Monday, August 3, 2015

A Messsage to the GLHS Class of 2015



May 29, 2015

Members of the class of 2015, 

During the past 4 years, you have left your mark on Grand Ledge High School and in turn our hearts.  In the classroom you have impressed us with your knowledge and academic achievement.  On the stage you have wowed us with your incredible vocal and instrumental talents and on the athletic field, you have inspired us with your power and grace.  Amongst you stand athletes, scientists and artists with a magnitude of hopes, talents and ambitions.  This is a thrilling moment for us all to celebrate the diversity and the range of wonderful young people ready to take their place in the world.

I know that you have all different plans for the future.  Some of you will go on to a University or College; others will take different training courses.  Some of you may go directly to work.  Still others are planning to serve our country in the military.  I am sure too some of you don’t yet know what you will do when you leave this building tonight.  That is OK.  Chances are your chosen path will change many times in your lifetime.

Please remember, it doesn’t matter whether you are a professor or a gardener, a mechanic or an actor, as long as you remember that every job has its’ own dignity.  Remember that in this changing world, you should also be open to change.  Life is too short to spend it doing something you hate or something that bores you.  Your career should be more than just a job.  It should be a joy.  Many people confuse job satisfaction with a high salary or an attractive social position.  Real job satisfaction is about feeling at the end of the day that you have made a difference.

With that in mind, please remember that this education we are recognizing today is a privilege and privileges bring responsibility.  Whether you become teachers or artists you will be citizens too.  That means you have the responsibility to your neighborhood and to your fellow citizens.  So please use your talents and skills help others who may not be so blessed.

Please value your families.  I hope that you will always have their love and support in the years to come.  More importantly, I hope you will return that love and support and be the kind of people who will make your parents proud.

Please value your friends.  I encourage you to maintain your friendships with your classmates.  Thirty years from now you will be glad to go to your class reunion and know that the people there are not strangers.  Remember too that in the course of a life you will meet many new people.  Make friends wherever you go because they will enrich your life.

Finally, and most importantly, love!  Love is what separates happiness from misery!  It separates a full life from an empty one.  Love is not purchased or manufactured.  Love is to submit willingly and whole-heartedly to the things that matter!  Love yourself! Love your Family! Love your friends!  Love your life!

Class of 2015, I wish you all the best as you go on your way.  I hope that you will make the most of the opportunities you have been given.   I hope too that you will find happiness in everything that you do.  Above all, I hope that you don’t forget your days here at Grand Ledge High School, because we will certainly not forget you.  I hope that whatever you do or wherever you go you will be proud to say, “I graduated from Grand Ledge High School”, because we are proud of you!

Best Wishes,

Mr. Gabriel

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