text:
KAYLA DUKE WRHS Class of 2007 Graduation Speech
Sitting back and recalling my high school experiences, I think immediately to the first day that I entered Wachusett. Of course, this occurred after waiting endlessly for the bus, while getting drenched in rain. Covered in water and hair awry, I raced through the halls with my friends in search of my homeroom. Finally arriving at our destination, I was forced to stand on the side of the room as everyone stared at my frizzy hair and soaked clothes. After one of the worst days of my life, I decided I would never go back to Wachusett. Yet now, four years later, as I walk into school, those friends are mere acquaintances, and I see Wachusett in a completely new light. With a new sense of confidence, I feel that I can leave this crazy place knowing a little more about who I am and want to be.
Being the lucky class that has experienced four years of construction, we have walked into a different school every year of our high school lives. Unfortunately, none of the cheesy high school movies prepared us for the four years we would spend in this place. Hollywood tries not to feature schools that are under construction, lack sports fields, cannot host homecoming, and whose students and teachers must battle their way through the hallways. Knowing that Wachusett is no ordinary high school, I personally believe that anyone who has survived four years here during construction can handle pretty much anything in life.
While it's quite easy to list and focus on the day-to-day obstructions, it's also hard not to realize how well we have persevered and kept the Wachusett spirit alive. Afterall, if we look for positives in all of this chaos we might realize that this mess of a school kept us closer together. By constantly being annoyed and angered by the lack of facilities and space, we have all truly found a common ground. The sports kids who have no fields can easily relate to the arts kids who have no performance areas. Despite these serious setbacks, we have still had some of the best sports teams, science competitors, National Honor Society members, artists, performers, musicians, mathematicians, and political groups in the state.
There is no doubt that these four years have been about change. We have watched as the physical structure of this school has completely transformed, as principals have rotated, and as rules and regulations have changed drastically. Ironically, we, as individuals, as friends, as acquaintances, and as classmates, have changed simultaneously with this atmosphere. While we might not have gotten straight A's or brilliant scholarships, we have spent four years learning and deciding who we are and who we want to be. The frequent and aggravating construction setbacks at Wachusett have taught us some of life's simplest lessons: no matter where you are or who you are you have to adapt to your surroundings, you have to help others and find common grounds in order to pursue your own interests, and most importantly you have to appreciate the small things in life and look at things from a larger perspective. When I think of the old Wachusett, I think of a crummy, old building that had character, charm, and spirit, and as I think of the school we walked out of just a few days ago I see a new building, with the same name, that will soon possess the same character and charm as its predecessor. I believe that we are all leaving this school wiser, relieved, and more confident than we could ever have been four years ago. If and when we ever return to this place, we will remember a different version of this school to host each of our memories. Most importantly, we can finally come to realize that appearance and technicalities only mean so much, and the life of Wachusett will always be in the perseverance of the people who cherish and respect each day that they are able to spend here at this school. I wish you all the best of luck in your future journeys. Congratulations.