Good evening, Reading community and members of the Reading School Committee, Principal Tracey, Staff, Families, and most importantly, Class of 2023. Class of 2023 – It is an honor to stand before you today to congratulate you on your graduation day.
From time to time, seniors have reminded me that two of my most important responsibilities as Superintendent are to call as many snow days as possible and to keep my graduation speech short. Since I didn’t come through for you in calling only one snow day this year, I do promise to keep my remarks brief.
Now I know you have already heard and will continue to hear advice, solicited and unsolicited, from adults around you as you prepare for the next phase of your life. As I reflect on advice I’ve been given over the years, I’ve continually realized some of the very best insights, guidance, and perspectives I’ve been given have come from students. Therefore, we asked students across all of our RPS schools to share their graduation advice with you. I thought you would find both value and humor in their words, so I will leave you with the top nine pieces of advice from our RPS students, one from each school.
Starting with our high school…
9. From RMHS: “As you move forward with your future, don’t forget where you came from and who helped you along the way.” – Senior Kate Leone As you reflect on what’s ahead for you following this evening, be sure to also reflect on all of those who played a pivotal role in your journey to get here. Remember to thank all of the family members, teachers, coaches, mentors, and friends who have pushed you, believed in you, and supported you. While it is your success and accomplishments we celebrate today, they have truly partnered with you in this journey.
From our middle schools…
8. From Coolidge Middle School: “Never spend $21,000 on Taylor Swift tickets.” – Anonymous 7th Grade Student Money is hard to come by, especially as you just start out in the real world, so be sure to use it wisely!
7. From Parker Middle School: “Don’t stop trying because there is an obstacle in your way.” – Kylie You have all battled various obstacles throughout your K-12 experience, including a high school context with hybrid learning, quarantining and during a time when so many around you have struggled due to the significant impact of the pandemic. These collective struggles add on to the individual challenges you’ve faced – physically, mentally, and emotionally. You’ve all pushed through and thrived in the face of adversity, and as new obstacles come your way as you move into adulthood, continue to be resilient and persevere in your pursuit of your goals and happiness.
From our elementary schools…
6. Barrows: “Never stop being nice.” – Anonymous 2nd Grade Student
I think we can all agree that it sometimes feels like there is a shortage of kindness in this world. Being kind, thoughtful, and nice to others will go such a long way in your personal and professional life and is more needed now than ever in our world.
5. Joshua Eaton: “College has bunk beds!” – Anonymous Kindergartener Now, we know that as a class you are pursuing many pathways outside of college, and even those who are attending college may not get bunk beds. However, this quote reinforces the importance of finding joy, happiness, and even humor in the smallest of things, like bunk beds can for our youngest of students. Be on the lookout for those small things that can bring laughter and joy.
4. Birch Meadow: “Always believe in yourself.” – Anonymous 3rd Grade Student In this world, people will always tell you you can’t do something, and this has only become more common in the age of social media. Don’t let those naysayers and negative voices cloud your drive, ambition, or goals.
3. Wood End: “Definitely do not get an F minus.” – Emma At some point in your high school career, you’ve failed, whether that was academically, in an extracurricular activity, or in your personal life. Unfortunately, there will be times in the future where you inevitably fail, get an F minus, or miss the mark. It is important to not only bounce back from the failure, but to learn from it. Failures can be our strongest motivators and best learning opportunities.
2. Killam: “Be awesome” – Killam 5th Graders. Now, as a class, through all of your successes and accomplishments, you’ve been awesome in the classroom, in our arts programs, on our athletic fields, and in server our community. And, from everything I’ve heard and seen from this class, you’ve been awesome on a personal level as you’ve exuded empathy, kindness, and passion. Strive to be awesome in everything you do – be an awesome friend, be awesome in your work, be awesome in your personal life. Set a high bar for yourself and go out and meet that bar.
Lastly, from our preschool…
1. RISE: “Happy Graduating Day” – from Several PreK Students This is your day. These RISE students, like everyone in this stadium, want you to enjoy it! Whether you have been part of RPS since PreK, or just joined more recently, this day reflects years of hard work, dedication, and commitment. Your fellow RPS students, our RPS staff, and our larger Reading community are all so happy for you and proud of you. Class of 2023, on behalf of the Reading Public Schools, I wish all of you health, happiness, and success in the years to come. Congratulations class of 2023!
As Superintendent of Schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I hereby certify the Reading Memorial High School graduating class of 2023.
