AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT (“Fortune helps those who dare”) Virgil 1st Century b.C.
GRADUATION SPEECH Good evening, faculty, teachers, parents, friends. Isn’t it funny how day by day nothing seems to change but when you look back everything is different? It feels almost impossible for me to stand here in front of all of you and say: ‘’we're done’’ but it is true. All of us made it through the roughest years of school. Honestly, there is nothing as important as believing in yourself and having the courage to say: 'You can do it'. Because nothing comes easy in life, but what would life be like without challenges? People need to start dreaming big and stop blaming themselves for every single mistake they make because success isn’t found, you have to go and get it. We are all here now, safe and sound, wearing our most beautiful clothes on our day. This might sound crazy but now that we are done, it actually feels hard for me to leave school, to leave all these amazing experiences and people who I can now call family behind. It is not just hard to leave our friends behind but also our teachers who have not just only taught us Math or Science, but who have
also helped us grow up, and to become who we really want to be in life. We always thought some of our teachers were really hard on us, but then I remembered the famous quote from Bill Gates: 'If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss'. It seems as if it were just yesterday when we couldn’t sleep the night before our first day in high school because we were too nervous to start, but time flies and without even thinking a moment about it we became the oldest ones at school, entering this hell that everyone talked about called Bachillerato. Now it’s time that we all start a different adventure, at university or at work. A place where we will do what we actually enjoy, but also a place that won't be for sure as special as this high school. A place where we won’t go on trips to Jaca, Pembroke, Poland etc. and where our teachers won’t cook for us or a place where people will look at me as if I were going crazy when I tell them about the 24 hours. Galileo is not just a place where people come and study but also a place that teaches us values such as trust, modesty, effort, teamwork and affection. And what better way to end this speech than thanking everyone that has supported us through this journey: from our friends, boyfriends,
girlfriends to our family; our parents that are always there to cheer us on, our grandmas that are always interested in our studies or even our brothers or sisters who are always willing to bother us on our exam week. I wish you all the best in this journey to reach your dreams and your most ambitious goals and I hope you enjoy this day because I am quite sure you will never live something as special in your life again. It’s time to start living, to spread your wings and fly... Laura Arroyo Méndez 2ºBTO B
GRADUATION SPEECH Families, teachers, classmates and friends, thanks for being with us today, because today is our day. Finally, the day we have been waiting for years has arrived. Today is a big day; it is a day of joy. Today is a day to celebrate all the effort we have made during these years, especially this last one. I still remember my first day at Galileo Galilei High School. It was September of 2010 and we were all sitting in the gym, waiting to know who our teachers and classmates would be. Over time, we made new friends, some are still beside us, but others are no longer in our lives. We have gone through new classmates, new teachers, and new subjects; and maybe, one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to make: to study sciences, humanities or social sciences. After it all, here we are, together again, like the first day of high school, but today we are together to celebrate the end of this incredible period of our lives. I wonder how many times we have thought about giving up or how many times we have thought that we couldn’t cope with all the
exams. Reaching our goals seemed to be impossible, but thanks to teachers, parents and classmates, we have achieved them. I would like to express my gratitude to the teachers for the thousands of times they have repeated the page in which we were and for every photocopy they have handed out twice because we lost the first one. I would also like to thank our parents for having lunch ready when we arrive home from an exam after seventh period, for every ‘come on, study!’, or for every ‘good luck on your exam’. And thank you mates for all the pictures of notes and math exercises we have shared through WhatsApp. Thanks for all the uncontrollable laughs and those Physical Education classes in the sun. Over the years, when space and time separate us, we will remember this period of our lives and we will miss it. I will never forget all the incredible experiences I have lived inside and outside Galileo Galilei High School. I won’t forget that we almost missed the plane when we came back from Paris, I won’t forget the twelve hours we spent in a bus from Krakow to Gdansk and I won’t forget the exchange with Pembroke. I will always remember the speeches from Mamen, Modesto or even Rubén
about life. I won’t forget the Paninis at the break to celebrate that we had finished the exams. I will definitely always remember the good experiences at Galileo Galilei High School. It seems that today, from now on, we have to take responsibility for ourselves. It is no longer allowed the ‘teacher, I didn’t catch what you said’ or the ‘teacher, do we have to study this for the exam?’ We have to be brave now that we split our paths. Everyone will take advantage of their opportunities, but never forget about the great moments at Galileo Galilei High School. Those experiences will be with us during all our lives and they will affect the decisions we will make, because it has been a long period and whether we like it or not, it’s part of us. To conclude, I ask you to forget about our plans for the future during this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow and all the time that this celebration lasts in order to enjoy our last day as students at Galileo Galilei High School, beside people that have helped us with academic stuff and sometimes, they have been part of our personal life. Thanks for your attention and thank you for these years! Sergio Jiménez Trenado 2ºBTO B
GRADUATION SPEECH "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get". That's the quote which I would choose to describe these six years we have gone through. It all started when we were about 12 years. About three hundred small scared kids who didn't really know how many adventures were waiting for them. But, as everything in life, it all started. I can remember the first day at high school. Everything new, everything different from what we had seen, but at the same time, I had the feeling that something good was going to happen. And I was right. Well, now I want you to imagine these chocolate assortments. You like some but you don't like others and you eat all the ones you like, and the only ones left are the ones you don't like as much. Forest Gump said he had always thought of life like that. And that's probably the most important thing I have learned at Galileo Galilei. It doesn't matter what is in our way, we are strong enough to go through it. We are little and big soldiers at the same time. And I know life will bring us challenges, but I know too that when
something painful comes up, we will just have to polish it off and everything will be OK. However today is a sweet day. One of the sweetest we have lived. Today we graduate. And I have to say one thing: I am proud of myself and of all my classmates. We have worked like strong soldiers and we have passed over all the things that appeared in our ways. But I am sure about one thing: I wouldn't have made it through these years without your help. We have been like a big team who has helped each other in every step we took. Because it isn't all related to studies. It is something more than that. We have made up ourselves. We have become better and better during these years and we have made ties that will never break. Don't you remember? We wrote from the beginning of the year how many days left until today, we have bought each other candies when some of the exams weren't going as we wanted, we shouted when the last exam of the term was finished, ... What great experiences! But, well, apart from us, on our team there has been more people, like our great caretakers and teachers, who have encouraged us to keep fighting. When we had to print long documents, who doesn't remember the caretakers dividing the number of pages to help us
save money? Or the teachers, when they stayed with us during their break time to explain us something we didn't understand. Thirdly, I must mention our families, who have the power to help us once we had fallen. And today is a day to thank you for all of it, for just being there every time we needed you. So, dear friends, today it is time to say "Goodbye" to an important time of our lives. Who would say it? Today is the day, the day we have been waiting for 15 years, the day when we have to close the door from the corridor which seemed like it would never end. We are all dressed in our best clothes; make-up, heels, ties, ... We are celebrating the fact that we have succeeded but it's not an end, it is just another year that finishes. Some of the moments we have lived will go with it, but I know that when we are in trouble, we are all just a phone call away. I remember that when we were preparing for graduation teachers said it was a special one, and it is, without any doubts. I can say without any fear that I am composed of all of you. Some of you have showed me how to be brave, others how to solve problems, others how to be sweet, ... All of you are a part of me. So thank you mainly because without you I wouldn't be who I am today. Let me finish by saying that, after living through this
whole year, I can say I had fun with it, because even the afternoons in the library were moments in which I knew we were a powerful team. Thank you all and congratulations. Sara Weronika Snopkowska 2ยบBTO A
GRADUATION SPEECH Hi everyone! I can’t believe I am finally here. As you all know I am Julián and I am supposed to talk about my experience at Galileo Galilei. I would like to start with the beginning. We all were a group of insecure and shy children that wanted to grow up. Most of us had known eacth other in our previous school but even so it was a big change in our lives. Now we have another mile stone in our lifes, because in the next 5 months our life will completaly change again. We made it, after 6 long years we are here to say goodbye. Amazing, I would like to thank this school, because I do not know if it’s the best one with respect to marks and studies but there is something essential (in my opinión more important than marks) they get. They make people feel like they fit in this society. because there are a lot of kids that feel alone just because they think they are different, making Friends is more difficult for them or whatever. This school always tries to make you feel good with the people that are around you, and make you feel good with yoursel. Maybe you think it’s a silly thing, but for me, it is not, so thank you.
I can perfectly remember at the age of 15 I joined a Trade uni贸n. I did not like what the government was doing so I decided to become part of asociation that I could be more iformed about public education. I would want this school to encourage their students to defend our education which is getting worse and worse.. You should make them aware. When I came here I had never left Spain. Now, I have visited more than 10 countries, principally because of all the opportunities you have offered to me. I went to Lleid in 2 of ESO. It was my first trip with the school and I will never forget it. After that I went to Paris two years later, with almost all my classmates. We spent almost a week there. And it is one of the best trips I will ever remember. I also visited Poland with lots of Friends. And when this year was starting we went to Pembroke to the USA to live for a week with a host family. I have really learnt from these countries. It is always good when you learn things from other cultures. Apart from that I would like to remember every single magic moment I have had at this school. I came here at the age of 12 when my worries were just doing my homework or having a good behaviour at home. It all has changed. I have grown up here. WE
have grown up here. And I am going to miss you, caus after all, the most important thing I have gained in this long trip is you. Thank you for putting up with me, for loving me. There is a quote that says I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. And I feel so lucky to have the Friends I have, so thank you so much. I can’t say goodbye without telling my parents how I thank them all the effort they have put on me. It is also hard for our parents seeing u show we suffer how we try to make the most of us. They are the ones who never fail you. I also feel lucky for having the parents I have.
And that’s all, just remember: When you lose, do not look at what you lost, but what's left to win . Julián Ureña 2ºBTO A
GRADUATION SPEECH Well, first of all, good morning teachers, students and classmates. I have to say that when my teacher Marta told us that we have to prepare our graduation speeches I was really worried about that because I didn’t know what to say, even how to start. But when I thought about it, I believed that the best thing is to tell you about all the years I have spent in this high school, since the first year of ESO, five years ago. During the first year of ESO, I noticed a really important change as it was really different from school, it was all different, all had changed our timetable, teachers, subjects, classmates… But I have to say that I had a very good luck because there were a lot of people from my school in my class. Although I knew mostly all of them, there were also new classmates who along these years I have met and they are now part of my group of friends. I would remember that year as one of my best ones because when I start I thought it was going to be very difficult but in the end it turned out to be great. The courses were going on and on and every time it came up more and more difficulties respecting the studies, but with effort and perseverance, you could get whatever you want. And that’s why
I’m here, in my last year of high school, telling you my graduation speech, which I hope you are enjoying. Another thing which I have to tell you about is the opportunities the teachers have given us to travel to different countries. I have traveled to Andorra in my first year and there I learnt how to skiing. In my second year they bring me the fantastic opportunity to go to Jaca, where I do an English course with some of my classmates and I also went to Galicia in third of ESO. But without doubting the most amazing trips I have done with this high school, where when I went to Paris in fourth of ESO and last year when I went to the USA. Well, I will tell you why this ones are the trips I like the most. I enjoy Paris a lot because it represented the end of ESO and I went with all of my best friends, so it’s a trip I would never forget. And the best experience for me was the trip my English teachers prepared for us, the exchange with some students of Pembroke, a town in Boston and the visit to New York. It was like an adventure for me because I had to get used to a family that wasn´t mine and to go to a high school where I learnt so many things. But the most important thing for me of that experience is that now I have an incredible American friend.
Finally, I have to thank all my teachers, my classmates, the caretakers, the headmaster‌ well, the whole high school, for making my way through this high school one thing which will form part of my best memories forever.
Laura Herrero Beato 2ÂşBTO A
GRADUATION SPEECH
It is over, everything is finished. Six years have passed since we were unsure children entering a building that scared us, six years in which everyone, absolutely everyone, had laughed and cried, six wonderful years which at this time only exist in our memories.
Yes, folks, no more getting up in the morning to see our friends, classmates and teachers, waking up every day knowing who and what we face. From now on, a new stage has just started, the same story repeats itself: full of nerves, insecurities and curiosities facing a new challenge‌ but I’m sure that it will be as fantastic as these 6 years or even better.
On the one hand, during these years we have had to study really hard, to pass very difficult exams, even we have had to stay up late many nights, but we shouldn’t only remember the hard part, because on the other hand there have been a lot of positive things that we must also remember such as the 5 minutes between classes,
the breaks, the teachers’ emotional speeches, the trips, the people who became good friends and that we have grown up and matured too.
I would like you to listen to this wise quote which can summarize my six years in our high-school: “Don’t be afraid to take a big step, a precipice hopping is not passed” All of us deserve to carry out our dreams, and to get them, we must go through different steps. We have already finished school and high school, so, we are now closer to our dreams.
A lot of people have gone through our life in these years, and although some of them continue with us, others are still on the way, but I think that all of them, those who still are and those who are not any more, deserve my gratitude, so, thank you very much classmates, teachers family and friends, you all have made me so happy. That’s the reason why… I will not forget you, and also I will never forget all the people who have marked my life.
Even though today is the day when our paths separate it, is the day for congratulations, to be able to say that we have made it, and look
this experience like a reward. We did it and as I said before, everything ends, but it also begins. Paula MartĂn 2ÂşBTO A
GRADUATION SPEECH Hello every body! Today is the end of a stage of study, sacrifice and dedication, a stage that started when I was eleven years old. I still remember the first day I came into this high school: I was excited and a little bit nervous to know the place where I would spend the next 6 years of my life. I remember that the first thing I saw was the huge play ground that is in front of the building, I imagined myself playing football there as I used to do in primary school, something that you realize that it is impossible because of the amount of people in there. The first day of classes, I was really lost, there were a lot of people running from one class to other and I didn’t know where I had to go; It was really stressful. The first two years of ESO were good, I was happy with my new high school, the classes weren’t so difficult and most of my classmates were old friends. This was often a worry that you have when you entered here. Would I be with my friends in class? I remember us going year after year to see the list of classes, and always the same: I was the only stupid that was never with his best friends in class. Then we arrive at third of ESO , the year where they said we were
going to fail all the subjects, the most difficult year, and some other silly things that people used to say to us ; don’t worry about being in third of ESO. It is true that you start to have some difficult subjects such as Chemistry, but don’t be afraid of that, it is a normal year if you study. Fourth of ESO was our last year of freedom, it is the year where teachers told you to start thinking what you wanted to study in the future and I think this is the year when I figured out what I want to be when I'm older. I remember fourth of ESO as my best year in high school: I spent all day hanging out with friends and despite that , I got very good marks . This is also the year where I started to dislike some teachers whose names I won’t say, but they perfectly know who they are. Now I’m going to talk about the worst two years of your academic life : Bachillerato years. Bachillerato is the two year-stage where you realize that your daily routine will be: going to school, study, have dinner, study and sleep; during the week, and wake up, study, have lunch, study, have dinner, study and sleep; during the weekend. This is the stage where you confirm what you started to think in fourth of ESO: teachers a little bit ca...well, because they want you to know lots and lots of things when they perfectly know that you won’t need even half, these two years are stressful. You have to have your ideas very clear, and you
have to learn how to select the information, because if you want to have a minimum social life you have to prioritize some subjects and leave others. And finally here we are, the day we finish this stage of our life , the end of six years of suffering, dedication and effort, I only hope our next stage, university, will be more beautiful and interesting than this. I want to end this speech thanking to my parents the effort and the dedication that they put on me, and for being there always I need it, because although they couldn’t came to my graduation, I know that even being in Brasil, they are very proud of their son. Thank you mum, and thank you every body!
Ian Kaled 2ÂşBTO A
GRADUATION SPEECH Hello, my name is Edu Gonzalez and now I’m going to talk you about my 6 years in Galileo Galilei high school. I hope that this year be the last one here. During these six years I’ve lived many experiences, most of them have been nice but, I’ve lived bad experiences too like in all life aspects. I arrived 6 years ago, in 2010. I remember my first day, when I walked through the front door, I felt something strange. I saw the stairs and a very long corridor. I felt like that because it was new for me, it was so different from my school. That day, the teachers put me in a class different from my friends. I was so young and they separated me from them. I felt sad. We thought that the, headmaster of my school talked with my current headmaster for say to her that we can't go to the same class because we used to talk a lot. I meet a lot of new friends in that class and I continued meeting with my old friends. In that year I went to Gijon. It was my first time there and I met some friends, but nowadays I don't keep in touch with any of them. In second of ESO, I went with out my friends another time, but I continued with the friends that I had known the last year another
time. That year is the one that I less remember, I don't know why, maybe because I didn’t' do anything special like trips or something like that. In third of ESO I was so scared because the people say that is the most difficult year, but, for me, was normal, I didn't felt difficulty in it. The teachers separated me from the people I had known in the high school. I had to meet different friends another time. I did it. I remember the first day, in the presentation. There was a new student in class and he was alone. I went to talk with him and I go to know him. Nowadays, is one of our ''group'' of friends, because I introduced him to my friends and they connected as well as me. That year we went to Galicia with Religion. I went with Ian and Nacho in the same room and we enjoyed so much. Finally, in fourth of ESO I went with my best friends for first time. It was a very nice year, we enjoyed a lot and we finally finish fourth of ESO. This year, happened to me one of the bad experiences when a teacher, who still in the high school, failed me with a 4.98. I felt so angry with her but I learned that be like that with a teacher is worse for you because they have everything to win. The last year, in first of Bachillerato is when the teacher started to be very hard and the subjects were difficult. I passed the course but I couldn't pass Math and today I have the recuperation. This year we went to
Rome. In fourth of ESO we went to Paris and it was great, but Rome was by far the best trip. I went only with Ian but there we met people from our school but younger. Was awesome. And finally, that year, that is being so difficult and stressful and my results aren't be so well, but I'm going to pass all subjects and leave the school this year. I leave a lot of moments here that I'm not going to forget never and I'm so happy because I continue with my friends of the school 6 years later and I've met a lot of new friends and a girlfriend here so has been very satisfying. I had had argues with all the teachers probably, but, however, I am going to miss some of them, not all, because they have helped me a lot of times and I am greeted with them. That's all. Eduardo Gonzรกlez 2ยบBTO A