How much are we going to miss this place? Now that\u2019s a good question. So good, in fact, that there is no clear answer. For any of us.<\/p>\n
I think sometimes, we\u2019re going to miss the campus, I think sometimes we\u2019re going to miss competing in a Williston uniform, I think sometimes we\u2019re going to miss that ineffably comforting vibe every Williston classroom exudes, I think sometimes we\u2019re going to miss the people that make Williston Williston, and I think sometimes we\u2019re going to miss signing every sheet that doesn\u2019t cover our bed before battling the world beyond Nini\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Okay, that last one was a bit of a stretch, but the one before that, yep, I think that\u2019s the one. That\u2019s what we have to cherish. That\u2019s what we\u2019ll carry with us forever. Our relationships. The ones we\u2019ve all founded with peers, faculty, and staff that have shaped our time here.<\/p>\n
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To us\u2014the students\u2014the teachers here at Williston have become our best friends, our intellectual role models, and our savvy mentors. We\u2019ve cried to them; we\u2019ve laughed with them; and they, in turn, have been there with us and for us in a variety of venues and in a variety of ways. We are extraordinarily privileged to have spent our high school years with such high-quality people; and they are, in all likelihood, what we are going to miss the most.<\/p>\n
May 24 is not the end of our friendships with our fellow graduates, and it is not the end of our friendships with our teachers, but it may be the last time in our lives where we can learn so much from people who are both our superiors and our friends. It may be the last time we can operate in a truly collaborative academic environment. If nothing else, these last nine days are a time for us to cherish the interpersonal connections we have made at Williston, and to thank our altruistic mentors.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know Ms. Davey nearly as well as I\u2019ve come to know many other teachers here, but I know our grade has chosen her to represent the faculty, and I know that there is no higher honor the Class of 2015 can bestow. Moreover, I have checked out Ms. Davey\u2019s street cred with my peeps, and she\u2019s most definitely good people.<\/p>\n
Ms. Davey, the Class of 2015 has chosen you because we think you embody what makes Williston so special\u2014you embody the care, intelligence, and infectious charisma that the faculty bring to the table every single day. That charisma, that intelligence, and that ethic of care, is the basis for the Class of 2015\u2019s adoration of this place. You embody what has made the last four years so special to me, and what has made Williston such a special place for so many people.<\/p>\n
To all of the faculty in the room: I offer you the sincerest of \u201cThank yous.\u201d To the Class of 2015\u2019s dear friend, and to the faculty\u2019s representative, Ms. Davey: the floor is yours. I\u2019m pumped.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How much are we going to miss this place? Now that\u2019s a good question. So good, in fact, that there is no clear answer. For any of us. I think sometimes, we\u2019re going to miss the campus, I think sometimes we\u2019re going to miss competing in a Williston uniform, I think sometimes we\u2019re going to … Continue reading Senior Dinner Speech by Emmett O’Malley<\/span>