you guys. Gotta know before I go home was my shirt tucked in in the back. Okay, good. Thank you all, you're wonderful. Love these kids. That's a hard one to follow. So I'll give it my best. So, at this time, we offer the Gahagan Award. And for that, we will ask Kari Bradley, who is the chair of the U32 Board, to come up and award the Gahagan to one of our students. Welcome, Kari. Hi, everyone. I'm gonna take this moment to say congratulations to our graduates on your accomplishment, and thank you. Thank you for what you brought to our school, what you've contributed while you were here, and what you leave us with. No matter where you go next, or where you end up, our community is richer because you're a part of it. So on behalf of the school board, our best wishes for the future, and our heartfelt appreciation. So, the 2019 Gahagan Award, the Gahagan Award was created in 2000 in honor of Jackie Gahagan, who was a teacher and associate principal at U32 from 1971 when the doors first opened until 2000. Jackie believed that this school called on its students to be caring, involved people willing to contribute to the betterment of the school by supporting and reaching out to others while developing their own personal sense of self. We present the Gahagan Award each year to that graduating senior who best exemplifies the true spirit and soul of U32. Each year, the actual Gahagan Award, a gift to the recipient varies, intended to be a very special gift but also recognizes the extraordinary talent of U32 student. The award itself is a piece of art created by a U32 student, artist, or woodworker. The artist this year is Augusta Miguel Heinz. Gus, would you please join me? Gus is a witty and creative artist with an eye for the beautiful. Her photographs celebrate color and capture nature in spectacular ways. Gus is down-to-earth personality and contagious enthusiasm for life is present in her work. She not only recognizes the world around her as her inspiration but she takes time to notice the work of her peers. She expresses gratitude and admiration for other artists and her energy grows exponentially because of this. She is participatory in artistic discussion and inquisitive about process. It is not surprising that a piece of her work has been chosen to celebrate one of her peers as she has known for taking care of others in a kind and selfless and passionate manner. In the photograph, Hottie Hopper, Gus was experimenting with macro photography and this little guy jumped out for the perfect shot. We are honored and excited to bestow this beautiful frame photograph to the recipient of the 2019 Gahagan Award and please accept this gift with many thanks. Thank you. It is our pleasure and my honor to award the 2019 Gahagan Award to Abigail Ryan Latour. Abby embodies the qualities Jackie Gahagan prized most in a U32 student. She is energetic, fully involved individual who hasn't found her own voice at U32 and then helped many others to find theirs as well. Her TA, Caroline Grace, tells how she is always astonished by her strength determination, sense of responsibility for the community and ethics. Even back in middle school, she had this composure and maturity that easily surpassed most of her classmates. Abby has U32 in her soul. You can find her at school before and after hours volunteering for so many activities, always there to cheer the teams. If seniors don't know what is going on or need info on anything, they will ask Abby. She is on top of it. She is the true senior mom. Abby is also righteous and leads her class with good intentions and positive attitude. She has great problem-solving skills which makes her a strong advocate and level-minded representative for her class. During her time at U32, Abby has been heavily involved in the Student Booster Club, dedicating many selfless hours supporting all activities. She has worked with the youth in our community, helping to support future field hockey and basketball players by coaching youth camps. In her senior year through the branching out program, she observed and assisted the U32 Athletic Training Department for more than 200 hours. If there was a face of our program, Abby would be it. Her smile and compassion have had an insurmountable impact on us all. Abby has shown that she is intelligent, loyal, compassionate, and a caring young woman. And as this year's recipient of the Gehegan Award, she truly exemplifies the spirit and soul of U32. Congratulations. All right, thank you, Kari. So at this time, we are going to start our ceremonies and I would like to invite Adrienne Megida, former U32 school board member, and Bill Kimball, superintendent to the stage, along with Sue Price and Jen Ingersoll, the teacher advisors. This year, Andrew Crompton and Lucy Woods, Student Council co-presidents will read the names of the students receiving their diplomas so we will award their diplomas first. Andrew J. Crompton. Lucille Grace Wood. I would like to welcome teacher advisor, Judy Abbiotti to the stage. Lydia Rose Bryant. Jesse Allen Colnes. Jordan Hawkins. Isabella Elise Hayes. Hersey. Lee Hudson. Olby Squire James. Gage Frederick Williams. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Chris Blackburn to the stage. Joshua Donovan Bartold. Benjamin Davis Noe. Hannah Lee Dwyer. Ashton William House. Na Michelle Leslie. David Oliver. Ponjan Azarian. Now teacher advisor, Steven Dellinger-Pay, and former teacher advisor, Bo Kari will present diplomas to their TAs. Lone E. Bruce. Shae Chantel. Isabel Hall. Rose Yee Hannon. Dawson Latimore. Isabel Victoria Poulson. Jared Preiman. Bryson Philip Richards. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Susan Dentith to the stage. Letitia Badoe Montgomery. Jocelyn K. Boldock. Campbell. Erin Nicole Langevin. Claire J. McKinnis. Elijah Stout. Tronson. Please welcome school board member, Jonathan Goddard to the stage. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Maggie Desch to the stage. R. Carpenter. Max Kisner. Lee Matanio. Gabriel Wendt. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Caroline Grace to the stage. Atkinson. Blessed Byerley. Augusta Miquel Heinz. N.D. Hill. Hunter Dylan Jarvis. Diane Latour. Please welcome school board member, Scott Thompson to the stage. And I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Roger Gro to the stage. Ellen Craig. Tabitha Paige Lawrence. Ace Machan. Jackson Morris. Alexis Preiman. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Kathy Guifre to the stage. Gray Wellington Mariah Farshat. Justin Aiden Murray. And joining Justin is his mom, Michelle Tofel Murray, English learner teacher. Serenity Noelle Northrop. Welcome teacher advisor, Jen Ingersoll to the stage. John Christian Sidney Allen. And Joseph Barr. Lily Parker. And joining Lily is her mom, Beth Parker, second grade teacher at East Montpiler Elementary. Georgia Reed. Anthony Richard Rowell. Rose Ward. This is you. Please welcome school board chair, Kari Bradley to the stage. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Sue Price to the stage. Jacob Bradley. And presenting Jacob with his diploma is his dad, Kari Bradley. Joseph Lawn Franco. Nathan Francis Smith. Julia Sobel Ferrenny-Ars. Kari Nicole Treadwell. Von Culin. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Nicole Schaefer to the stage. Olivia Fair Bates. And joining Olivia is her mom, Kat Fair, Calus Elementary Principal. Tha Ducey. And Kwiatkowski. F. McMahon the fourth. Jaden Paul Shand. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Kathy Topping to the stage. Free Diva Bliss. And joining Kayla is her dad, Brian Diva Bliss. U32 Physical Education Department Head. Basil Elliott Humkey. Patterson. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Adrienne Wade Keeney to the stage. Anne Ammons. Eloise Rachel Klein. Axe Orion Sabo. Ed Vincent. I'd like to welcome teacher advisor, Kit Walker to the stage. Cameron S. Brown. Harley Elizabeth Duald. Lexie Voyer. Thank you for coming out tonight to support these wonderful students at U32. We are so proud of them and the work that you have done and the mark that you've made on us. So I'd ask that you guys now stand. And I present to you the class of 2019 at U32. Let them go out in the recessional and onto their new life. Thank you so much for being here tonight. Please stay safe. And if you can just wait till they get out first. Thank you for supporting us at U32.