5/22/07 My Eighth Grader's Graduation Speech

This is the speech my eighth grader wrote, and has been asked to read at her school's end of the year program. The names have been changed to protect the innocent/ guilty / and undecided.

Before I attended this school I was home schooled. When I went to school for the first time, I was terrified. I actually remember crying the night before school because I was so afraid that I wouldn't like it. However, on my first day of school, a girl I didn't even know invited me to eat lunch with her and her friends. This girl, Annie Oakley, is now my best friend. We did not become such good friends until our trip to Sea Camp later that year. On that trip, we had to dissect squid. I was completely grossed out, but luckily I was partnered with Alexander Petrovsky, who seemed to be the most excited about the dissection.

Last year, in 7th grade, was one of my favorite years at this school. We went on a lot of fun trips, including my favorite trip, which was the 7th grade leadership retreat. Even though we were not staying in a hotel, able to take showers, and we had to canoe our luggage twenty-three miles through a river, I enjoyed it. We all go to bond on that trip. My favorite part of that trip was the log game. We all had to alphabetize ourselves on a thin log without talking or falling off. If you did talk or fall off, they would "handicap" you. I was one of those people, so they made me blind by tying a bandanna around my head. I am not going to lie; it was scary. I had to put a lot of trust into the people helping me along or else I could have fallen. Eventually, after yelling and getting stressed out, we finished. When I finally took off my blindfold I realized that I was at the tip of the log, hovering above the water. I had put all of trust in my classmates to let them lead me across this log. They all kept me safe and made sure that I wouldn't fall.

Another highlight of my time at this school was being on the basketball team. I had been on it for three years and adored it. I'll admit, I wasn't the best at all, but I still had fun, especially with the girls on the team. I loved being on the car ride to our games, listening to music with the girls, and just getting pumped up. I wouldn't trade that experience for the world.

I don't just enjoy the trips and sports, I enjoy these teachers too. Mrs. Mathematics has always been here, except for when she was on maternity leave. Whenever I had problems with my friends or anything, she was there to help me. I have always felt comfortable talking to her about anything. Mrs. History is so much fun. She is such a kid at heart and is such a joy to be around. Mrs. Science has always tried her hardest to make sure that I understand what is going on and I can tell that she truly cares about me. Last, but not least, is Mr. English. He is one of the funniest people I know and he is always making me laugh. He is a very easy person to talk to and has a way of relating to me. Even though the work is hard, I am grateful for how hard my teachers have pushed me. I know that I will be prepared for high school.

I feel safe in this school and love it. I love how this school doesn't just have students sitting in desks all day long; we actually get to do projects as well. What other school can say that they build machines in science class, make street signs in Language Arts, and dress up in Social Studies?

At the end of 6th grade I thought that I was going to be switching schools, and I couldn't bear the thought. We hear the teachers and administrators saying all the time that this school is a family, and it truly is. We care about each other and love each other. When my parents saw how upset I was, they let me stay at this school. I can't explain how much I have enjoyed my four years here, and I am grateful to my teachers, parents, and administration for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this family.