Sturgis West Class of 2021, Parents, Faculty, Board of Trustees, Relatives, & Friends: today is a momentous day.

Ninety-eight Sturgis West seniors – soon to be graduates – sit behind me, expectantly.  They are nearing the end of one journey, about to embark on another, and for the last time each of these ninety-eight people will be an active part of this special group – the class of 2021.

We gather here on a beautiful June day – the sky is blue, the grass is green and the air is pleasant – and listen to people who care deeply about Sturgis and each other. We see the looks on graduates’ faces when they are handed their well-earned diplomas. We bask in the pride, joy, and love on the faces of those who came here to celebrate. All of this feels quite momentous to me.

As our soon-to-be-graduates are IB students, they may have held that statement – today is a meaningful day – up to closer scrutiny: “But, Mr. Marble, how do you know it is a momentous day” for us?

I assume so based on what many of you wrote in your graduation speeches. You see, parents and friends, we have a custom at Sturgis that every senior writes a graduation speech, and a committee of faculty chooses the two speeches that are most evocative of our Sturgis beliefs and values to be given at graduation; you will hear from Elizabeth Elio and Clarisse Rantayo shortly. I have had the pleasure of reading all the speeches, and I would like to continue our custom of sharing select passages from these speeches with you today.

When I call your name, please stand while I read your words aloud:

From Mackenzie Demello: First of all, I’m incredibly grateful to be here. I, like many of us, thought we’d still be on our computers at home. 

From Gavin Bronner: First off, I would like to say thank you for the opportunity to speak at a place I have considered my home for the last 4 years, Sandwich High School.  

From Emma Link: Without Sturgis, we never would have met each other, and we would not be here today. Well, some of you Sandwich kids would be, but that's not the point. Sturgis believes in "the IB for all" - much to its students' dismay - which allows all of us to be pushed to our breaking point, and then some. But, because of the torture - I mean academics - we are connected. We can understand each other's pain, as well as the ungodly amount of acronyms. 

From Jacob Freedholm: The graduating class at Sturgis is full of amazing people, all totally different from one another.  I got to know everyone and their interests which is amazing.  I feel like I have a bond with everyone in the class.  The teachers here are also amazing.  But someone who should have a big part in our high school experience since he is picking these speeches is Mr. Marble.  I don’t really know him. I think I’ve seen him a couple times since freshman year.  But anyways other than him, all the faculty have bonds with the students.   

From Sarah Greeley: “The phrase “Thank you” is defined as an expression of gratitude used to show appreciation for something.” I would say thank you for this opportunity to speak, but honestly, I am not grateful for this. Unfortunately, I am not blessed with public speaking skills and my face is probably turning bright red, but please do not pay attention to that. 

I wrote my college essay about not knowing what to write about, and oh boy, here we are again. I always seem to struggle with introductions, but I need to start getting words on this paper soon because this speech is due on Friday. I have also always struggled with deadlines. Now that I think about it, I probably should not be listing all my flaws in my final goodbye. 

From Cole Farrell: Before I came to Sturgis, I attended Carver High school for about one week. On a Thursday night while I was completing my history homework, my parents told me I got into Sturgis. I had no idea what a Sturgis was or that my name had been in the lottery…. . I took the leap mostly due to the fact that I didn't have to finish the rest of my homework for the week, and I would technically be a high school dropout for just a weekend.   

From Isabelle Adams: As I have always said, there are two types of students that go to Sturgis, those that want to go and those who are forced to go by their parents. Therefore, a notice of appreciation goes out to my Mom for striking a deal with me to at least try going to Sturgis up until Thanksgiving with $20 on the table. I never did get that money because I decided to stay at Sturgis… This past year there have been plenty of ups and downs and it is teaching me to appreciate the little things in life, such as that $20 bill that helped me build genuine friendships and unforgettable memories that will stick with me forever. I’m naturally a very stubborn person but I will admit that my Mom was right and it was the best $20 I’ve ever missed out on.  

From Abigail Jones: Within two weeks of our arrival on campus as freshmen, the upperclassmen notified us that we broke a record by becoming the “most obnoxious class in Sturgis history.” This would be the first of our many achievements here. We have grown and changed a great deal since then, and I think we can all agree that we are proud of how far we have come. I’m not here today, though, to discuss whether we proved the upperclassmen wrong. Obnoxious or not, we have met great success over the past years, and we have much to celebrate here today. 

From Missy Bridgewater: Many of you came here to attain better academics or to join a more accepting community.... But for me, I always knew I was coming here. Believe it or not, I am the sixth child in my family to attend Sturgis. As you may know, siblings of current Sturgis students become first on the lottery list to guarantee them a spot, and my family clearly got the most out of this policy. Although my siblings went here, I felt hesitant to attend Sturgis, but overall, I knew it would be best for me…. What I didn’t know was that the school's community, the theatre room, the clubs, and the people would honestly impact me more than the academics. The teachers would become my mentors; my peers would become my friends. 

From Kamilly Cunha: It was with your collective support and guidance that we have all blossomed into intelligent, thoughtful, level-headed individuals with bright futures. I, too, grew a lot at Sturgis. Of course, not physically, but in every other aspect as Sturgis challenged me to mature and to think for myself. I can remember one too many times in Mr. Morales’ English class in Junior year, whenever I heard something I didn’t agree with, I would twist my face in disapproval, wave my finger, and shoot my hand in the air, like an opinionated old man with something important to say. It was in these moments that I learned to hold back my tongue, be patient, and choose my words carefully. Mr. Morales would bring it to my attention when I was doing the opposite, and for that, I’m grateful beyond words. In these short four years, it was a difficult lesson to learn but it was one of many I learned at this tiny, tiny school that I will take with me for the rest of my life. 

From Anna Chapman: We have all made the journey from 14 to 18, from freshman to senior, from immature to slightly more mature. People tend to get caught up in the perception that their peers are always watching and judging. But in reality the most important things we will remember from high school are our own triumphs and close friendships, well those and also some of the more colorful events that happened. We will remember the sunny days playing spikeball and volleyball, running through the halls playing hide and seek in wellness, the many hours spent preparing for exams, going out for food, going to club meetings, and sports games. I believe that we as a class have brought happiness and community to Sturgis, with our CAS projects we have planted trees for the shade we will never sit in. And with our experiences here at Sturgis we have all begun our journey of growth.  

From Eden Barletta: The pandemic helped me think about certain things in new ways, which is something my TOK class did as well. I remember Junior year I conducted a TOK experiment in Mr.Archer’s class with a group of students that used a simple test to determine how other’s decisions influenced our own, it's known as the conformity experiment. We found that the majority of students we experimented on changed their answers after hearing someone else answer the same question in a different way. I encourage you to stray away from that in your future experiences. Have confidence in your choices, allow others to help you through life when needed but don’t rely on them to make choices for you. People will continue to encourage your decisions but don’t allow others to hold you back from confidently living your own life. Go through life standing up for what you believe in and don’t change your perspective just because someone else doesn’t agree with you. There is no use working towards somebody else's goals. Take your life into your own hands and follow your own lead.  

From Braden Quitmeyer: The Class of 2021 is one of the strongest classes that I’ve been a part of. The hardest part of our IB education was spent in our pajamas, while unsure whether or not we will take the dreaded exams. We’ve fielded every curveball life has thrown our way, and handled it with deftness and skill. Managing our IAs and EEs whilst maintaining a workload plus the hybrid schedule was rather taxing to say the least, but we made it to the finish line unscathed (for the most part). If there is a class to make some real change in their society, wherever that may be, it is this one. We have come so far already, and I challenge you all to meet each and every challenge life throws at you the same way we met high school: with confidence, determination, and humor. 

And, finally, from Ava Ferreira: First of all, thank you for choosing me to speak today. I feel very honored, though truthfully I have no idea why I was chosen. My teachers will tell you I’m a mediocre student, I’m talkative, I’ve slept through at least five Google Meet classes this year, and I’m easily distracted. However, I can write a speech….

Time takes a lot away from us, it moves quickly and there's no way to stop it or slow it down even though sometimes we wish we could. It was time that stole our senior year out from under us, and time is the reason I feel like just yesterday was our first day of freshman year. So take a minute and look around you because this is the last time we will all be here together. Not everyone will attend the senior formal a few days from now, and some of us will probably drive away right after graduation. So soak this in, think of a memory you have with someone here, memorize each other's faces, our laughs, and how we feel in this moment. Years from now the only thing we will have left of each other is memories.  

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To my initial claim: today is a momentous day, I now add the rationale: because today is a culmination of the past four years where we have all chosen to live, think, and stay connected to each other with great intentionality, care, and reflection. More so than ever, students, faculty and family have made our collective Sturgis experience momentous, and today is a day to celebrate that accomplishment.

Just as all our seniors are graduating, so, too, are some of our faculty about to embrace their own new opportunities. I would like for the following faculty to please stand so that we can show our appreciation for their commitment to our mission and our students: Dirk Correia, Jared Cormier, Scott McNair, and Katie O’Hara, please stand.

I would also like to celebrate a colleague retiring from teaching this year. We will miss him, and we are thankful that he finished his memorable and impactful career at Sturgis: Paul Archer, please stand.

Sturgis West class of 2021, congratulations, and thank you for choosing to see the best in each other and for making the most of yourselves. I hope that you always carry Sturgis in your hearts.