Jaylin Raab Graduation Speech

Hi everyone. My name is Jaylin Raab. As you just heard Brenna talk about the past, I will be talking about the present years here at NRHEG. I would first like to say thank you to everyone who came to support our class of 2024. As you all may know, today is the day we graduate. It's a day full of tears and joy as we walk across the stage and accomplish one of the biggest goals in life.

 

When I first moved here in 8th grade, I didn’t know what to expect. Moving from a big city school to a small little school in New Richland, MN, I was nervous I wouldn’t know anybody. But as you all may know me, I don't have a problem talking, nor am I shy. That's probably why I'm up here today.

 

This year has been filled with so many ups and downs and went by pretty fast. In jr. high we all thought graduation was so far away, but here it is. I remember in the 8th grade I went to my first ever party, Elise’s Halloween party. That's when I really got to know my classmates. I remember the big smoke machine, the loud music, Julia Churchill and Kyra Spies throwing hot dogs all over, and the scary decorations. I remember chugging fruit punch with my friends and wearing glow in the dark stuff. That was definitely my favorite Halloween.

 

Then towards the end of 8th grade we thought we were getting a big break, but then it turned out to be Covid. Covid really changed things for us and everyone else, we didn't get to finish the year because of it. Then 9th grade came. It was pretty much the same. We had hybrid classes and still weren’t able to see all of our friends. We met our high school teachers, one being Senora. She was full of energy, and talked a mile a minute in a language we couldn’t understand. The only thing I understood was, “CAMERON ESCUCHAME!” That means Jaylin listen, because Cameron was my Spanish name.

 

We learned to grow connections with the staff at NRHEG, who followed us and watched us grow throughout all these years. Going into 10th grade was weird; we hadn’t had normal school in a couple of years, and many of us hadn’t seen each other. We came to school with a new weight room and remodeled classrooms. Something for us to look forward to was getting our driver’s licenses. A few cars may have taken some bumps and bruises from the new drivers in the school parking lot. We gained more freedom, and learned a lot about growing up during this year.

 

We moved into 11th grade, where we were finally not the annoying underclassmen of the high school. We took more ownership in our sports teams, and gained leadership through different clubs. This year may have been stressful for many of us. We had to start thinking about what we wanted to do in the future. And realized our grades really do matter. Our junior year most of us went to prom for the first time and we had an awesome time playing whirly ball, playing laser tag and trying to get a little ball in the goal.

 

And now we sit here as seniors or as I should say 12th graders. We really did it, guys. I really enjoyed my senior year with all you guys from homecoming to volleyball at Mankato West to girls basketball at MSU and Friday night lights on the football field. You guys really brought the fun to sports with all the cheering and silly dress ups. We had fun playing senior assassin and we can agree that getting assassinated by Daxter was the best one or Izzy getting locked in Payton's car waiting to spray him. We made so many memories as a class. We all got to experience the highs together and lows. We have come a very long way. Most of us have been with each other since kindergarten and some have only been with us since middle school or even only a few years, but one thing I can say and we may not admit to it is that we all know that we care for each other and would help each other out at times if needed. There was a time when we experienced hard times together and one thing we won't forget is the passing of our fellow classmate Samuel Houle. He brought smiles to our faces and was a very kind kid who always wanted to play chess. He was never shy and would always be the first one to raise his hand when the teacher asked a question or would always volunteer to take the attendance list to Teri when there was a sub. He loved giving high fives to everyone he saw and always had a smile. Sam will never be forgotten. He taught us to always be the light in someone else's life because he brought so much light to those in our school. One thing to remember is never take things for granted as we don't know what tomorrow will bring.

I just wanna say thank you for the final time to the class of 2024 as we walk across the stage. This may be the last time we ever see one another, and all the memories we made in this building will not be forgotten.