Graduation 2000

By Laura
Valedictorian


This Moment

For the past few months we have been inundated with questions like "Where are you going next year"?, "What are you doing?", and "What are your plans?" Sometimes the answer is "I don't know," or "I'm not sure." Although we may not know what we are going to do in July, 2000, we DO have ideas and dreams about the more distant future. We want to race a Viper, find a cure for AIDS, star in Thursday night's WWF Smackdown, or found a new internet company.

Okay. That sounds wonderful, but how do we get from Point A to Point B? How do we get from the folding chairs in the middle of the gymnasium of Noblesville High School in Hamilton County, Indiana, to become the next Oprah?

Hard work. Usually, getting something important requires work and ... per usual ... we need some tools. I believe that each of us possesses a unique set of tools. These tools will create our dreams and visions. Some tools are born within us, intrinsic to our being - like math aptitude or a strong pitching arm. Some we have picked up along the way from friends, family, school, and faith - like carpentry skills or the ability to forgive. But some tools we have acquired on our own - such as honesty, integrity, and perseverance. These tools are the foundation on which we will build our dreams.

It is our job, here in this moment, to look inside ourselves and sort what tools we have - what we cherish and value. Perhaps we know we are at our best when we use our artistic talent. Or we are at our best when we emulate the kindness grandma has always shown others. Or we may be at our best when we think about the time we failed to make the team and offer the same empathy to a friend. I found the following quote by Joseph Newton in - of all places - my Thought-A-Day book, and I believe it's appropriate.

"We cannot tell what may heppen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us...and that is what really counts in the end. How to take the raw stuff of life and make it a thing of worth and beauty."

This moment, today, we start acting the dream. If we want to pilot the space shuttle, our first steps will take us to college. If our vision is to star in a Broadway show, then we must start acting. It is likely that our dream will change a bit over the years. Perhaps we will choose to be a city council member rather than a senator. Our basic tools will not change even if the picture in our vision changes. They will help us build our dreams. Our belief in our dream will guide our lives.

James Allen, an English author said,
"Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built."

In this moment, we, the class of 2000, are ready to live our dream.



By Lauren
Salutatorian

In the beginning there was kindergarten. We had to learn napping, sharing, and coloring before our graduation to elementary school. Now as we are graduating from high school, some may argue that these skills have finally been mastered. However, the most important learning that has taken place has been through our interactions with others. These invaluable interactions have let us know that we are never alone.

Besides the basics of math, English, and science, our teachers have taught us that they are more than disciplinarians who assign papers and projects; they are now our friends and mentors, adults who genuinely care about our future and development.

Our classmates and friends have provided a support base at school and in our social lives. We have helped each other by giving a hug, giving our homework to copy, and by giving our time and energy to our friends. From our peers we have learned the importance of friendship and the value of teamwork.

The players behind the scenes in our education are our parents. They have been the driving force behind our development. Even though they can no longer help us with our homework or understand our physics papers, their tireless support has endured from elementary to college.

Hopefully each of us will take what we have learned to help others and serve our community, state, and nation. I hope we will all consider giving back to those who have accompanied us on our journey: our teachers, our friends, and our parents.

Too often we take far too much for granted. We should recognize and appreciate how fortunate we are and how much we have been given. And to all those who made today possible we say, "Thank you."

Finally, my wish for the class of 2000 is "May you have the heart to conceive, the understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will leave the world a little better for you having been here."



By Carly
Class Representative


The Best of Everything

Four years ago we entered NHS as the first group to never attend the old building. We feel a special ownership of this new school as its inaugural class to complete all four years here. We walked into an architectural and technological marvel and came to know nothing else. But what have we done with these marvels, and more importantly how will having attended this facility help us as we strike out on our own?

What we have done are marvelous things. Our tech teams leave high school with computer skills most software companies envy. Our communications classes use facilities many small cable stations can't afford. Our language students have the finest labs available and turn out proficient speakers. The science labs are better equipped and designed than are many at small universities. If you came to Mayfest two weeks ago, you also saw and heard for yourself the remarkably high caliber performances of our fine arts departments. Our sports facilities are incomparable and have produced some superbly trained and conditioned athletes. Everyone of us has had multiple opportunities to experience and learn from a myriad of educational choices in an environment of phenomenal quality.

How will this help us now? We are better prepared and more technologically equipped to face the new challenges of the 21st century. There is no denying we leave NHS with technological skills students just four years ago did not obtain. We have come to demand and expect the exceptional, and we will seek those qualities as we find our way in the world. And what if we observe them lacking? Here is where I trust we have learned our finest lessons. Hopefully we will endeavor to improve and expand the situations we confront. Coming with high expectations will help us to impart and incite those perspectives in the people we meet and demand from ourselves our maximum efforts in the tasks we undertake. Seeing the difference, we now know the difference. We will do what it takes to be unsurpassed. Was this wondrous facility the variable, or did that dedicated English, Science, or Math teacher truly make the difference? Sure the building is great, but we all know the answer. The facility provided the means, and sometimes

it provided the forum and setting, but people provided the spirit. Thank you for providing this entire physical and intellectual environment and giving us the opportunity to request and expect excellence from everything and everyone around us. Now we will show you the best of what we can be.