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Good afternoon everyone. Standing here I find it nearly impossible to believe that 13 years of schooling have come and passed. I am truly honored and relatively terrified to be speaking to you today. One idea was evident to me from the very beginning of planning this speech. I realized that it would be important to concentrate my speech on a topic which students feel strongly about. I could have chosen friends or family, love or honor, scholastics or athletics, but ultimately I decided on “reality television” and how it relates to us. I feel that the titles of some of these reality shows match-up with our educational experiences extremely well.

The time that we spent in Elementary School was almost like an episode of the reality TV show “True Life”. Even though the first 6 years of our education were filled with fruit juice, magic reading carpets, and recess, this is where our lives truly began. We first started getting ideas about what we might want to do with our futures and learning became a part of our everyday lives. Even though life seemed so simple, a pudding cup was enough to make a best friend that might last a lifetime, these moments are so much a part of where we are today.

As we progressed to Middle School, I believe it is obvious that only one show, “Survivor”, could title these three challenging years. We faced a bigger school, bigger kids, and bigger pressure. While we were never voted off of an island, at times there was an overwhelming feeling that friends may wish they could.

Then we made it to the much anticipated Holmen High School, only to realize that our freshman year could easily be compared to the reality TV show “Fear Factor”. Passing the senior huddle in the circle of life for the first time, trying to convince yourself that freshman Friday was truly just a rumor, pretending that you did not just walk the wrong way down a hallway with upper classmen ready to trample anyone who dared to turn around. These experiences were definitely enough to make us fearful.

Finally we were given some status as we became upper classmen. I believe that with this change, we became an illustration of the TV show title, “Beauty and the Geek”. We became comfortable in our own skin…sort of. At least in the end, we began to choose the next step in creating our own lives apart from the class of 2008, the people that we have spent the past decade and a third with from 7:40 AM until 2:45 PM Monday through Friday. As upperclassmen, we have learned that it is best to be ourselves…beauty, geek, both or neither.

From this point on, our lives after graduation can be described by the reality TV show title, “The Real World”. I hate it when people say “now you are headed out to the ‘real world’”, because it is always meant to seem daunting…where have I been? I do not think I have been hypnotized or sleeping for 18 years? I have been working hard! However, we are headed to a completely new experience, one that our parents have always called the “real world”.

Teachers, if this educational experience were sincerely a reality show, you would have been the producers. You work behind the scenes, but nonetheless you have an enormous impact on our lives. Thank you for all of your knowledge and patience. Seriously…at times it must have been quite the challenge.

Parents and family members, I believe you have played the part of the TV show hosts and hostesses in this crazy metaphor. You have always made sure that we are well aware of our progress, good, bad or otherwise. You have gassed up your mini vans on so many occasions that I do not even know if the calculus students could manage to count the number of times that you have supported all of us at school events. I would also like to say a special thank you to my family and friends, especially my mom. You have always given me 100% of your care and support. I love you and can not thank you enough.

Ultimately, congratulations and best wishes class of 2008, we are the cast mates and participants of this show. We have made it to the end together and will always have both sentimental and hilarious memories of our past 13 years. Our lives have developed from nap time to cramming for finals….Crayolas to college acceptances….the first day of kindergarten to today’s high school graduation. As I see it, we are currently taping what would be the finale episode of our High School series. Now it is our turn to create our own reality and control our own fate. I am proud to say congratulations and good luck to the class of 2008! Thank you!