James Fortes

Address from the president of the class

Good morning. This year felt a bit different than the past three. We finally ran this building standing behind me. We waited four long years to get here and never would I have thought that I would be the one leading all of you.

Seniors, we're finally here. We're finally done with high school. And for the most of us, this means no summer reading. And after this vacation, we have the rest of our lives parted from one another.

For those attending college in the Fall, In the words of Mr. Cushing, Don't look at college as the "Best four years of your life" because if you do so, what is there to look forward to in life once youʼve graduated?

So from now on, look at college as a place to set up the BEST rest of your life. And to work on becoming the best person you can be... even though our class is made up of 0% losers and 100% cool people. I'm pretty sure our teaching staff would agree with that.

Speaking of teaching staff, I would like to take the time to let you all know how really appreciated you all are. We would like to thank you for all the long hours you've spent with us for extra help ... and detention.

And also for putting up with us even if you werenʼt in your best mood because those countless hours that were spent with us obviously paid off, and without you, this wouldnʼt be happening.

Parents, we really do owe all of you our lives. And even though we repeatedly tell you that we do not need you, we're obviously lying. But now that were graduating, we donʼt have mommy and daddy guiding us through life by the hands. That 18-year train ride has just ended. So now its our time to prove that we can be independent. And by looking at my classmates, I can tell were gonna be OK.

On a more serious note, I would like to thank Ms. Kfoury, Ms. Briggs, and Ms Ortwein for always being on my case to make sure I got things done. I'm not gonna lie to you, being president is no easy job. But there are obviously perks to it because I'm speaking to you wonderful people today.

It took a lot of hard work and teamwork to have this year run smoothly, so I would also like to thank Josh, Caroline, Maddie, Andrea, and my "chief of staff," Jason Young, because of there personalities and their great ideas, they made this year twice as fun and unforgettable.

Moms and Dads, I know you guys have been waiting 18 long years to see us in these outfits. And I Know you're proud. So on behalf of me and my fellow classmates, we just wanna say we love you. Even though we may not show it 99% of the time.

We will remember these four years forever, and we will remember our friends and the memories as well for the rest of our lives. We came into Alcatraz -- I mean, AHS as 14- and 15-year-olds without a clue of who we were. And now were young adults with great eduations and ready to be pushed to the next level.

I was waiting for the bus one day and saw little kids from a preschool or day-care walking down Mass. Ave. holding onto a rope. That image reminds me of this class in a way. Because our class represents that rope. These past four years represents that rope. And we as individuals are like the little children holding onto that rope.

Here we have future doctors, lawyers, psychiatrists, pilots, etc., and no matter where we go -- whether its to California, Florida, Ireland, down the street, Afghanistan, Iraq, or wherever. And after tonight. We will never be like this ever again. We will always be connected by that rope.