My Graduation Speech

Hello, my name is Stephen Charbonneau, class of 2009.
At this moment, I cannot help but think of a scene from Lord of the Rings. When Frodo and Samwise are setting out on their quest, they come to a field. Sam stops in his tracks and says, “if I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.” Frodo comforts him by saying “it’s a dangerous business, Sam, going out your door. You step onto the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
We all feel a bit like Samwise right now. The inevitable flow of time has pushed us out onto the road and the door has closed behind us. The next footstep we take will be the beginning of a new expedition as well as the final step of the thirteen-year journey we’ve gone through together. We’ve come so far, so let us look at the trail behind us.
Thirteen years of Yarmouth Schools, from Kindergarten to now, have made it evident to me that Yarmouth is a beacon upon a hill for the public education system; a shining example for the whole world to see. In every class I’ve ever had, I realized just last week, my teachers have taught me so much more than basic subject material. They’ve taught me how to be a better person by instilling in me the core values of Yarmouth. So, we ought to thank Yarmouth, all the teachers and faculty, hundreds of people who have devoted so much time and effort and love into getting us here today. Think how wonderful and different the world would be if one day in the distant future, kids from Yarmouth to Yemen, from Maine to Moldova to Malawi could receive such a wonderful public education and childhood?
How lucky we are, also, to have traveled this trail together. In each other, we couldn’t have asked for better company along the way. We’ve traveled so far and grown so much, and grown in so many ways. We’ve grown closer together, and also grown in the scope of our understanding of the world around us. We’ve gained and lost. We’ve grown intellectually, morally. (And most importantly, physically. I don’t miss being four feet tall.) We’ve come so far and grown so much and there is still much that is ahead of us.
The Trail behind is long and filled with memories, but let us turn around to face the Road ahead. Our Road now branches off into many different directions. Faced with these Forks in the road, our fellowship must here–– disband. It’s sad to say goodbye to old friends. We can take comfort, though, in knowing that each of these roads will lead us to the same future of opportunity; no matter what road we take, we are destined to join together to build a better society. Perhaps our paths will cross some day in the future. I can see in each of you what you looked like when we first met. I can see how we look now, and I can foresee where we’ll end up. I look out and I see tomorrow’s doctors and nurses, healing the world, and I see how the caring and integrity they learned here helped them to take the Hippocratic Oath. I see tomorrow’s brave men and women of the Armed Services, wearing uniform and the burden and pride that come with responsibility for the world’s freedom. I see lawyers and politicians who will orchestrate the world’s business, and bring hopefully honesty and trustworthiness to those fields.
We are tomorrow’s scientists and dreamers, teachers, entertainers, entrepreneurs, and businesspeople. And no matter where the road takes us, we will never forget where we came from or what we learned here. It is my sincere belief that to serve oneself ultimately serves no-one, while service to others ultimately serves everyone.
That is what each of us must do. To think of ourselves not only as individuals, but as a civilization; as teammates. With each and every action we take, we act as architects of the future. Do we choose to lay the foundation for a world of integrity, courage, judgment, and dedication? Will you live your life with a sense of purpose? At this moment of change, let us begin.
I believe that when history is written about us, about our class, that they will say that we were the new Greatest Generation; that, in the words of President Kennedy, we asked not what our country could do for us, but that we asked what we could do for our country. They will pass on this verdict: that we witnessed the mistakes of the past century, and learned from them; that we met hardships, and overcame them; that we sought to make America greater than it ever had been before.
2009: keep your feet, see the road, and don’t be afraid to take that first step.