Mr. Johansson, Honoured Guests, Teachers, Fellow Graduates, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Tonight it is my honour to present the farewell address on behalf of the Graduating Class of 1977. Though the word 'farewell' may startle a few people, it is only there to mark a new beginning from our school years--a commencement.
Among us tonight sit the future leaders. At the moment no one knows who they are or how their development will come about. When our formal education ends, we are on our own, and who gets where and how soon is up to us...but one thing is certain, there are places of honour and usefulness to be filled and some of this year's graduates are going to fill them. Opportunity offers itself everyday according to ability, will for action, power of vision, knowledge and initiative. We should not be satisfied with merely a segment of life, no matter how much security it offers. We should want to complete the entire circle. James Ullman once put it...
"That men will someday reach the summit of the world means little. That they should want to reach it and try to reach it means everything."
We will all face failure at some time in the future, but in the face of disappointment, perseverance is needed more than ever.
The youth of today have a great challenge. We, who graduate must face that challenge. It is our turn to greet the future, just as it was our parents'. Now is our chance to determine our values--not only to ourselves, but to the world around us. To justify our existence we must leave a better world than the one we enter, to those who will gather in years to come for the same purpose that we are assembled here tonight.
We have laid a foundation which is the essential part in the making of our lives. The goals we set must be high, but at the same time they must not be imaginary.
The final exams which we write are only paperwork. The tests that are coming up (now that you will be on your own) are 'for keeps'. Learn through mistakes to choose the field in which you can go the farthest and be happiest. Our school years and teachers have not taught us to earn a living, but rather, how to live a life.
In departing from Kam High we shall break many friendships but the memory of them and many fond recollections, will, I am sure, remain with us throughout life. In the years to come, we shall often look back and wish that this part of our life had not so quickly passed by.
Whether you decide to further your education, travel, work or are still undecided, you must always remember to 'Hold on to What You Believe In'.
