Wow. Everyone looks so great. I can feel the relief and excitement radiating in this room, as this huge milestone is being made official! Everyone, High five your neighbours, they’ve done a great job.
As much as I have always liked new beginnings, this one doesn’t seem as sweet. During these trying times, we’ve learned to be there for each other in ways that we haven’t before. We’ve learned so much more than just academics. We’ve learned about friendship, resilience, and the importance of showing up, even when all you want to do is stay in bed and binge-watch Netflix.
I hope everyone has started catching up on all the Netflix binge (and sleep) that we’ve missed over the two years. I know that some neglected sleep more than others. Over the course of high school, we’ve learned that we are capable of more than we ever thought possible. No matter how rocky or smooth it has been, we can say that “We did it!”. And now, when someone asks us about our IB journey, we can respond with “What? Like it’s hard?”
TEACHERS:
When someone asks you a question about our high school experience, you might say that our “suffering” is now finally over. No more of being haunted by the threat of our lovely English teachers’ pens hitting our heads whenever we said that Heathcliff was the antihero “it’s him, hi, he’s the problem it’s him”. If you get the reference, you are golden in my eyes. If you don’t, you’re still a champion.
We will miss the physics lessons where all the students as well as the teachers spent most of the time scratching their heads wondering why high school students need to do electric magnetic induction and understand nuclear physics. Or why the mass of the tennis ball is -5.6 tons.
Having to memorise 30 RWE and 80 case studies for the humanities has given us all the possibility of appearing smart by inserting random facts about China’s GDP in our day-to-day conversations. (It’s 17.96 trillion USD). By the way, you are not alone in still knowing some of these facts and recalling them in your sleep. Trust me.
Alright, Tess, I think it’s time we address the protracted rivalry. Let’s face the facts: we all know that AA is the superior math. Right? No, AI is obviously the more useful math, right? Peace for now? Regardless, even if we agree to disagree, we are united by the fact that our teachers have helped us strengthen our respective arguments by being so amazing. Thank you.
Language teachers, we are grateful that you read through our countless papers, filled with bad grammar, and helping us transition away from Google Translate. We appreciate it.
Mrs.Öman and Mr.Ampuja, who admittedly intimidated us at the start of our DP program, thank you for your guidance.
And no offence to Mr.Ampuja but your exam blurb starting with “Do not open the examination paper until I instruct you to do so…” will forever haunt us.
So teachers, you have helped us navigate through the world of DP, whilst constantly being by our sides, even when we asked for yet another deadline extension.
PARENTS:
To our parents, thank you for always being there for us no matter what, putting up with us during exam season, and for pretending to understand what TOK is. But believe me, none of us exactly understands what it entails either. Thank you to the moms for just patiently listening to us rant, and thank you to the dads for telling us to calm down and just get to work. We needed that. Both were very needed.
We want to congratulate you as well for surviving the IB journey alongside us. You’ve earned a break just as much as we have. And for those of you with younger children, well, consider this a practice run. So, as we celebrate this milestone, we recognise that this achievement is not just ours but yours as well. Thank you for your unwavering support and love so congratulations to all of us! And students, here’s a round of applause to our incredible support systems who helped us get here.
STUDENTS AND CLOSING:
The famous philosopher Aristotle once said, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” This profound wisdom perfectly encapsulates our experience with the IB program. The challenges we faced—the grueling workload, the relentless deadlines, and the countless late nights—were undeniably bitter. Just as the bitterness of the roots leads to the sweetness of the fruit, our hard work and perseverance have prepared us to reap the sweet rewards of our efforts. Wherever you are headed, whether it be university, the workforce, or gap year adventures, remember to enjoy the fruits of your determination. Celebrate the resilience and dedication that have brought you to this moment. Embrace the opportunities that come your way and continue to grow and learn from each experience.
We want to congratulate us all once again on this incredible achievement. We have faced and overcome immense challenges, growing stronger each time and proving to ourselves that we are truly limitless once we set our minds to it. As we step into the next chapter of our lives, let us carry with us the lessons learned and the friendships forged during these formative years. Here’s to our future successes and the bright paths ahead. Congratulations, Class of 2024!
