(Editors note: Cole Bilanchuk was selected by his classmates to give the valedictory address.)
High school is a time when a person really begins to develop his or her personality and a time of growing and transition.
We discovered new things and began to discover what we liked and didn鈥檛. As you get into high school you pass many milestones and begin to make decisions.
As well as growing, high school is a time to make memories that can never be forgotten. I know that many of my own happiest times have happened during my time in school. I will also say that some of my most stressful memories have also been at high school.
Thinking back about all of the things we have learned in school, I realized all of the things that we really have learned. Many of the skills that we learned will help us in our everyday lives.
When looking back on our class I can see that we have grown to be very diverse people and many of us no longer have a lot in common. Some of us have jobs, some are more social and like sports while other don鈥檛. Although I can say one thing, that we as a class all share, when we leave school we are armed with the knowledge we need to succeed in today鈥檚 world. In our current age, knowledge is power and without knowledge a person will not get very far.
Finally, I would like to share a piece of advice with all of you that my father shared with me at a young age.
鈥淪on you go to school and get as smart as you can, because your education that鈥檚 the one thing that nobody can ever take away from you no matter how hard they try,鈥� he told me.
