Michelina Hesse, 18, is the valedictorian and student speaker at Cedar Creek High School's commencement ceremony. She has earned twelve varsity letters through her high shool career. She will attend The University of the Sciences in Philadelphia this Fall.
Here is the speech Michelina will gave at the commencement ceremony.
When people look at a tree, all they see is simply a tree, but what they don’t see is the effort that was put behind it to help it grow. A tree can only grow when someone plants a seed. That same person doesn’t necessarily water it or fertilize or even pull the weeds. Those jobs can all be done by different people, but each person is a vital part of the tree’s growth.
Much like a tree, our school began with a simple seed—an idea. From that idea, there now stands Cedar Creek High School, as a testament to what an idea can become. Looking back, I remember how during our sophomore year, only half of the school was used and much of the building seemed vacant. Gradually, with nurturing from students and staff, life was brought to the hallways and Cedar Creek evolved into the high school it is today.
Our school, our class, had the unique opportunity to cultivate our school’s culture. We grew school spirit. We grew great friendships. We grew amazing sport teams. In three short years, we grew a fan section that made other teams cringe. The Creek Crazies, passionate and entertaining, cheered and supported the Girls’ Basketball team all the way to a State Championship Title. They made sure that our opponents knew that this was Our House. Our teachers and administrators held fun pep rallies that included games and teacher dances in hopes of strengthening our roots. The Consumer Bowl Team won victories that turned the heads’ of other schools and made us remember the value of knowledge. The drama students performed great shows and reminded us that art can move and inspire us. The band and choir shared their talents to energize us and to soothe us. Quickly, because of these diverse efforts, we’ve blossomed into a respectable, reputable high school.
The administrators here at Cedar Creek have played a vital role in watering the student body. They have given us fresh, new ideas to begin this high school and have granted our wishes that have helped our school community prosper. The teachers have fertilized us and bestowed us with their knowledge that will help us go out into the world and be successful young adults. As for the students, we are a culmination of ideas, almost 200 tiny little seeds that were collected and gathered and grown all with the same goal in mind—to begin a legacy.
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I couldn’t be more proud that over these past three years, we’ve been a part of establishing Cedar Creek. We started from nothing and put ourselves on the map, but I know that none of this can be attributed to just one single person. We’ve all taken part in helping our school grow and flourish. We’ve set the bar. We’ve established a legacy. We’ve been planted. We’ve been fertilized, and we’ve been rewarded with memories to cherish. We have grown into a school that we’re all now a part of—we are Cedar Creek.
