Good afternoon Class of 2024, 

My name is Jack Maron, and I have had the pleasure of serving as your class president for the past four years. I would first like to take an opportunity to thank everyone who helped make today possible. Mrs. Keenan, you came into our lives this past year and have been nothing shy of an excellent leader and principal  – always advocating for the students. Mrs. Andrews, you have  supported us through the chaos we cause and the unnecessary complaints we have. To the rest of the admin and the front office: Dr. Dussault, Dr. Botelho,  Mr. Pomer, Mrs. Levitts, Mr. McCaffery – thank you all. Thank you to Mrs. Phelps and the whole guidance department for being helpful and available when needed. I would also like to add thanks to Rindy and the whole custodial staff  –they constantly put up with us and showed respect. Thank you to all the families and parents here today for being so supportive for nearly two decades. Lastly, yet most importantly, our grade would not function the same way it does without Mrs. Jolicoeur. I often like to say that she “carries the school” on her back – but quite literally she does. Speaking on behalf of everyone, we are all so incredibly grateful to have had LJ as our class advisor  – she’s been a stud. To the other 12 principals we’ve had here  – you will never be forgotten.

Class of 2024, we are here  – graduation. For us, within these walls, there are no more pep rallies, assignments, meetings, games, tomfoolery  – it’s over.  We have completed every single event we often said we “couldn’t wait for.” I’m confident that every person in this room has in the past said, “I can’t wait for Friday,” or “I can’t wait for the next party,” or even “I can’t wait until I graduate and I am out of this place.” Being guilty of this, I asked myself: “Why can’t I wait?” Is my life really that miserable that I need to put all my focus on the future? Can’t I be content with my everyday? And the short answer is yes, yes, I can be content  – I have a great life. So, why do humans spend so much time focusing on reaching what is next, rather than appreciating what’s happening in the moment? Two legends, Albert Einstein and Jack Maron once said: “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” The future is unpredictable, but the steps you can take to ensure you reach your goals and ultimate satisfaction is controllable. You can’t always command your environment, but you can determine your mindset  – that’s a choice. You can wake up and decide to lay around all day waiting for the next “exciting” event, or you can make a rainy Monday a good time  – it’s all about perspective.

In 2004, the Boston Red Sox were down 3-0 to the New York Yankees in a best of 7 playoff series in which the winner would go to the World Series. There had never been a team in the history of Major League Baseball to ever come back down 3-0, and in this case, the Red Sox needed to do just that. Statistically, it was impossible. Realistically, it was impossible. All major sports media outlets had given up, but the Red Sox and the city of Boston believed. Quickly, a question, consisting of just three simple words but holding so much power behind them, emerged: Why Not Us? For those of you who do not know, I am a competitive swimmer. Growing up, I was drawn to “Why Not Us?” Heading into races where I’ve been the underdog, I often asked myself: why can’t I win? Easily, I could say, “Oh well, that guy’s taller than me,” or give some excuse, but in reality, I’m left completely answerless. There’s no reason any of us can’t accomplish our absolute maximum potential. When we leave this building today, we are blessed with one of life’s greatest qualities: an opportunity. We all have an opportunity to make a difference, whether that be globally, locally, within an online community, a workplace, or even just a few close friends. In our sophomore year English, a large percentage of us watched the movie “Dead Poets Society.” Famously, late actor Robin William who played Mr. Keating says the line “Carpe Diem,” Latin for “seize the day.” Each day we are faced with hundreds of opportunities and choices, but it’s up to us to make the right decision. We MUST seize the day. The Boston Red Sox believed in their core values, trusted each other, and took advantage of what was in front of them, which is why they were able to come back, win the series and ultimately become World champions.

1,355 days ago we entered the old building on our first day of high school as freshmen. 732 days ago, a pipe burst and we left that old building. It’s been 247 days since Senior Sunrise and our senior prom was just four days ago. As we hit benchmarks in our high school career, especially this year, I’ve enjoyed categorizing those moments as “the beginning of the end” or “the middle of the end.” Using that terminology would make today  “the end of the end.” Pondering on that, I realized there couldn’t be a more unfitting way to describe today. Today is the beginning of the beginning! In John F. Kennedy’s famous “We Choose To Go To The Moon” speech from 1962, he says, “Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas? We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Leaving high school can be really scary, but we must move on from this chapter of our lives. We must take the academic, social, and life lessons we’ve learned here and use them to make an impact somewhere else  – somewhere much larger than just this bubble. Our high school memories will always be a part of each and every one of us, but coming to this building everyday will soon be a distant dream. 

Class of 2024, I could not have asked for a better four years and in large part 13 years with you all. To the Sharon faithful, THANK YOU all for believing in us  – it’s time we all start believing in ourselves, because why not? This is Jack Maron, Class President, signing off. Thank you!