Hillbrook alumnus Weston Del Signore received the Hillbrook Award when he graduated in 2014. The recipient of this award returns, as a high school senior, to deliver a speech during the Graduation Ceremony.
Hello all: faculty, staff, family, friends, and the graduating Class of 2018! Wow. You really did it! You really did that. Middle school, check. Boom. Done. A little over four years ago, I was in your shoes, onstage, with all of these faces staring back, expectant and loving, and occasionally crying, especially if you’re my mom. Now, here I am, and although maybe a few of those smiling faces are directed in my general vicinity, the vast majority of the love in this outdoor auditorium is directed towards the wonderful class of 2018!
High school is different, to say the absolute least. I attended Hillbrook for ten years, I refuse to say decade because I’m already feeling my age right now, and I know a thing or two about this place. Nestled at the top of Marchmont is a sanctuary full of kindness, acceptance, creativity, bright minds, and even brighter futures. Though my friends undoubtedly contributed to the sense of community on campus, it was the teachers I got to know that made me thrive as an individual. From a music teacher whose name sounds suspiciously like “lipsing,” I found my passion for percussion and rhythm. From an art teacher that prioritized creative expression over the outcome, as long as you refrained from saying “duh,” I gained a completely new perspective about what it means to be an artist. Sorry Ken, I’ll get walking later. From an english teacher that turned into two english teachers that turned into my favorite subject of all time, I took after-school creative writing classes, further allowing me to manifest my internal thoughts onto the page. From a homeroom teacher and science teacher that made me feel as though this campus were my home, even when I was going on my last few months as a Hillbrook student. Hillbrook is a home first and a school second, without fail.
I’m going to return to the point I made at the top of the previous paragraph and retell you the secret to enjoying high school: it’s different. This isn’t a BAD thing by any means, although, for the sake of comedy, I’m going to make it seem pretty bad. My first day of high school was… overwhelming. A flurry of new, indifferent faces in the halls, rather than waving at everyone I passed. A thumbprint scanner that refused to recognize my print, forcing me to hold up the entire grumbling cafeteria line for roughly 5 minutes so I could scrounge up my PIN number. A teacher whom I had never met before, who sat down next to me and accusingly asked, “what’s THAT look,” while pointing at my untucked, collared short-sleeve shirt, which was apparently lacking a tie and sleeves to an offensive degree. In that moment, I was totally lost. Hillbrook has a unique way of uniting students and faculty into one cohesive mishmash of enjoyment, but in high school, creating that casserole of wonderful friends and experiences is completely up to you.
Though, yes, mom will still have to drive you to soccer practice and dance rehearsal and piano lessons, thank you mom, the responsibility of how you intend to spend your time on campus, besides attending classes of course, is in your hands. Anywhere and everywhere you’re going next year will have an extensive list of on-campus organizations and clubs: JOIN THEM. There will be a list of cut and no-cut sports teams: JOIN THEM. There will be opportunities to contribute to the conversation in class: JOIN THEM. The only way to make your new high school into a home rather than a house is to personalize it. High school is designed for you to try as many things as you can over a four year period, while also keeping your grades at an acceptable level. Throughout high school, I rekindled passions of drawing, photography, skateboarding, and writing. At the same time, I let go of some former passions: soccer, volleyball, and, for the most part, guitar. That isn’t to say that I no longer enjoy these things, as I will almost never pass up an opportunity to play beach volleyball with the Bellarmine Beach Volleyball club.
What I guess I’m trying to convey is that high school is up to you. It’s up to you to decide whether to keep playing sports, to decide if 7 AP courses is really what you want (It isn’t), and to decide ultimately how much fun you’re going to have. This isn’t to say that life is predictable, because it isn’t. All I can ever hope to convey to you is that high school is exactly what you make of it, nothing more. So, to the graduating class of 2018, make these next four years meaningful to you, they’ll pass much more quickly than you can imagine. Engage your teachers, friends, and even your parents, who are keen on embarrassing you in front of your friends. Collectively, these groups provide you a backbone, the support that allows you to find who you are in the perpetual frenzy of a high school campus. This is a formative four years for each and every one of you: make them distinctively yours. Never stop creating, never stop loving, never stop understanding others, and most importantly, never stop questioning. Why? Good question. It’s because you should never accept something as absolute, simply because someone told you. It’s because critical thinkers are what we need in this world, where terms like “fake news” are tossed around more casually than a football after Thanksgiving. Class of 2018, there are infinitely more questions that the human race has to answer. What will your story tell? Which questions will you answer? How big can you make your heart to encompass those surrounding you? How will you leave your mark on this world?
I don’t have the answers to these questions, and you guys likely don’t either. But, hey, that’s what high school is all about: finding you. And so, I say to these lovely individuals to my left, find what makes you YOU. Your mom and dad, siblings and cousins, aunts and uncles, grandpa and grandma, your best friends, and your favorite teachers will be behind you every step of the way. Always be conscious of those people that stick with you through anything, and be sure to express your gratitude for their steadfastness. Be you, the wonderful Class of 2018!