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发表于 2009-7-28 19:07
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Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, Chancellor Hughes , staff, parents, family and fellow students.
- W$ g) n6 b7 S% @4 s0 e: m; ^7 B* z* V uIn April of 2006, every single one of us received a phone-call from Dr. Yaniw. And toward his invitation to come to OSA, all of us said “yes “ Some of us said “yes” because Old Scona had a strong academic reputation, others because they wanted a close-knit school community. And still, there were some, like Bonnie, who came to OSA after being bribed with ice cream by her parents.
0 d8 `% A% Y7 o+ ~( h/ G; `, y) [' qThere is a great phenomenon that exists at Old Scona. Throughout our three years of school, all of us have complained that “there are too many exams, too many courses and too little free time”. Yet all of us would have answered “yes” to that phone-call a second time. " N- o! p; M/ ]( e& g* G
So today , in the tradition of forming debate arguments, I would like to propose four contentions as to why this journey has been worth taking. : ]% P9 H% q7 n: r W. a+ F& L+ {: {) Z1 l
• The rigor of academic material
8 g2 a# p$ D( d' x7 R# ?At Old Scona, we had access to an academic education that was deep in both breadth and depth. We have learned more because our teachers thought we can handle more. We had also learned more through discussions with our peers, if you’ve ever talked to Thomas, you’ll know what I mean .
1 A. ]6 h1 |. D1 }+ yI once had a conversation with a friend of mine who had challenged the value of an academic education. The argument goes two-fold, “either A, what you are learning is useless for your job in the future or b, on the rare occasion it is useful, you won’t have a chance-on earth of remembering it”.
/ w1 i, w1 U7 a1 f: i# f• Work ethic 9 J, T7 r- g# N7 a% L
I must confess that the first time I had doubted my decision to come to OSA was on the first day of school – I was walking across the soccer field, filled with excitement about the school year ahead when I saw the words “youth prison” grafittied across the western wall, that some juvenile delinquent off whyte avenue had placed there. If we were writing a commentary for Miss Tuba, the technique we should discuss is called “foreshadowing”.8 P9 t8 W1 s: f- ~; H1 w) v2 x
All jokes aside we cannot deny that the development of a strong work ethic as a result of 3 years of practice will prove to be a priceless advantage to all of us in the future.
+ k4 G$ A) F4 T8 u) u We have come to understand that no matter how talented one may be, talent alone cannot get us anywhere. And thus, we embraced hard-work, believing that we can achieve anything if we set our mind to it. * P a' e- Z4 T- A9 q
This is the belief that drives some of us to wake up at 5 AM to catch a bus to school. This is the belief that makes us come back again and again to conquer that English essay. This is the belief that motivates us to choose math homework over a hockey game. This is the belief that keeps us going during those frustrating late-night studying sessions. $ S. v* O. P( t& y2 _' k- g
It doesn’t matter that we may have fallen short of some of our expectations. It matters that we tried, because in the words of the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, “we are what we repeatedly do, excellence then, is not an act, but a habit”.
5 Z# R: \8 z5 a5 T& ~7 a* o• Friends and Family 7 w4 m: M p0 k, d1 J
My third contention is about the relationships we have built.
6 W) U3 a8 v( V2 p4 B" ~I remember during IB exams a few weeks ago, which we wrote at the University of Alberta, Mr. Adams came into the exam room with about 5 back packs and yelled, “guys, this isn’t Old Scona, these will get stolen!” 6 Z% u- q! l3 }# z, g9 l. d
I am pretty sure OSA is one of the few schools on this planet in which one feels comfortable leaving a laptop computer sitting in the hallway unguarded. * v8 N3 u% f. o$ ^( E0 h
The unconditional trust in the integrity of all of our fellow students has been the foundation of the friendships we have built. ! q, s. g2 {1 _: g& f
I’m not talking so much about the friends with whom you hang out at the movies, but more so about the friend who you can call at 2 AM in the morning. 7 [' a# O& l; _- A* o7 C Y7 P
I think our favorite memories of high school will reside in the hallways of Old Scona.
8 ^, ?' F5 s1 X$ L It is there… that every day, before school and during lunch, we see groups of friends congregating in small circles or large clusters. We go there to prepare for the next social essay. We go there to compare answers after a biology test. And sometimes, we simply go there to appreciate the joys of each other’s company. We treasure those moments for they showed Old Scona at its very best.
. U/ `7 d3 a% c/ H7 l- H) \High School has also been a time when we’ve built stronger relationships with our parents. * }0 x/ v' I- x6 [! p J; W# @
Today, we celebrate the unconditional love and support which our parents and our families have shown.
+ i1 P& X4 B! d5 M$ d# y5 k/ P8 ?That love is shown in the parents who drove across snow storms to get us to school. That love is shown in the parent who prepared a special meal to comfort us when we received a bad mark. That love is shown in the parent who scolded us for procrastinating. That love is shown, for they wanted us to realize the full extent of our potential. % O8 a0 M& g2 e! T, i
That love is shown in the smile of our parents on our first day of Kindergarten. That love is shown in the parents who moved across half the world so that their children would have a better future. That love is shown in the parent who made unconditional sacrifices for our happiness.
5 ^$ r5 b; N, I" SSo today, even though words are not enough we thank our parents for having taken this journey with us, and for having reminded us, that no matter what happens, we are not alone. 5 P; u3 b+ g0 t3 o0 F& @
Service. M2 U6 S* K$ z$ f* m1 H
The last contention is about service.
+ J5 m) t* C: Y/ ?* N. L- AIn September of 2008, Old Scona Academic High School celebrated its centennial, a milestone which the class of 2009 is proud to have been a part of. Mr. William Kent, who is with us here today, was born in the year that the cornerstone of Strathcona Collegiate Institute was laid. In a message to the Grade Twelves, he recalled an important quote he had read in his school days, “It isn’t how much money you have got. It is how you came into possession of it, and what use you are making of it, that counts with the world today.” 9 h5 x. j$ M( P( C) z
How have we learned about service? The lessons have been imparted to us by example, through the lives of our teachers. We see those examples of service when Mr. Lytviak stays an extra hour to do math help, when Ms. Bain and Ms. Tuba mark essays late into the night or when Mr. Ransom and Mr. Peters sacrifice their Saturdays for debate tournaments. We are reminded of service when Madame Shanahan came to school each day with a bright smile and a host of jokes, even while recovering from cancer, and in our Grade 11 year, when Mrs. Burke devoted many hours to ensuring the success of the annual concerts and drama productions, never once letting on that her husband was dying from cancer.
* i; d9 e& ?, v; ~We look to these examples of service, whether great or small, to the highest sense of the word. They reflect a keen awareness of one’s responsibility to society – the kind of service to which we aspire.
7 [' j; S1 [& D9 |' R3 gSo yes, the class of 2009 reaffirms today that this journey has been well-taken and has been well worth taking. On that day in April when we responded yes to Dr. Yaniw’s invitation, we had also responded yes to trials and to triumphs, to knowledge and critical thought, to hard-work and its rewards, to life long friendships and to the memories we keep. 5 {* r: n4 Z6 z% B8 y/ x& V4 z# N
So we start a new phase of our lives confident in all that we have learned, both inside and outside of the classroom. We have the power to change the world not only because of our talents but because of our character, and today, we thank the institution that has prepared us well. # o3 S* B+ T; E2 N4 d# h
We shall remember that the spirit of Old Scona will be a part of us forever, “for what was given here, we shall keep”. |
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楼主: 兔子皇
狗仔卡
发表于 2009-7-26 09:28
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