VALEDICTORIAN AND SALUTATORIAN SPEECHES
a fifth grader in the dunk tank at the annual Fun Day and the simplicity of childhood joy you experienced exploring DC or running around the playscape with your friends .
When you feel defeated and like nothing you do will ever be good enough , perhaps it will help to remember the excitement of the Clash and how something as simple as running across the field with a golf ball on a spoon filled you with a sense of victory and pride for your house .
When you accomplish something you have worked tirelessly for but don ’ t know what to do next , perhaps it will help to remember how we showed up to Zoom classes day after day as sophomores , wondering when our extended spring break would finally end , unsure of the future but resting firm in the knowledge that we were all struggling together .
When you find yourself mourning and in a place of despair , perhaps it will help to remember the losses our grade felt deeply , losses of parents , grandparents , and even friends ; but more importantly , perhaps it will help to remember the healing that this community found together and how our grade grew stronger through every trial .
When you celebrate victory and take pride in your accomplishments , perhaps it will help to remember how proud you were the first time you gave your speech at the Third Grade Living History Museum or when you
delivered your lines on Seventh Grade Greek Day or sang a solo on Eighth Grade ’ 40s Day .
When you find yourself in a situation where you feel alone and like you don ’ t know anyone around you , perhaps it will help to remember the sense of belonging you felt on the last day of classes , when we all gathered in the atrium and hugged each other and cried as the bell rang for the last time , knowing that the tears meant we were leaving something good behind .
It is these things and so many more that it might help to remember one day as we go into a new stage of life . It is these things that make our grade who we are . It is these things that we will carry with us in our hearts forever , and the memories we share form a bond between each and every one of us that cannot be broken , no matter how many years pass or how many new people we meet . In the end , we will always remember what it means to be a proud member of the Class of 2022 . It is my hope that you cherish these things and come back to them from time to time whenever it will help you on your journey . For just as Aeneas ’ s journey from Troy to northern Africa was only the beginning of his quest for a new home , the journey we have taken together is just a stepping stone in the journey of our lives , but one that is of the greatest importance .
20 PURPLE & GOLD FALL 2022