2012 Canton High School Graduation Speech: Gary Gula

I found the spoon!

This class has been branded as “special” for many years and with good reason.  There are eight National Merit Commended Students sitting before you. Thirty-eight students have cumulative GPA’s of A- or better — the most of any class in my 17 year tenure at CHS. Twenty-four (24) of the 28 members of the National Honor Society are seniors. Six of you have either earned the rank of Eagle Scout or will do so shortly; 12 of your classmates are Senior Cadet Girl Scouts.  And 14 of you were members of the widely recognized and successful ESTEEM program.

Students were accepted at such post-secondary institutions as Yale, West Point, the Air Force Academy, Columbia University, the Dave Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific, Bates, Bowdoin, Mount Holyoke, Pepperdine, and Rensselaer Polytech. Members of the Class of 2012 are spreading their wings and going as far north as Maine, as far south as Florida and as far west as California. Two classmates are deferring admission to college; one will be participating in a Rotary Exchange Program in Japan while another will teach English in Israel and Peru. And several seniors will be traveling to Ghana this summer to live with host families and to work in schools.  Our "babies” are leaving home and becoming global citizens.

I am proud of the ten students who will be attending four different community colleges. You are wise to take advantage of CT’s stellar community college system. It’s good and it’s affordable. And I think the rest of you have selected wisely as well and have chosen colleges, military services, or work experiences which match your needs and plans for the future. Congratulations!

Your class has excelled in so many areas.

In athletics:

• The cross-country team won second place in the Class SS Championship with a classmate placing 2nd in that race; the boys outdoor track team took second place in Class S and the softball team made it to the semi-finals in the state tournament.
• Your class produced the first female All-State golfer, two phenomenal male skiers, seven all-state athletes, and an inductee to the National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete Program.
• This week, one of your classmates took 10th place in the decathlon.

In music:

• one student was selected for membership in the Grammy Jazz Ensemble for the second year in a row.  He flew to California to perform at various pre-Grammy venues and attended the Grammies.
• another student will travel to Washington, D.C. later this month to participate in the All-National Honor Mixed Choir at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
• the Jazz Ensemble took first place at both the Berklee and UMASS Jazz Festivals with 3 seniors receiving outstanding individual performance awards and two twelfth graders receiving summer scholarships to the UMASS Jazz program.
• the students in this class helped earn Canton national recognition for the 2nd consecutive year for its support of music education

This is an accomplished class.

But what I will remember most about this class is the kindness you have consistently demonstrated to one another and to the staff. The smiles, the respectful tone in your voices, the good morning greetings, and your sense of humor will always be part of me. The small, quiet and consistent acts of kindness are gifts which reflect your character and which have significantly impacted the culture of the school.  

I will always cherish the commemorative painting of an English teacher done by two classmates. The gift these two young men have given the parents now hangs in their home and brings them immeasurable comfort in knowing their daughter did make a difference at CHS. I will remember the Veterans Day speeches by two members of the Civil Air Cadets as moving tributes to our soldiers. And I will remember the sound of applause for each and every classmate receiving an award during the Scholarship Awards Assembly. You truly do care and support one another. Cherish that and do not ever take that for granted. 

You are not only respectful, but also very responsible. Because of your good judgment and maturity, the trips to Spain and France were reinstated. These two traits also helped win two honorable mentions and the Best Run Delegation award in the Model UN Program. There is nothing this class cannot do because of hard work and teamwork.

Our youngest son, Andrew, is a 28-year-old first-grade teacher in Austin, Texas. Virtually all of his students are on free or reduced lunch. Andrew was out of school for about 6 weeks. He missed his students and wrote them a letter with some advice. Here is an excerpt:

“Nobody said your life will be easy and fair. But in those darkest of days and stormiest nights, there is only one promise given to us all. In the dawn the sun will rise again and its rays will enlighten us all. As long as you do what you know is right in your heart and are willing to lend a helping hand to others in need, you will be rewarded. Do not waste one second and get an education. Though you may not feel fortunate, the American dream is alive and stronger than ever. No matter how rough your beginnings are, with hard work and a kind heart, happiness will be waiting in the end.”

To members of the Board of Education and to the community, I am very pleased to announce that this class has worked very hard and has a genuinely, kind heart. And for these reasons this class is not only deserving of much happiness, but tonight, they are also entitled to a CHS diploma. It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the Class of 2012!