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By Michael Hashem
Welcome everyone to this year’s graduation ceremony for our Class of 2025 Saugus High School graduates. It was a mere 40 years ago I graduated from Saugus High School. It was at Stackpole Field, on a Sunday, early afternoon, sunny, humid and 85 degrees, but in most ways it was the same. We had numerous speeches, many recognitions of achievement, the band playing, and nearly 400 students getting their diplomas. The ceremony took probably around two hours, but for the 17-year-old me, it seemed more like six hours. That said, I didn’t and you don’t want to listen to your superintendent ramble on about the past, present, or future.
My goal today is to leave you with some important words of advice. Every year, I try to be profound or profess some sort of great wisdom, but it never seems to go exactly as planned. Five years ago the students were sitting 10 feet apart, while another year we had to make a mad dash to get to the gym to finish graduation in the midst of a fast moving thunderstorm. Nothing is ever typical or easy, but that doesn’t matter because, as you will see soon, life always throws curveballs, no matter how hard you prepare. In my introduction to the staff this year, I used the story about the bear climbing over the mountain only to find another mountain, to describe the upcoming school year. I will carry that metaphor along today, by pointing out that you are all that bear climbing over the mountain. You have reached a peak, but not the ultimate summit. Like many mountains, it is a false summit that you cannot see until you reach higher ground. High school graduation is a tremendous accomplishment, but the summit is a long, long way to go. Moving forward you need to continue to climb, overcoming obstacles and challenges. While you do so try to enjoy the hike and do not overlook the small successes. Those are often the greatest moments. Carry on, carry over, and carry forward.
To every graduate, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors and I will leave you with a quote that has always steered me in the right direction. In the words of LL Cool J, “When adversity strikes, that’s when you have to be the most calm. Take a step back, stay strong, stay grounded and press on.”
