(VIDEO) Building a School Community

(Editor's note: Graduate Forrest Yesnes made the following speech at this year's Hopkins High School commencement ceremony.)

How fast these years have gone by! From our first day of high school to our last, from rushing through those front doors three years ago and to walking out of them later tonight. From racing to class the moment the first bell rings to “Eh, I should probably go now” after the sound of the warning bell. From the terror we felt of being wrong to the excitement of learning from our mistakes. These last years have been a period of major growth for each of us as members of the graduating class of 2011.

Each day, here at Hopkins, strengthened and prepared us for the time after we leave. We all started off in different places, at various stages of our personal development. And, we will all leave in different places. But, we shared this time in between together at Hopkins. Maybe you found a community in class, an oasis in Orchestra, or a family in phy-ed... but we all found a home in Hopkins. And although we tripped through those front doors or stumbled our way to class at the beginning of our high school career, we walk strongly and tall out of here tonight, proud to know that somewhere along the way we found our footing in Hopkins.

I am honored to stand here today, among phenomenal faculty, supportive families and friends, and vibrant students in a place that we have thought of as our second home. But what constitutes a home? We have spent many, many hours in this building and have even held events outside of it, but does time spent or space used make something a home? No, but we have built a community within our school that has provided each of us the opportunity to feel safe and comfortable with who we are. We have opened up our hearts and strongly expressed our opinions in class discussions and debates even though we may have disagreed with our classmates and friends. We have felt comfortable enough at Hopkins to venture beyond what we already know, like when our National Honor Society held the first-ever carnival that was open to our entire community. Step-It-Up brought together youth from all over the metro area to compete in a dance competition like no other. Our club leaders joined forces in an attempt to engage every single student in a place that they felt welcomed and passionate, be it Earth Club, Young Liberals Club, or International Club. These are but a few examples of how Hopkins has been a home to each of us. And although we are all very content within our own social groups, we have still not been afraid to unite them. This balance between feeling comfortable where we fit in and challenging our comfort zones to experience new opportunities is a skill that will take us far. It will help us next year, and the years after, in our professional lives and our personal ones. People will look up to us as caregivers and go-getters. This is a skill we must never forget.

In 20 years, or maybe even in 5, you will not remember this speech. But you will remember the excitement of tonight’s party. You will remember how close you were with your greatest friends, how connected you became with a few teachers, how much your family and your upbringing meant to you. You will remember the frustration of those long nights when you stayed up trying to force new vocabulary into your head. You will remember the pride we felt in arranging ourselves on the bleachers sporting our senior color of orange. You will remember how it felt to walk up here and receive your diploma. And I hope that you feel amazing, because what we are celebrating here tonight is the next step of our lives.

If we had wanted to just learn calculus, or chemistry, or Spanish, we could have enrolled at any school. But, we wanted to develop character. We wanted to learn self-discipline and acceptance. We wanted to gain responsibility, patience, and understanding. And we did just that. And that is why we, the class of 2011, will always be proud to be Hopkins High School graduates. Thank you.