Plymouth North High School 2012 Commencement

Christina Noyes, PNHS Class of 2012 President, Salutatorian speech:

Mr. Begley and School Committee members, Dr. Maestas and Central Office staff, Plymouth North Administration, members of the Classes of 1962 and 1987, School Council members, faculty, staff, parents, and invited guests, welcome to these commencement exercises honoring the graduating Class of 2012. Twelve years ago we had the same butterflies, the same fear, the same major life change coming up that we encounter today. We put on our nicest shoes and started what we finish now. We rode the colossal yellow school bus to our first day in Kindergarten with extraordinary smiles decorating our faces. The weeks prior to our first day, we got our very first backpacks. The walls of the stores were covered in bags of all sizes. Pink sparkles for some, and cute Rugrats characters for others, all of which were about ten times the size of us. Then it was time for the fun part, unwrapping all of the pencils and paper and filling your new favorite accessory. This first year, I can nearly guarantee that you had at least the 500 pack of Crayola crayons. For some reason, the 480 colors you never even used gave you an excitement beyond belief. This is the year when we established our creativity; when we explored with different colors and different people. Now I stand before you, and ask you to hold on to that wonder and excitement that you experienced on that first day of school. Forever keep with you these crayons, in a desperate attempt to preserve your youth. Be exciting, be fun, and let yourself feel contentment in the simplicity of laughter.
The years went on and we got smarter. Our extraordinary smiles became toothless and our bags got even bigger. By first and second grade we learned how to read. Every stutter and stammer over the words of Doctor Seuss proved rewarding once conquered. Our backpacks contained books of every color and character. This is where we learned to imagine. We personalized text and let it carry us away. Our dreams of being here today started to take shape then. Forever keep with you a copy of Green Eggs and Ham, a link to your innocence of dreaming. Never stop persevering to surmount the new words and tongue twisters the world will throw at you.
Once we hit third grade, our bags brimmed with small blue notebooks with continuous strokes of elegance on every page. We learned cursive handwriting. We encountered a foreign technique and approached it with taut posture due to the few more inches we had procured. We opened our minds to the excitement of a new hindrance in our short lives. Every square inch of doodling paper was used to practice the upper case G, one that gave us particular difficulty. This was our link to the adult life, where we found unrivaled complexity. We learned to impress our teachers and parents with elaborate effort. Forever keep with you these pages of penmanship, the link to your sophistication and class. Always remember maturity and elegance as we become more cultured and develop apart.
In middle school some of us branched out. We tried out for plays, joined the school band, or learned a foreign language. Our bags brimmed with sheet music, speeches to run for class president, or uniforms. This was the time when we personalized our backpacks; when every L.L Bean bag had initials embossed in the front and key chains dangled from the zippers. Our knapsacks showed character. Forever keep with you these small trinkets of personification. Remember always who you have chosen to be and don’t be afraid to stick to it, or change it if necessary.
We grasped this new character with our youth, perseverance, and elegance and left for a new place. In high school we developed our work ethic. Some of us added a better fashion sense and rid of the good old set of braces. In our backpacks, we added massive binders full of Civil War facts and foreign formulas.
 While still some of us had backpacks containing phone slips, tardy passes, or even extended detention reminders; a new concept was added to our repertoire: discipline. We learned to steer ourselves away from trouble (for the most part) and into the light of encouragement and reward. Keep with you these souvenirs from lessons learned the hard way. Never forget these slips, as they are not embarrassment, but rather the past that we have learned and grown from.
Today, in this room, recognize that this backpack is overflowing. Knowledge, wisdom, and excitement adorn beautiful pages of experience. This is your past, one which you will build great things off of; a past which we do not cling to, but never forget. Branch out; be whatever you want to be. The world is a daunting place, but I assure you these twelve years have more than a few grades to offer. They have given you a priceless backpack filled with hope in the form of tools to conquer the obstacles of the world. Class of 2012, the future is right in front of you. Leave your backpack in your closet of your new dorm or your rucksack in the military. Keep it in your new living quarters or your trips around the world. Know and thank those who helped you fill it, and the rest is up to you. As Orrin Hatch once said, “There is a good reason they call these ceremonies 'commencement exercises'. Graduation is not the end, it's the beginning.” Congratulations, class of 2012.

Shawn Flanagan, PNHS 2012 Valedictory Address:

Mr. Begley and School Committee members, Dr. Maestas and Central Office Staff, Plymouth North Administration, members of the Classes of 1962 and 1987, School Council members, faculty, staff, parents and invited guests, welcome to these commencement exercises honoring the graduating Class of 2012.
To the students sitting before me, congratulations. After a decade of schooling, we have finally made it. We have accomplished a lot, and as a whole, I believe we are an exceptional class. I am standing here giving this address, but in all honesty, this is not an honor I could have rightly dreamed of, considering the people in this class with me. The true honor has been studying, learning, and growing alongside some of the most intelligent, accomplished, and determined people I have ever met. Everyone of them is equally as qualified to deliver this speech as myself.
    In the fall, I will be attending New York University to study my passion, film. Since as long as I can remember, movies have always amazed me. Growing up, they would be a daily part of my life, as I watched the same ones over and over again all day and night. There was something about movies that captured my imagination. No doubt we all saw the same movies. We saw dinosaurs return from extinction. We saw toys speak and move around. We saw entire worlds created in front of our eyes. We saw ordinary people turn into heroes over night. We saw so much of the world through movies. Ultimately, we saw just how much was possible in the world we live in. This is something none of us can ever forget. We live in a world where amazing things can and do happen.
    We do not have to look far to see some amazing people who have helped us get to this point. The teachers we had been privileged to have and the faculty that opened its doors for us are hard to match. Since the first days of elementary school, they challenged us and pushed us to become accomplished and dignified men and women. I hope I speak for the entire class when I say that all of these people are truly amazing. Furthermore, none of us would be here without those who raised us. Mom and Dad, there is nothing else I could have possibly asked from you. You never said no and you supported me with everything I desired to do. You gave me the chance to fulfill my wildest dreams and you believed in me the whole way. To me, you guys are amazing.
    Of course, the chances of any of us befriending a lonely little alien, traveling back to the fifties in a 1981 DeLorean, or getting sucked up into a tornado and landing in a magical far away land with munchkins and witches are very slim. However, just as Buzz and Woody explained to us the difference between flying and “falling with style”, we should never forget the inspiration—that urge to aim high and birth that same amazement into our own lives—that those movies gave us. We should remember what it felt like being five-year-olds, knowing very little about why we are here and what we are supposed to do, and being blown away by what flickered past our eyes. There was this assurance movies brought us as children that the world is full of unlimited possibilities and they are all attainable. This inspiration to dream and make those dreams happen in our lives is something we should always have on our minds wherever we go.
    However, a lot of time has past since we were that age. Those dreams we once had may be hidden by other influences in our life like school and commitments. But, in the words of my favorite filmmaker, Steven Spielberg, “A dream almost whispers, and the hardest thing to listen to—your instincts, your human personal intuition—always whispers, it never shouts.” Somewhere deep down is that dream you have had your whole life. Some of us might already know what that is, some of us might not yet. We have already proven to ourselves and everyone else that we are capable of thinking with our heads. Your presence at this ceremony is proof of that. Now, we should allow ourselves to begin thinking more with our hearts. It may be hard to do this—to listen past all those instructions and influences that you hear in “shouts” to remember that dream you once had. But, if you listen hard enough, it will be there. Once you hear that “whisper” telling you what to do with your life, make sure you listen to it.
    I wish every single one of you the absolute best of luck with whatever you may choose to do for the rest of your lives. Thank you everyone for coming out today to show your love and support. One last time, congratulations to every single member of Plymouth North’s Class of 2012.

Graduates:

Shawn    Patrick    Flanagan *
Christina    Michelle    Noyes *
Tyler    Austin    Green *
Gemma    Ann    Henderson *
John    Patrick    Hogan
Ashley    Lynn Marie    Abrams
Michael    Thomas    Ahlstedt
Bianca    Menezes Almeida    Alcantara
Graham    Arthur    Allen *
Amber    Lee    Alves
Alexander    Daniel    Ariagno
Kimberly    Renee    Arthurs
Michael    Arthur    Baggan
Samantha    Nicole    Basler
Alexandrea    April    Bergamo
Cameron    Stefon    Berlo
Connor    William    Boris *
Emily     Graves    Bott *
Taylor    Nicole    Bousquet
Nicholas    Joseph    Boutin
Emma    Carolyn    Bowman *
Jared    Charles    Bramhall
Jillian    Leigh    Bratti
Libby    Marie    Brigida *
Lezah    Marie    Burgess
James    Robert    Burke
Amy    Lauren    Byrne
Casey    Reeves    Campbell
Rachel    Ann    Campbell *
Emma    Lynne    Canducci *
Erin    Marie    Cappellucci *
Eric    Scott    Carmell
Joseph    John    Carreira
Robert    Richard    Cavanaugh *
Cuinn    Jarred    Chaplin
Emily    Elisabeth    Cleland *
Taylor    Christine    Cloran
Hannah    Rose    Conley *
William    Thomas    Connolly
Shauna    Michelle    Conrod
Darion    Shaun    Cooper
Angela    Suzanne    Corbo
Kamila    Desouza    Cordeiro
Joshua    William    Corrigan
Erin    Elizabeth    Costa
Nicholas    James    Costa
Adam    Tyler    Crane
Jeremy    Alan    Crispo
Nickalas    James    Curtis
James    Thomas    Dahill
Melanie    Anne    D'Angelo
Maxwell    John    Danner
Karmyn    Leigh    DeAngelo
Alexander    William    Dearn
Kelli    Nicole    DeCoste
Alexander    Nichols    DeFelice
Eric    Michael    Delaney
James    Vincent    Delano
Stefani    Marie    Dempsey
Stefanie    Irene    Deneault
Daniella    Kiana    Diaz
Erica    Rose    Dickson
Amanda    Nicole    DiCroce
Angela    Lisa    DiZoglio
Molly    Stanton    Dodgson
Stacia    Bridgette    Donlan
James    Thomas    Dougherty
Glenn    Douglas    Drew
Holly    Grace    Duddy *
Smerling    Ivelisse    Duran de los Santos
Nicolette    Tate    Durkee
Robin    Jane    DuRoss
Connor    William    Elliott
Nicolas    Patrick    Ellis
Taylor    Renee    Farley
Connor    Michael    Farrand
Nicholas    Scott    Filkins
Alyssa    Marie    Flannery
Danielle    Marie    Floeck
Jordan    Lee    Flowers *
Connor    Brady    Flynn *
Sean    Christopher    Folan *
Connor    Reid    Follette *
Drake    Joseph    Fontaine
Michael    Joseph    Fratus
Corey    Joseph    Furtado
Ashley    Kate    Gallagher *
Andrew    Michael    Gallant
Ashlyn    Marie    Gamerman-Medeiros
Kelly    May    Gatslick *
Tyler    David    George
Brett    Robert    Goode
Kristi    Rose    Goodman *
Tyler    Anthony    Gravelle *
Cameron    Edward    Groezinger *
Christopher    Peter    Grubbs
Ryan    Peter    Hagg
Brittany    Ashley    Hanlet
Erik    Chase    Hansen
Aryanna    Therese    Harkin
Kara        Harper
Tyler    James    Hart
Nickolas    Paul    Hernandez
Kayla    Marie    Hoag
Emma    May    Hodgson
Cody    John    Holmes *
Jake    Vincent    Holmes *
Kimber-Lee    Nicole    Holt
Devin    Ryan    Hood
Patrick    Michael    Horgan
Ian    Richard    Huer
Bryan        Hughes
Shane    Michael    Indeglia *
Courtney    Elizabeth    Irwin
Alison    Kate    Ivkovic
Leigh    Ann    Jackson
Mary Kate         Jaeger
Heather    Marie    Johnson
Matthew    Paul    Josephine
Jessica    Morgan    Keene
Joycelyn    Maureen    Kerr *
Joseph    Michael    Kingsbury
Brandon    Ross    Kirsch
Katie    Elizabeth    Kitchell
Courtney    Rose    Lawrence
Lilienne    Mary    Lawson
Tyler    Richard    Lawson
Robert    Andrew    Leaman
Daniel    Joseph    Leary
Stephanie    Marie    Lehan
Matthew    James    Lentini *
Annika    Katherine    Leydon *
Marc    Raymond    Liddell
Chantal    Marie    Lopes
Emily    Elizabeth    Mabb
John-Hanson         Machado *
Tiffany    Marie    Macomber
David    Wyatt    Margeson
Ighor    Vaz    Martins
Molly    Jean    Martinsen
Shannon    Marie    McDermott *
Sydney    Lane    McDowell
Meghan    Hailey    McIntyre
Brendan    Costello    McRae
Jaymz    Lee    McStowe
Christopher    Michael    Mearls
Rosario         Medina
Philip    Warren    Millar
James    Nicholas    Mitchell
Delaney    Hill    Montana
Benjamin    Alexander    Moore
Niyolpaqui    Chichilcualli    Moraza-Keeswood *
Kristina    Elle    Mullaney
Isaiah    Allyn    Musari-Berry
John    Carr    Myette
Ariana    Heather    Nardo
Mindy    Marie    Nickerson
Kathleen    Claire    Normile *
Connor    Michael    O'Dwyer *
Nicholas    Paul    O'Sadcia
Megan    Elizabeth    Owens
Matthew    Ryan    Pearson
Katelyn    Victoria    Petrell
Emily    Alice    Pickett
Emily    Christine    Pieroni *
Rachel    Dianna    Post *
Michael    Edward    Pratt
Shannon    Elizabeth Marie    Raeke *
Jessica    Margaret    Rampino
John    Joseph    Reardon
Caitlin    Eileen    Ricker
Shannon    May    Roberts
Jamie    Colin    Rodgers
Olivia    Taylor    Rodrigues
Karen    Marie    Roth
Megan    Elizabeth    Roy *
Alexander    Xavier    Rozak *
Jason        Russel
Christopher    James    Russo
Nicole    Elizabeth    Russo
Matthew    James    Ryan
Brian    Christopher    Saunders
Robert    Ben    Savoia
Sarah    Mary-Grace    Schoeneberg
Leah    Elisabeth    Schut
David    Albert    Seaverns
Sean    Tyler    Serrilla
Kelsey    Elizabeth    Sieminski
Diamond    Jatel    Simoes
Matthew    Ryan    Skuce
Kandace    Erinn    Slattery
Alina    Nancy    Small
David    Columbus    Smith
Rachel    Meghan    Smith
Carlos    Alberto    Solomon
Peter    Joseph    Stasinos *
Daniel    Jacob    Stearns
Riley    Elizabeth    Stefano *
Brittani    Amber    Stephan
Dominique    Natalia    Sterite
Nicole    Elizabeth    Tanner
Vincent    Peter    Tavernelli *
Mercedes    Elizabeth    Thayer *
Michael    Jamieson    Thornton
Emily    Charlotte    Torrance
Cody    James    Trudeau
Colby    Jackson    Valas
Anthony    Ortiz    Valero
Sharlene        Vallecillo
Tracy    Mae    Velloso
Robert    Gerard    Wallace *
Casey    Jane    Walsh
Benjamin    Taylor    Waltuch *
Andrew    Theiss    Welsh
Michael    Leonard    Wetterberg
Melissa    Rose    Whittaker *
Jamie    Frances    Williams
Jennifer    Lynn    Wilson
Danielle    Katherine    Worrell