Superintendent Willis, Piute County school board members, Principal Bagley, faculty, staff, parents, family, friends and graduates:
You know, I’ve never understood how people say that imagining the audience in their underwear helps them to calm their nerves. I’m still pretty nervous, and I haven’t even looked at the faculty yet.
Now, with that out of the way, I’d like to welcome you to the Graduation of the Class of 2023. This class, as of right now, is the biggest in the school. There are 33 kids graduating, which is a lot more than anyone would’ve expected if you knew us when we were Freshman.
During our time in High School together, our class has 12 state championships. Four baseball, four wrestling, two girls basketball, one boys basketball, and one boys cross country. As you look around you, you’ll notice that the gym walls are lined with posters of our senior athletes. Some seniors participated in multiple sports, while some only in one.
However, the involvement of our class has lasted since we were little seventh graders who would pile everyone into two buses just to escape school. Members of our class are involved in FFA, FBLA, Choir, National Honors Society, HOSA, Shooting Club, and much more.
Not only have we achieved this much as a class outside of the classroom, but we also have the academics to show for our time in the desks.
If you were to ask the teachers, the majority would tell you that when it comes to book smarts, we are the smartest class that they’ve had in a while. I’ve heard it from nearly every teacher in the school that our class has had the highest ACT scores that they have seen in a while, so I guess that’s something to look at as a compliment if taken the right way. A quote from Shauna Bagley herself: “You guys have been the best class and have surpassed everyone else.”
At times, however, we struggle to be “common-sense” smart. Whether it’s getting into a fist fight over a drawing on a white board or breaking a bathroom stall door off of its hinges, our class has definitely had its moments.
So, for the remainder of the night, I hope that you can join us in celebration of the memories we made. From the smart to the dumb and the good to the bad, I’d like to thank you for coming and I hope that you can enjoy our presentation of the last four years of our high school lives.
– by Taylor Gleave
A welcome address delivered at Graduation Commencement for Piute High School’s Class of 2023.