My High School Graduation Speech

I had the honours to deliver the graduation speech during my last year at high school. This is what I've written and delivered. Enjoy! =)

A very good morning, I would like to wish, to the *VIPs*, the principal of our school, Mr Khor Bean Tay, my dear teachers and fellow friends.

Time, it seems, does not creep in the ‘petty pace from day to day’ as it is said in the poem Life’s Brief Candle by Shakespeare. In a blink of the eye, our brilliant time in Chung Hwa is quickly coming to an end. So, we do not have much of a choice but to let this occasion be filled with hopes for the future instead of tears.

Life as a secondary student is not as utopian as I had imagined when I was just a small, innocent kid. It is not without shedding countless tears and sweat, yet we still can find blissful moments among these ‘bitter storms’ - and these moments are brought on by our friends. Have you noticed yet? It is them who brought the rays of laughter into our lives, making our lives meaningful.

With the right friends, we will be able to be more than what we can be. Value your friends as they are your benefactors. Value them as you value yourself. These life-long friends are the ones who had and will help you to tackle the turmoils of life.

Besides, I would like to thank my lucky stars for having such great school administrators. The old library that I could still remember on the first day of my secondary school life was transferred to the ground floor with air-conditioning. The water-vending machine, the stone benches in front of the skating ring, and the new auditorium are also a few of the many facilities introduced. The school administrators have made Chung Hwa a much better place for us. In their effort, they have asked for nothing in return, except our cooperation.

What is a school if there are no teachers? These light-bringers have and will, always, guide us through the endless challenges of our life, if, of course, you look closely enough. You will see them hunched over mountains of exercise books in the staff room, racing against the pitiless time to get it all marked before the next school day. They have enlightened our ignorant minds since the first day we stepped into this school. They have shaped us into who we are right now. It is these people who very much deserve the Nobel Prize. Their dedication to their jobs is I something that I have always admired. That’s why, I would like to take this opportunity to thank them from the deepest recesses of my heart for being the One when we needed you the most. Thank you.

We may be a little bit naughty sometimes… okay, that’s a white lie… we are very naughty often and also boneheaded. We may be born in the Year of the Snake or Horse but we bounced around the school as though we are born in the Year of the Monkey. For all troubles and problems we may have caused during our ‘stay’ in Chung Hwa, we really hope that we can be forgiven for our past mistakes and silly antics. Your pardon will definitely soothe our souls before we leave this beloved school.

It seems that time is very much envious of me; I have no choice but to end this speech but before I take my leave, please enjoy this poem written by an unknown author,

There are no words to match my gratitude,

However much like Shakespeare I might write.

Above all else, you've shaped our attitudes,

Nurturing us with discipline and light.

Knowledge is the least of what you taught,

Yet that least at least prepared our heads.

Out of your heart we've learnt the things we ought,

Underscoring words you never said.

            Thank you and farewell.