School: Brentwood High School

Phillips M. Cao

Age: 17 Attending: Princeton University

Good morning! I am honored to welcome all parents, teachers,

faculty, distinguished guests and the Brentwood High School class
of 2008!

I’d like to begin with a question: Does a 65 constitute mediocrity,

while a 100, perfection? While our education system may have
ingrained this notion in our minds, remember that after today, there
may not be report cards to measure our achievement. Because life is
something that we experience, not something that we complete, we
are no longer cloistered by a “core curriculum” or daily routine.
Parting with the asylum of our high school years, we are governed
only by our instinct and our judgment.

Without progress reports and standardized testing, how then, can

we measure if we are successful? Some may perceive wealth as an
indicator of accomplishment, but then must we equate poverty with
failure? Others may see their position as evidence of their success —
such an assessment is easy but superficial. It may be tempting to
measure our success by the knowledge that we have attained
through our education; as graduates today, we have all succeeded in
that regard. Our task now, however, is to apply that which we have
learned.

The philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson defined success as the

following: “To laugh often and much, to win the respect of
intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false
friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the
world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a
redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”

Continue reading the main story

Success, then, is a relative term; we may apply it to measure the

quality of the change we engender, the lives we transform, and the
relationships we build. With titles such as doctor or president, it is
what we do with our influence that imbues our titles with value.
With what we have learned, knowledge prepares us to face the
challenges of our generation, equips us to fight inequity in health,
wealth, and opportunity, and guides us in our future endeavors.
With dedication and ambition, we can defeat ignorance and
accomplish the extraordinary.
The true measure of success may not be manifest at first sight. The
gifts we have received from Brentwood High School and this
community, however, have provided us with our first steps toward
its eventual discovery. With this in mind, I challenge you to define
your success and live up to your own measures with passion and
commitment. If you see yourself as having succeeded, others will
follow suit. Good luck and congratulations to you all!

**

Eastport-South Manor Junior Senior High School

Taylor Grogan

Age: 17

State University of New York at Geneseo

Thank you. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the

teachers, administrators, the Board of Education and our friends
and families, not only for sharing our graduation with us and
watching us as we receive our diplomas and reminisce about past
events, but also for the endless support you have given us over the
years that helped us throughout high school and led us to this stage
today.

Whether we realize it or not, our families and friends have

contributed greatly to our success in high school. Our parents
pushed us to excel and to put everything we could into our
schoolwork, leading us to give our best effort to school. Siblings and
friends were there for us when we fell short of expectations, either
those of our parents, teachers, or even our own. They reminded us
what we are capable of and motivated us to continue working as
hard as we could, either through encouraging words or more
commonly through sibling rivalries. It is for this inspiration and
encouragement that I thank not only my own family, but the
families of all the graduates joining me onstage today.

While our family and friends gave us the motivation, our teachers
guided us and kept us moving forward toward success. In fact, this
school and our experiences here would not have been the same
without the teachers who pushed us, sometimes beyond our normal
limits, who reminded us to enjoy senior year and not take life too
seriously, and even those who “enlightened” us through their
random rants and theories, ridiculous current events and who
opened our eyes to the fourth dimension. Our teachers amused and
inspired us with their quotes of the day, Chuck Norris facts and Billy
Joel lyrics on tests. However, the teachers we have come to know
and love have given us more than fun memories; our teachers have
given us the best education we could ask for and have provided us
with many of the life lessons we will need in order to succeed.
Without these teachers, I’m sure many of us would not have enjoyed
high school nearly as much as we did, nor would we have learned as
much as we have.

Whether you truly enjoyed school or not, we all at some point

anticipated its end and thought graduation could not come soon
enough. Yet as I stand here, with the end upon us, I’ve realized high
school wasn’t just about the building or the teachers. School is an
experience that, since kindergarten, has defined me, defined us all.
For the most part, our school experiences depended on what we
chose to participate in.

Students who played sports remember rivalry games and pasta

parties with our teams, while members of the band reminisce over
band trips and concerts. The students involved in clubs remember
certain events they sponsored, just as other students have memories
of working on the homecoming floats and fundraising for our class.
While these memories set us apart from one another, we all share
the memories of the sound of the bell, taking tests and meeting our
friends before class. These are the memories that have marked us as
students and define how we have spent the majority of our lives. But
as we walk off this stage and say our good-byes, our identity as high
school students ends. We are left to choose our own future path and
decide how we will define ourselves.

Even though many of us are heading off to college, and continuing

our lives as students, we must begin to think about our future
because college is an opportunity to work toward our goals and gain
the education necessary to follow our dreams. So regardless of
whether you plan to attend college in the fall, seek employment or
join the armed forces, the time to decide on your future is fast
approaching. Everything you choose to do is a step toward your
future and will become a part of who you are, just as the choices you
made in high school and our memories here have become a part of
each and every one of us. So, when choosing your future path, why
not choose the path that will bring you a sense of purpose,
fulfillment, pride, and most importantly, joy. Such a decision is not
to be taken lightly, nor is it to be feared. It is to be made with a clear
vision of your future and the drive and excitement to see that your
vision is realized. No matter how you choose to define yourself, be
sure to follow your passions and make a decision that is entirely
your own.

While our futures lie before us, waiting to unfold, one thing is
certain: high school is over and we have all come to our first true
milestone in our adult lives. We are no longer high school seniors,
we are now high school graduates, ready to move on and face the
world that exists beyond the teachers, cliques and class schedules
that have defined much of our lives. With that said, I would like to
congratulate the class of 2008 on achieving this milestone and wish
you all good luck in following your passions and fulfilling your
dreams.

**

School: Farmingdale High School

Steven Zilg

Age: 18

Attending: Boston College

Good evening Board of Education, administrators, teachers,

honored guests, family and friends; and of course Mike Natale and
Cody Torlincasi, who actually paid $10 for this one second of fame.
Good luck in life, guys. It is an honor and a privilege to welcome you
all to the graduation of the Farmingdale High School class of 2008.
We’ve been building toward this day for the last 13 years. When we
began, a gallon of gas only cost $1, Pluto was considered a planet,
and Steve Knox was merely 3 feet 5 inches tall. So much has
changed since then.

Writing this speech was not easy for me. I am up here tonight
because I managed to end up with the highest G.P.A. in the class.
For some reason, that also means that I know more about life, and
that I should represent the class by imparting some final words of
wisdom on everyone, before running out the door waving a diploma
over my head and throwing my hat in the air with everyone else.
Unfortunately my store of life experience is not at all full, and verbal
inspiration has never been a specialty of mine. After trying for
countless hours to come up with something to say, I still did not
have any ideas. But, then I thought to myself, hey, the adults are
always telling me how much information I have available to me, why
don’t I try looking there? The Internet, I thought to myself. This
ingenious invention was going to save my life and create a beautiful
speech for me. I looked everywhere I could think of. I started with
the obvious, YouTube and “the Google” as our president calls it. But
when I did not find anything there I began to grow desperate. I
found myself typing random Web addresses such as
www.greatideasforstevezilgsvaledictorianspeech.com. Nothing
came up. I found everything that I was not looking for, and nothing
that I was willing to say up here in front of all of you. After trying
very hard to make my speech something special, I decided first that
I should cover the basic parts of a typical valedictorian speech: the
thank yous, and the congratulations.

To our administrators, teachers, and faculty. You have overseen our

development during these many years. Everyone sitting here owes
part of who they are to the Farmingdale School District. I know I do.
My educational experience is a culmination of the interactions I
have had with teachers both in and out of the classroom. For
example, if it wasn’t for Mr. De Paola, I would never have known
that the cafeteria hallway in our school is the longest school hallway
in the state of New York. I don’t know where I would be today if I
didn’t have that important piece of information. Whether it be
music, art, athletics or just general education, the staff in this school
district is filled with some amazing people who have given us
nothing but the best. On behalf of all the graduating seniors, I would
like to say thank you. I would also like to give a personal thank you
to one of the school trainers, Phil Fandale, without whom I would
probably be giving this speech on crutches or in a leg brace.

To the families of these graduates. Some of you were probably

wondering if this day was ever going to come (Mr. and Mrs. Tarello),
and now that it is here, there are probably even more of you who
wish you could put it off for one more year. You’ve watched over us
for the last 18 years, and have seen us grow from diapers to
diplomas. For these last, almost two decades, you have been a
runway for us, giving us guidelines and direction while we remain
on the ground. But now we have reached the end of that runway,
and it is time for us to takeoff into the flight of life, which can go
anywhere we decide to take it. No matter what path we take there
are going to be challenges, but we are ready to face them, thanks to
you, our parents.

Teachers and parents, congratulations on successfully getting us

this far. But even more importantly, my fellow graduates,
congratulations on getting yourselves this far. In today’s world
where so much value is placed on higher education and furthering
our studies, not enough worth is put on the diploma we get for
finishing this level of education. Just because we are getting smarter
as a species does not mean that it is any easier to get through high
school. I am sure all of you in front of me right now can attest to the
hard work that it took to earn that seat you are now sitting in. This
should be nothing short of the proudest moment in your lives so far,
and each and every one of you deserves a round of applause. While I
know that within this school there are some amazing clubs and
teams that accomplish many outstanding feats, there is one special
group that has given me memories that I will take with me forever. I
would like to take a moment to commend my brothers on the Daler
Football team, who persevered through tremendous adversity and
brought the Rutgers Cup back to Farmingdale for the first time in 16
years. I wish I could have been out there with you guys.

Now for the inspirational words ... here goes nothing.

If someone were to observe our world from the outside, they would
see some terrible sights, hear some terrible sounds, and probably
feel some terrible feelings. But even though those sights and sounds
make up most of what you read in the paper or see on the news, the
lesser publicized stories can be just as, if not more important. There
are some amazing people doing some amazing things in every field
all around this world, and it is our time to join them. I look at you
my peers, and I see enormous potential in every sense of the word. I
see movers and shakers, I see problem solvers, I see healers, I see
thinkers, and I see doers. I see courageous individuals who are all
ready to soar off, and change this world for the better in so many
ways. And as I stand before you I am both humbled and thankful;
humbled by the amount of talent I see in the class of 2008, and
thankful that I was able to be just a small part of it. But remember
this my fellow graduates. While the Internet may be able to help you,
it will never accomplish tasks for you. If we trust in each others
abilities, as well as our own, the unimaginable will become not only
imaginable, but attainable. Thank you and I wish us all a healthy
and happy future.

**

School: Farmingdale High School

Rachel Roesch, salutatorian

Age: 18

Attending: College of New Jersey

When I was young, I used to think teachers lived at school. Now,

although I know better, I doubt it sometimes because I don’t think
I’ve ever seen some of the teachers leave the building. It just goes to
show how dedicated our teachers are to their students and that they
don’t view teaching as a “hard duty” but as a “valuable gift.”

Although we are uncertain about the future, I believe the general

consensus is that we all want to graduate whether it is due to
intellectual maturity or a need to be free. I know many of us enjoyed
the time spent in high school, but there is something inside of us
that knows it is time to move on.

Learning from past generations and our past failures is the key to
improving our future. After all, school is for learning.
**

School: Long Beach High School

Name : Doug Kovel

Age: 18

Attending: Georgetown University

I would like to thank our superintendent, Dr. Robert Greenberg, the

Board of Education, Mr. Restivo, administrators, parents, teachers,
and fellow students for being here today. To the seniors this year
seemed like an eternity, but the day we graduate is finally here. This
is a truly monumental event for which we all deserve
congratulations. As we look around this room we can see future
teachers, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, soldiers, athletes, and
other successful professionals. Some of us may think we have our
futures all mapped out and know exactly what it is we want to do,
while others of us only have a vague idea of what it is we want to do
or simply have no idea at all yet. Whatever the case may be, I hope
we keep an open mind and find our passions in life despite all
obstacles that can get in the way.

While this day is a landmark occasion, on which we should celebrate

our accomplishments, we could not have arrived here alone. I feel
that we must take some time to recognize those people who were
instrumental in helping us get to this point. Let us thank our
families who have supported us in our educational and
extracurricular endeavors, and who have been there for us when we
needed them most. Let us also thank our teachers who have inspired
and empowered us, and who have given us the tools to succeed.

While many of us will work ambitiously to achieve our future goals

we should avoid becoming overly consumed by our desires to be
successful. On the subject of success, Neil Simon once said, “I think
that this country and culture glorifies and deifies the goddess of
Success to the point that whenever we try and fail, we hear our own
inner voices say, “shame upon you.” If there is any shame, it is in the
fact that we inflict such heavy punishments on ourselves.” I think
that this quote accurately articulates a pitfall for many people, in a
society where ideals such as opportunism and competition are
championed, sometimes to an unhealthy extent. Far too often
people, become overly concerned with the end results of “doing
well,” or being “the best” without enjoying themselves in the process.
Wanting to do your best is fine, as long as you don’t allow a fear of
failure stop you from following your passions and taking risks. For
the bulk of my high school career, I must admit that I was primarily
concerned with my own personal success, but now I ask myself,
what really is the measure of true success? Is it the tangible awards
one receives for a job well done, such as a large paycheck, a stellar
report card, a glittering trophy, or a shiny acceptance letter from the
University of your Choice? For a long time, this type of reward is
what I thought constituted success, but recently I have discovered
that true success is much more than acquiring external awards.

What I have come to realize is that the joy one gets from extrinsic
rewards is fleeting. It is not before long that the waves of
“congratulations” subside and one’s accomplishment becomes “old
news”. True success and happiness is attained when we utilize our
talents, abilities, and skills in a way that is both personally fulfilling,
and more importantly, has a positive impact on others, such as
friends, family, and the society at -large.

I first came to this realization last summer when I attended a

leadership camp in Baltimore, and an inspiring guest speaker
shared one of her valuable life experiences. The speaker recounted
how she had dropped a highly profitable career as an interior
designer to become the founder of a nonprofit charitable
organization called the Students Sharing Coalition. This coalition
trains middle school and high school children to overcome social
injustices plaguing their community such as poverty, crime,
homelessness, and racial tension. Though this job brought her less
wealth and “success” in the traditional sense of the word, she found
much more fulfillment and inner satisfaction in helping those in
need than in making large sums of money. Her story made an
indelible impression on me, and I was inspired by the fact that
someone could drop a lucrative career for a “higher calling.” I retell
this story to you in hopes that it will inspire you take risks, be
socially conscious, and follow your inner passions.

As high school comes to an end and we prepare to move on to the

next stage of our lives whether it be at a college, a trade school,
military service, or a job, we are sure to face many challenges that
may seem insurmountable. However, we must realize that we do
have the power to overcome obstacles that get in our way through
perseverance and a willingness to take risks. I would like to leave
you with a statement by Albert Einstein “A life not lived for others is
not worth living.” This means that our education is worthless unless
we utilize the knowledge and skills we attained for a meaningful
purpose which positively impacts the rest of the world in some way.
I have no doubts that this Class of 2008 is more than capable of
meeting this lofty demand and will ultimately and collectively
achieve greatness. I wish all of you the best of luck and hope that
you continue to do well in all of your future endeavors.

**
School: Lynbrook High School

Allie Greenberg

Age: 18

Attending: The University of Pennsylvania

Good evening, members of the board of education, administration

and faculty, parents, brothers and sisters, friends, and fellow
graduates:

It is a strange phenomenon that, no matter how excited we are at

the onset of something new, all too quickly we shift our focus to its
ending. So, it was inevitable that from the moment we entered
Lynbrook High School’s doors as eager, wide-eyed freshman, we
started the countdown to bigger and better things. We’ve all heard it
in the halls: “only three days till the weekend ... only 130 days until
summer ... only four weeks to graduation!”

Well, all those weeks that began with dreaded Mondays and ended
with glorious Fridays have added up. Our wishes have come true —
the end is here. But let’s be honest: Now that we are confronted with
the little matter of “the rest of our lives,” that “What’s the rush?”
comment our parents always made when we’d say we couldn’t wait
to finish high school is making a lot more sense.

It seems like only yesterday that, petrified about our clothes and our
hair and everything else, we came to school on that first day of ninth
grade and began wandering the halls of the most confusing building
in America, like rats in a lab experiment. In a sense, these past four
years were a lab experiment for us. In the laboratory otherwise
known as Lynbrook High School, we each had our own personal
petrie dish in which our character and personality could emerge.
Ours was an experiment with many different instruments — athletic
fields and concert halls, classrooms and band rooms; auditoriums
and studios. We tutored kids and relayed for life. We wrote stories
for Horizon and Driftstone and we held blood drives and bake sales
and art exhibitions and did other things too numerous to mention
here. We grappled with tests and regents and submerged ourselves
in the alphabetical quagmire of A.P.s and SATS and ACTs. Somehow,
we emerged from that quagmire, undaunted if not unscathed. Not
least important, we learned our way around the confounding school
building!

And, it took us four years to do it, but we left our mark on one of
Lynbrook’s proudest and most enduring traditions when — before a
thoroughly disbelieving crowd whose primary nonbelievers were us
— we transformed ourselves from Classnight laughingstock into
Classnight champions!!

Along the way, each of us have created our own unique memories
that we will take away from here — mostly good ones, I hope, and
some not so good, but all now and forever a part of who we are and
what we will accomplish.

Nothing worthwhile is accomplished without help from those

around us. Our teachers, coaches, administrators, and counselors
devoted a large part of their lives to educating us — not just in their
respective fields, but in life’s broader lessons: what it means to be
disciplined, focused, and organized; what it means to be part of a
team; what it means to work toward a goal; what it means to be
respectful and what it takes to be respected. We may have at times
felt more burdened than blessed by the lessons, but in at least some
small way—sometimes unknowingly, sometimes with vivid
clarity—we will benefit from them every day of our lives. As we say
goodbye to these truly caring people of Lynbrook High School today,
let us also say, thank you. APPLAUSE

Similarly, we must thank our families. Their unwavering support

has enabled us to reach what is probably the biggest milestone in
our lives thus far. We students like to think we are capable of just
about anything, but we could not have found our way to this
splendid moment without the daily support and love our families
provide. I want to personally thank my family and I hope you’ll join
me in a round of applause in thanking all of your families as well.
APPLAUSE

It is said that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Recently, I entered the school for our last day of classes and I was
gripped by emotions strangely similar to those I remember feeling
on that terrifying first day of ninth grade all those years ago. I felt
confused and scared, not knowing what to expect next. I realized, as
everything hit me, that although I have changed and grown so much
in the past four years here, I am still the same fearful little girl
wandering through the maze of hallways, overwhelmed, yet excited
by the opportunities awaiting me. Each of us have our own feelings
about the past four years and our own hopes and expectations for
the next four and thereafter. But to at least some degree, we all face
the same blank page, again, just as we did when we headed to LHS
from middle school.

I would like to close with a few words about the cornerstone of our
Lynbrook experience: friends. It is our friends who helped us greet
the uncertainties of that first day of ninth grade. And it is the unique
comfort that only friends share that helped us conquer our fears and
doubts every day thereafter. Our friends rejoiced in our triumphs
and softened the blow of our failures. Our friends are at the core of
our most invaluable experiences here, experiences that will soon
become treasured memories destined to remain in our hearts
forever.

As we journey from Marion Street today to Wall Street or whatever

other street or avenue of life we visit tomorrow, we will meet many
people and make many friends on the way—friends who will help us,
make us laugh and make us cry; teach us and learn from us; friends
who will love us. But none of those friends will share the exclusive
bond we share, now and forever—the bond that we created as we
began to grow up, together, in this laboratory—our laboratory—here
at Lynbrook High School.

CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES!! GOOD LUCK IN ALL OF

YOUR ENDEAVORS! AND THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH

**