By CATE KAVANAUGH
Class President
I know I can speak for my class when I say being here does not feel real. Even standing here in my cap and gown speaking in front of all of you today, I still feel like a freshman. I remember just 3 years ago, sitting up in the stands where the audience is sitting now watching my brother James and the class of 2022 graduate MHS. Then I was at the end of my Freshman year, wrapping up classes, and preparing to run for another year as Class President. And at first, watching this class graduate, I still felt like my own graduation was so far away. But when the class presidents came up to speak, I had one of those moments. I couldn’t believe that I would possibly be up there in 3 short years giving a speech of my own. This made my graduation feel scarily close and looking back, the time from that moment my freshman year, to now, feels like it went by instantly. I know we have all spent days wishing for the weekend to come sooner or for the bell to finally ring at 2:41, but now it’s crazy to think it’s been 4 whole years since we all came to MHS as nervous Freshmen wondering what our Highschool experience would be like. I can say honestly that these past four years have been everything and nothing like what I have expected, but I wouldn’t change a thing because I have learned so much, gained the best friends, and ultimately it has brought me here today.
Even though I have been contemplating what I would say in this speech since that moment 3 years ago, the reality of it only really struck me a few weeks before graduation. And of course I was freaking out. I had no idea how I could properly say goodbye to this school, my teachers, and my classmates. But once the final weeks of school and internships were wrapping up and we were about to experience all of these big moments together, I realized how much our class has grown over the past four years. We went from a loosely connected group of awkward freshmen to a united class where everyone has a place. We went from not selling enough tickets to host a froshmore dance our Freshman Year, to selling Senior Week Tickets to over 88% of our class. It felt so special that we all got to spend this last week together, united for one last time. During our 1st spirit month, I remember begging people to wear black and yellow to represent our Freshman year Bruins theme to earn spirit points. But this year, our class came decked out in senior citizen attire, with grey wigs and canes, on Dress as Your Grade Day, winning almost all of the dress up days this past fall. These are just a few examples of how we’ve built a special community in our class.
Each and every one of us has our own story. We all have different friend groups, we all are interested in different things, we all are involved in different sports or clubs, and we all have different plans for after high school, but throughout these 4 years we have all grown together as one. And even though after today, we are all going on 242 separate paths towards our futures, I know for certain that Melrose High School will always be a place where we all belong. I hope the kindness and compassion we have learned from each other and from this community will always be with us.
Now I would like to give thanks to all the amazing people that have made this possible. To our teachers and administrators, none of us would even be here graduating today without your persistent and will to see all of us succeed. Because of you all we are all leaving here prepared for whatever comes next for us. I would also like to give thanks to our student government, who have all done so much over the past 4 years to help build our Class of 2025 community. We went from a tiny 13 member student government our freshman year, to which has now doubled to an unprecedented 26 members all wanting to be involved in making our highschool experience great. I would like to especially highlight my fellow officers, Jill Frawley, Taylor Siebel, and Leah Fowke. I am so grateful I have been able to work beside you the past 4 years because you are not only great officers but also lifelong friends. And of course, to our amazing advisors, Ms. Couture and Ms. Rowley, you two are the true foundation of our student government and our class as a whole. Everything we have planned to make our Highschool experience special would have never been possible without you two. We are so honored to have had you as our advisors. To my family and all the other families here today, your unwavering support for the past 18 years has allowed us all to be soon graduates of Melrose High Schools. I personally have no idea what I would do without my family’s encouragement and constant faith in me, so thank you. And lastly, but most certainly not least, I would like to thank each and every one of my classmates graduating with me today. I have had the absolute honor of leading you all for the past 4 years and I am so grateful I was given that opportunity.
Throughout High School, you’ve all showed up for your classmates at sporting events, robotics competitions, and drama productions. You’ve all cheered together at pep rallies. You’ve all talked to new people and made friends in class. And you’ve all been part of creating our united class community graduating today. Because of that we are not only leaving here with our high school diplomas, but also with lasting friendships, life lessons on kindness and compassion, and with a Melrose being a place that we can always fall back on and a place we will always be able to call home. Thank you and congratulations to the Class of 2025.