AUDENTES FORTUNA IUVAT (“fortune helps those who dare”) Virgil 1st Century b.C.
I proudly present 2nd Bachillerato students’ graduation speeches in English I would like to acknowledge their effort and work because they have proved that they can definitely get their point across in English. Remember: Excellence is not a skill, it is an attitude
All the best,
Ana Méndez
The future has many names. For the weak it is the unattainable. For the fearful, it is the unknown. For the brave is the opportunity. (Victor Hugo). One morning six years ago, I got up to go/come to high school for the first time. I had just finished six years of primary school three months before. After this, I was starting high school for the first time and although I was happy, I was a bit nervous. I didn’t know what was waiting for me in the following five years but whatever it was; certainly it would determine my life. Six years after that, I don’t feel that my life has changed. Four years after that, I got my Secondary Education degree and today I got one more degree. It is the bachillerato diploma. This is one of the most important moments of our lives because it means that we have more qualifications than one person who has only got the Diploma on Secondary Education. Now I'm going to talk about my past, my present at this school and what I expect for the future. Six years ago, when I started school, my parents told me I was going to fail because high school was much harder than school. It is true that I already had a brother inside who was going to pass to the second year. . Once I finished
my first year of high school, my parents’ forecasts+ failed and not only did I pass all six of my subjects but I also got A’s in most of them. In either case, my parents have always been a basic pillar in my education and I know that they believed in me and I am very grateful for it. One of my four years of high school that I remember with more affection was the second year, which was when I first fell in love. It is said that the first love is never forgotten; I don’t know about the rest of the people but I haven’t forgotten it. Another very important part of my life has been my friends and especially my friend Victor, with whom I have always been together. I want to thank those friends; who have been there when I needed them. Thanks to all of you. We have passed a lifetime together, and surely, many of us won’t see one another again, so I can only wish you luck in your lives. I also want to thank all my teachers for their patience with me, for making an effort so that I understood something when I didn’t, for their work with me and the rest of the group, although it is true that in some cases it is very difficult for us to thank all the teachers but it is really appreciated. All of you have been a very important part of my life and thanks to your efforts; I am who I am now and so I will always remember you. Teachers that I will never forget for their comments in class are for example Javier Ramiro (history
teacher in my fourth year), Carlos Fierro (maths and computer science teacher in my first and fifth years), Javier Ugarte (philosophy teacher in my last year), Maria Jesus (technical drawing teacher in my last year) but, especially, Ana Franco (physics teacher in my last year). Although I won’t forget teachers like Esteban, Juliana, Ana Mendez, Asuncion, Miriam, Mar, Alberto, Paula, Briz, Pedro, etc. For example, I will never forget when Ana Franco said in class “Callenseme que se me callen” or Carlos Fierro’s jokes in class that we call “chistes fierriles” in Spanish, Javier Ugarte’s funny comments in class or Esteban’s Harry Potter’s and particularly his jokes in class. And celebrations such as carnival, Halloween, 24 hours, etc. On the other hand, when people ask me what I do and I say that studying at the high school, I always remember when I was at school and the only thing that worried me was arriving home soon to finish my homework and get to play in my room. Today, when I see children playing in the school, it reminds me of those days and I know it's a time that will never come back but at the same time, I have more responsibilities and more freedom and that makes me feel adult and that I am not a child any more.
Once finished this phase, now I'll start a new life at university. I suppose it will be much more difficult than now and I do not know how I will go on in this life and if it is the right choice but I believe that the only way to know is trying. I will start university in a period when the crisis is hitting our country. I am aware that we are in a historical period and that many young people like me, who are the best prepared, are unemployed and therefore, we are forced to leave our country. Probably, I'll have to do it, too and I do not like this idea because I like my country and I've always wanted to live, to work and to die here. But if I am forced to do it, I will do it. I think that it means that the country has betrayed us, that Spain has given us an education to let us escape and that means that the country hasn’t progressed. I trust that the country will see the serious mistake being made and they will change the situation before it’s too late. For the future, I hope I can get my university degree and work and live on it. I hope I will be able to start a family and I will be able to provide for them. I
wouldn’t like to leave the country to go
to work to another country. I would like to work as an engineer for the army. And I hope I can do it.
Finally, I can only wish good luck to those who are behind mine. I hope that they realize that they are in one of the best high schools in Madrid and they make the most of this unique opportunity they have. Thank you very much everyone for your attention.
By Sergio Pérez
This moment might be one of the most important moments in our lives. It's over. Our secondary studies have passed away. I can't remember how many times I have dreamed with this moment. A hundred evenings studying at home thinking “it will be over soon”, and after 6 years, here is the reward for our efforts. Of course, there have been good moments too, and I have met wonderful people but I was starting to get tired of it, so I'm glad it is over.
In fact, the first three years weren't so tough, but I think getting up early every morning was enough. Well, when we were in 3 rd E.S.O., it was difficult to think about this moment, we were happy if we made it through the week. Those times were tough in other ways, new experiences, new friends, everything was new and seemed wonderful, and after some right choices and some wrong choices, here we are.
Despite the fact that this year has been the most difficult in my life, it has been funny too. Having eight exams in a week has its touch of fun. I think we can find good things even in teachers. Maybe if we stare at them for three or four hours we can figure out what these good things are. Although I have never thought about
school as the most important part of my life, I have to admit that, due to all the time I spend here, I have eventually got quite fond of this place.
But it's time to leave. It's time to make one of the most important decisions in our lives. Our lives start now, and how we live them depends on our choices from now on, so we should choose wisely. Life is becoming harder due to the current situation, so, more than ever, we have to remember that the most important thing in life is not money or success but being happy with whatever we do and how we do it.
To finish this speech, I want to thank everybody who has given me good moments by wasting their time being with me. I want to thank everybody who has given me harsh moments too, because that's the best way to learn how life is going to be. Finally, I want to thank all those people who have borne us all the year long. Thank you teachers for your patience. Good luck to everybody. By Isidoro González
Hello. Thank you for being here listening to me in this day. Today is very important for me, today is my graduation and I am very satisfied because I am with my classmates, we have spent six years or more in this high school where we have prepared to choose our future. These six years have passed very fast; we had some trips, like Galicia, Rome or Lisbon and one project where we met a lot of people, Comenius project. These six years have been very intense. I started my school days when I was three; I started in Claudio Sanchez Albornoz School. There I met some friends, and some of them are my friends now. when I arrived at the high school I was very nervous because it was a new thing and I didn’t know anyone in my class but at the end I changed to another class where I met my current friends, although some of them have been my friends since the first school year at primary school, like Pablo or Javi, and we have been in the same class for many years. Well, when I started the high school, my first school tutor was Eduardo, who had been my sister tutor ten years before. He was some of the best teachers. In general all teachers have been very good. About my friends, they have always been with me and they helped me whenever I needed and we have done many things, like going on
school trips. In this school every year since 2 nd ESO I have travelled somewhere and on these trips we got to know teachers better. The first trip was to Andorra to ski, and my last trip was last year to Lisbon with the religion teacher, and one year I travelled with the Comenius project to Lithuania and to Rome with the religion teacher. The best experience in these six years has been the Comenius project, in this project I got to meet a lot of people, and they were from Lithuania, Germany, Austria and Poland. First they came here and later ++we went to Lithuania. This trip was very funny and I met many people and we got closer to teachers who came with us. This year has been very hard but it is finishing and we will be able to have the best holidays ever. In this year we have worked a lot because we have prepared the university entrance exam to choose our college. This year we have had some teachers who have prepared us very well for the exam and they have worked a lot too. In these days I will choose my future but in these years with the economic crisis maybe we won’t be able to work where we want. Therefore I have tried to have the best marks to choose my degree. And I hope that this crisis will end when we finish the university.
To conclude, thanks to the high school for these years full of good moments, and for helping me to choose my future because I will do my degree because I like technology thanks to the technology teachers. And thanks to my classmates for these years too, for those times in class flying paper airplanes or playing football in P.E. classes. Finally I want to say thanks to my best friends for being there all these years. Thank you. Thank you very much for your attention. See you soon. by Hector de Matias Jimenez
Hello everybody, My time at this high school brings me back some nice memories and some bad memories. On the one hand, one of the nicer memories that I have is the trip that I took in 4th ESO to Rome. I had a great time, especially since I was with my friends. On the other hand, one of my worst memories is when I failed the English exam in September last year. It was a bad experience for me and for my parents because they were very angry and upset with me.
It is true that nobody thought when we came here this would be so difficult, but yes, we have already reached the second grade of Bachillerato and we have finished it.
Well, I will describe below a bit how these six years have been: I started the first course in 2007, when I went from being the oldest in the school to being the youngest at the high school. At first, I was very nervous and I hardly knew people in the class because there were people from the other school. When I was there, I believed that second of Bachillerato was a long way ahead.
I think that the best school year for me regarding the academic level was second. I had very good grades; my average grade was about 8. In fact, I had even an 8 in English!! The most complicated year was 3rd ESO, when I started to do worse and I failed Spanish language, but finally I passed in September. In 4th ESO, I was excited because it was the end of a cycle and I had to take a difficult decision: continuing my studies or abandoning them. In 2010, driven by my parents, I decided to start Bachillerato. It was this year when I started to fail English… but otherwise, it was really good. And at last, I am finishing second of Bachillerato. Obviously, this course is the most complicated, but we were able to succeed and now we have to enjoy this moment!
I would like to thank those teachers who have made an effort to stay overtime to explain things that I didn’t understand, such as the physics teacher, the technical drawing teacher, the maths teacher, etc. They have been very patient with us. It is true that I have had very good teachers, if not for them, I probably wouldn’t be here, so thanks!!
Also, I have to thank my friends, especially my friend Sergio, for cheering me up in difficult times, for example, in the death of my cat or in moments when I was sad, and so on.
Of course, I have to thank my parents for all they suffered when I failed, the economic effort of extra lessons, etc. I believe that they have suffered more than me, especially my father. He tells me every day that I have to pass the Bachillerato this year. If I pass Bachillerato, I know that he will be very happy. Also, I have to thank my sister because she has helped me, for example, she helped me with physics, maths, chemistry, English, etc.
In the future, I would like to study computer science. I don’t know if I will make a vocational training or a degree. My life in this school has influenced my plans for the future because if I hadn’t studied in this school, probably I wouldn’t be interested in computers.
I wish to finish my time in this high school in order to do my hobby, computer studies, but I know that I will miss it because I’ve been here for 6 years of my life and I have had really good times.
I wouldn’t want to say goodbye without thanking my classmates who are the best and who I’ll never forget.
Thank you very much for your attention and good luck to those lucky enough to sit for the University Entrance Exam.
By Víctor Manuel Tíscar Pérez
Good morning, if you are listening to these words is because have you got here and that’s not a minor event. All of us know that the time we have spent on high school is important and it has not been easy but now we are on the pretty end and it is time to look back and remember everything happened. Six years ago I arrived at+ this high school, it was September and I met all my friends from the school after a summer without seeing them. We didn’t know how much our lives would change. From that moment a lot of experiences have led to my growth and my maturity. In first of ESO the biggest change happened. That year I met the people who are now near me. This course was one of the most difficult ones because of the new people, the lessons and the teachers, everything was new for me and it actually took me a while to get used. After the first month, things were changing and I started
to
feel
more
comfortable
with
my
new
school.
However, subsequent courses, like second, weren´t too complicated. I met new people and of course I had disappointing experiences and grateful too. Third of ESO was the best year for me: my partners and I were very close and the atmosphere was very comfortable. When the
third term finished, after nine months, we travelled to Galicia, where we visited different places, but I can claim that parties at night having a good time were the best thing of the trip. And as it is typical of all trips, we met people who weren’t from our high school but we had a good time with them. At this stage of ESO, it was the time for love affairs, discussions and many experiences that made me change little by little. In fourth, problems related to exams appeared. It was the last course of ESO and on the one hand the study was harder and intensive and on the other hand it was the year when I had more problems with some teachers. However it was the year of COMENIUS and we were visited by people from the project, then some months later we went to Lithuania and Latvia. We met German, Lithuanian, Polish and Austrian people and we had a great time with all of them. In the same year we travelled to Paris too: another perfect trip, with small anecdotes that I’m sure that more than one will never forget. Last year, in first of bachillerato I felt an enormous change, and the strain increased because the word “PAU” appeared everywhere,
and
now,
in
second,
this
anxiety
is
bigger.
Disappointment appears most of the time after exam marks and projects are given. Luckily I use escape routes in order to disconnect from everything, otherwise I’m completely sure I would have been
overloaded a long time ago. Anyway, I’m very proud of myself and although things do not always go as I want, I’m still here, I haven´t surrendered. I also want to thank those teachers who have supported me and have taken the best of me and never refused to help me. Now, it´s a month to finish the last term and I suppose I will miss the high school. But it’s one more change in our life, we must make our way, and I hope time will put each one of you where you belong. Thank you and good luck! By Ana Garcia
It is a pleasure for me to do this speech because today is one of the most important days in our lives, so I wanted to write an unforgettable speech, a speech that could leave its mark on everyone who listens to this speech but it was so difficult because when I was writing teardrops were falling down from my eyes because of all the memories that we have, special memories about every moment spent in this place and every moment spent here with each of our friends. These memories will be with us in every moment of our lives, and these memories will help us to know that we have changed and that we have grown up and all the things that we have lived here have contributed to make us better students and even better persons. In spite of living different types of events in our school, for example some people have found love here, other group of people have become someone special in our lives and although some people have often argued, in spite of these events, each one of us has left a mark at the school and even in each one of us. My life in the whole time that I was in the school was so hard because I had never been in the same school for more than 2 years but in this case it is different because I’ve been in this high school for three years. Since then, I have done a lot of things and those
things turned my life into an incredible life. Things like a trip to Rome in 4th ESO and trips to different places wouldn’t have been the same if it hadn’t been with them, I mean, if my classmates hadn’t been there. When I started high school I had my lifelong friends because I was in Peru and I had known them since I was born but at the end of 2007 my parents decided to move here. At first, I was very nervous because I was in a different country and in a different high school with new people, people who I thought wouldn’t accept me but I was wrong because I started to talk with some of them and some of them turned into my best friends so I want to thank my classmates too, because they have always been there when I needed them. We can’t forget about our teachers. They, although we haven’t wanted to admit it, have always supported us in what they could and they have worried about each one of us. I particularly want to thank those patient teachers for supporting us with patience. To those less patient teachers, for forcing us to grow and to those teachers who searched out the best in us and taught us what we can do nowadays.
Throughout this year, we have grown in our mentality and it’s a difficult year because it is the end of a special stage in our lives. It’s the year when we have to decide what we want to do in the next years. It’s time to be as responsible as possible and to think about what will be the best for us. So I want to wish luck to everyone here. All in all, I want to thank again everyone that is listening to me and I want to tell my classmates that the effort was worth it and the time which we dreamed of has finally come true. It’s been a long time since we started here but now it’s time to go and I hope that everyone gets lucky in the years to come. This is only a see you soon because we still have many things to live together. Thanks for listening and for your attention. See you soon. By Cristhian Aznaran
This is my last year, and for this reason I would like to talk about my experience at this school. I would like to express how I've felt here and all the good and bad things that I will take from here. I'm Andrea and I have been a student at this school since first grade. I entered this school because my cousin and my sister had already completed their studies here and they had done very well. I started with great enthusiasm. The first year, I have to admit, was very hard, I had to make new friends, although I had good support because my cousin Jorge was in the same conditions as me, we came from another school, and we didn’t know anyone in our new high school. I remember that the first people who came to talk with us were very friendly, but I think that they aren’t in the high school now. The truth is that when you are in the early years of school, you think that you will never get to the end. In second grade I had some problems. For me it was the worst grade because I had arguments with partners. Now, I know that everything was typical teenage behaviour; being a teenager is sometimes hard. I also had a difficult time with my family, but I have to say that in that year not all was problems, because I was lucky to find a special friend, Elena. She helped me to realize that I was not alone, we began talking and we
have been friends since this grade. We still are friends. I shared with her many bad and good times these years of my life, she has been very important to me. Then all my friends appeared and I felt that I could trust them and I began to think that it would be funny to go to high school. So I hope that when I finish high school, my friends will continue being my friends. Definitely I think I've been very lucky with the teachers and to find the group of friends that I have. I have had with them unique moments as classmates and as friends in the street. I've also had good teachers that I really felt that I could trust. Sometimes I have felt bad, because things do not go always as I would like. I have been often overwhelmed, I worried a lot about getting good marks, that's always been my intention, but I have to say that my parents never forced me to get what I could not, they have always considered that I was sensible enough to know what I had to do. With the school I have travelled to many different places such as Paris, Vienna, or Dublin and each trip has been unique. In Dublin we lived with a family, at first Elena and I were not very good with the family because they were a bit weird. We were scared because the family had a cat and the cat was following us everywhere. In addition to travelling, we have also done many projects with the school, the most important was the Comenius Project between 4th
and 1st Bach. This project allowed me to meet all kinds of people in many countries. It was fun, we learned to speak English with them and then we have travelled to their countries. I travelled to Vienna, and what I liked was the type of education that there is in Vienna because it is much more enjoyable. It was much easier, funnier, and they learn more than we do. I must say that this Project was possible because in high school there are many teachers who encourage us and they support us in these projects. I would like everything to end well; I have tried to work harder, especially in these last two years. Studying bachillerato was a big change for me. I know I have to do as much as I can to achieve my objectives. All good things come to an end; my time in this school is also finishing. Nowadays, I am very overwhelmed because I do not know where I'll be or what is going to happen next year, because I'm not even sure how I will finish the high school, but I just hope that in my new stage, I can find people as good as in this school and enjoy it as much as I did here. I thank everyone who trusted me, my friends, my family, and a small group of girls who have made me feel great here. By Andrea Báguena
Hello everybody and thanks for being here, listening to our speeches. I think today is an important day in our lives. We finish a special time in this high school. Many of us have spent six years here, time goes fast, but I admit that this year has been tough and endless. Nevertheless, I had a great time and I met very important people. I started my way in this high school when I was twelve. The first day I was there, I was very nervous, because of the new people, the new teachers that I had never seen…too much excitement to be the first day of class. But after so many years being here, I think those nerves were worthy, they make you grow and they make you stronger. First of ESO was the biggest change, I knew only one person, and the rest of the class was new for me, new subjects, and different ways to evaluate…. In second of ESO, I already felt the change, the year seemed a little more complicated, but easy to pass. That year I started to meet the friends that I have nowadays. I felt better, but again, new teachers. Third of ESO was the best year for me: It was the first time I travelled alone without my parents.
I travelled to Ireland with
some friends; in that trip I learned many things that I still
remember. About the teachers, they taught me many things, I must admit that thanks to them, now there are subjects that I like more and I spend more time on. In fourth year, we started making little decisions; we had to choose which way we were going to take. Since that time, we were beginning to describe our future…This year many things happened, we participated in the Comenius Project, we travelled to Paris… Well, I would like to talk about these two great events. About the Comenius Project, it was the first international project of the school. We were the first people who would participate in it. In the project each country had to do 5 activities (Poland Lithuania, Germany, Austria and Spain), and they came together and displayed their work. It was an opportunity to speak English with different people and to live other experiences. I couldn’t travel that year, because there were too many people. And to finish that year, Paris, it was a trip that I’m sure we will never forget, we have many anecdotes, like spending the night on the train…and more. First of bachillerato was a year when I felt too much change. The teachers continually warned us, they told us it was an important year, and that the next year we might do the “PAU”, etc… in my opinion…too much pressure... Although bad things
happened, I received good news that year; I had the chance to go to Poland with the Comenius Project. I will never forget it! And now, in second of bachillerato, the pressure is increasing, we have had lots of exams, lots of paper and also, some marks have not been good enough: sometimes the effort is not rewarded. I’m still very proud of everything I’ve achieved and I hope my dreams will also be fulfilled in the future. The time has run out, but I cannot end my speech without thanking all the teachers who have been teaching me all these years, have supported and have believed I could do it. Only one month left to finish this stage, it is a hard and stressful month. But now there is no time to surrender, I’m sure it will be a very rewarding effort for everyone. At the end of this, there will be another change in our lives, we must make our way and make our own decision. Thank you for listening and good luck in your life. Hope to see you sometime. By Elena Pascual Sanchez .
Before I start, I would like to remind you the reason why we are here. We have finished this stage of our lives, successfully for sure. This year has been a hard one, where we have had to study also overnight because of the short time we had to prepare all of our exams. That is why I consider that we deserve to take our time to rest and think of our future. This is the popular word which is in the spotlight. During all these years we have heard from it. When we were younger, this future was so far from us. Now, it’s time to make decisions. Soon we will be outside of the school, thinking about our new degree course and meeting new interesting people. We won’t meet to each other again surely. But, I would like to express my gratitude. Thanks you for your patience and for making me understand the value of education. I still remember my first day at school, I mean, my first impressions and all those feelings and fears that I had on my mind. It seemed to be the hardest day because I didn’t really want to change my previous life. Before that, everything was different, my point of view and my attitude to the world. I didn’t have too many concerns and the events happened as I expected. Fortunately, I have always had the same goals including my wish to go to university.
It is a long time since we started to grow up and to mature. During these six years I have learnt to believe in my possibilities. In addition, I consider that if I hadn’t had willpower, I wouldn’t have accomplished this stage. As a result of my efforts, I have had the chance to apply for scholarships abroad. In fact, last summer I was in London for three weeks learning English. Furthermore, I am proud of having my parents because I think that there aren’t two persons in the world who are able to give me a better education. They really are my role models, especially my mother. She has been able to cope with the obstacles. The most important thing I have learnt from her has been to be brave. Apart from that, I feel lucky because since I arrived, I have met a lot of good friends. Amity is not easy to get when we are young because we don’t know what we like from the others. However we have been able to get a close relationship despite our different tastes. I am glad to have met them. Moreover I have met a lot of interesting teachers who have taught me a lot. I hope to keep in touch with some of them. To sum up, this present moment is important for all of us because our future depends on it. So we have to focus on it and try to do our best. It’s time to fight for what we love and not to throw in
the towel. We should take pride in all we have. I don’t mean that this stage has been easy at all but it has been useful. At present, we start a new stage in our lives and I suppose all of us feel similar emotions such as uncertainty and pressure. In my case, I hope to study a degree course that makes me feel proud of myself. Growing up is not a problem for me, I am not frightened about it. However, my fear is growing up without achievements or dreams to overcome. I prefer to continue studying and fighting so as not to be exploited in the future. Finally, I assure you that we can do anything we dream of. Let’s try to do our best! By Marta Souto
Thank you everyone for being here. We are lucky to end the high school and to have the opportunity to study, to learn and to decide what our life will be like. When I was very little I went to a nursery. I played, learnt to read and to write, but I also learnt how to be a good person, to help people and to develop my intelligence. When I was six years old there was a change in my life. I had to go to school. Although I was new there, my best friends were with me so there wasn’t such a sudden change. However, when I arrived here I was also new but this time I didn’t know anybody. This change was more difficult but I am happy to have had this change now because if it hadn’t happened, I probably wouldn’t be like I am now and because I have met amazing people here. Some of them are my best friends and they are very important for me. I have enjoyed learning about the world and discovering new things so I have had good results. I have never been pressed by my parents in this way. In fact, they have helped me in all I have needed, so I thank them for it. Moreover, they have been a model to follow. My mother is very important for me and she has been an inspiration for me.
I am grateful for having teachers that have helped me very much and have solved the innumerable doubts which I have had. Some of them have been more than teachers, some of them have been a model to follow and they have helped me choose what is best for me, they have helped me change in the true sense and they have helped me make up my mind about what I want to do after the high school. We have laughed very much in some lessons with some teachers that are fantastic. In fact, some of them have expressions which make them be special for us. Our time at the high school hasn’t involved only study. There have been numerous events, trips and excursions where we have lived unforgettable experiences. For example, I could go to a scientific camp thanks to the high school. It has been an unforgettable experience which I won’t be able to live again. I met extraordinary people in this camp, I was in touch with science in a way that ordinary people can’t and I learnt things which help and will help me in my life. I would like to thank a teacher in particular that helped me go there. I won’t forget her. Now we are at the end of the high school. We have passed a phase and we are going to begin a new phase. This year has been very difficult for us, but we have been able to overcome the pressure
with a lot of work and effort.
In spite of the changes and the
problems we have to find what we love the most. Our future job will be an important part of our life and we know that. We will be satisfied only if we do what we consider a great job. It will only be great if we love what we are doing. We have the bunch of keys with the one that opens the door which will lead us along our life path. So we have to make the best choice and don’t let people make it for us! I think that having an education is very important currently because the world is changing all the time and we have to adapt to the changes. Therefore, if we have an education we will be able to do a lot of things and to solve many problems like reducing pollution or finding the cure for chronic illnesses. For instance, when I arrived at the high school, it wasn’t as it is now. The technology is part of our life and we can guarantee it because our high school is a technological high school with a lot of devices we couldn’t see six years ago. We have chosen to study the pre-university studies. I think we have made the right decision and I am proud of ending this year. Moreover, I believe that going to university will be a good choice and experience.
Finally, I want to thank the teachers because they have done a very good job and I hope you are right with your choice and with what you will do. Thanks.
By Raquel Flores Martín.
Today is the beginning of our new lives and this life will be hard for all of us. Today we are losing a lot of good things, for example: some partners, teachers. However we have finished Secondary Education and in the future we will have to struggle in order to forge our future.
When we started our secondary studies, the exams were easy but over the years, the difficulty of the exams was increasing, and so was our effort. It is true that we have suffered, but in my view we have had some fun at the high school too. I don't agree with people who say that the high school is useless, all of us have acquired a lot of knowledge, and you have also learned what life is like. My family's support has been great, but I have always thought that the support is unnecessary because if you believe in yourself and if you try, you will achieve your goals.
What can I say about the teachers? We must appreciate the teachers' effort. If they did not resolve our doubts, if they weren't patient, we wouldn't be now in our graduation and the most important thing, many teachers have changed our way of thinking. Obviously this change is good, we are not longer children, we are adults.
As I said before, in the future we must struggle. Why? because, now the world is plunged into a global crisis, the future is dark. However in our hands is the power to change this situation, we will have to be able to overcome this crisis . As I said before, in front of us, there are some choices, we must choose the best option, that is being an adult and helping one another to overcome this crisis.
I want to thank my partners for all the good moments in this high school, teachers and oddly enough, I would also like to say thanks for all the bad moments, because we learn from all our experiences. As Homer said “The key in life is not knowing a lot but forgetting little”
Thanks for listening to me and to my boring speech, because it is hard to write a graduation speech,( in addition it's harder)but it becomes even harder if the person who wrote it is an asocial person.
Good luck to everybody and I hope that all of us pass the University Entrance Exam. By Julio Roberto Secayán García
Hello everybody, I´m here in front of you, in order to talk about this time of our lifes that is ending. In fifty years we will just remember this as a period in our life which made us grow and helped us become members in the society. And I also want to talk about my life and my experiences that I have lived during these years. The first time I came to Spain was eleven years ago, I don´t remember exactly how I felt when I started 2 nd of elementary School in Getafe. I think it was difficult for me because the other boys laughed all the time because of my accent. That was very difficult for me. So, my teacher told me that I had to speak with your accent, pronouncing the Z like you, instead of an S as we pronounce in Colombia. So, when I started to do this, everything began to go better. In 2007 my parents decided to come here for the second time. When my parents told me that we were going back to Spain again, I refused, because I didn´t like the idea of travelling to another country and leaving my friends and my family. So, when I came here I started 2nd of secondary in this High School. And I´m happy for that, because I have studied in many schools, and it is the first time that I have studied more than two years in the same school. I
have been studying here, in this high school for 5 years. It was difficult for me, because I didn’t know many people and there were some people who didn´t understand some of my expressions, for example, I remember that I failed the first exam I did, because the teacher didn´t understand anything of what I wrote. The fact was that I used my own expressions, and I know I did it well. The teacher wrote in the exam that he couldn´t understand what I meant. Despite this fact, I’m happy because I have met my friends here and I had the opportunity of living in another country. So, this High School has been very important for me, because I have lived many good experiences, such as different school trips and I’ve also had good moments with my friends. So, my life is like a circle, because I have lived in Colombia, then I lived here, then in Colombia, and now here and tomorrow I don´t know.
During my life I have had many people who have helped me. I want to thank them, because they have helped me to grow up, especially my parents, who have done everything for me, and they have supported me in everything I have needed.
Also, I want to thank my teachers, all of them, the hundreds I have had. So , thanks to them I have learned many things, such as how to read, how to write, how to add up and to subtract, English, even History and many other things. Also, I want to thank my friends who have helped me when I have needed them. This year has been difficult, and many times so stressful. But, we have learned to make the most of our time and thanks to this we will be more prepeared for the future, that´s why we are here, because we want to grow up, because we want to join the society, I want it. For me this year is the end of a very important stage of my life, my mother, and many people, I think, says that it is the best part of our life, . And, I think it is true, isn´t it? I think, talking about the future is difficult because life can change in one second, but we have to think about it. After school I want to go to University. However, the only thing I know about the future is that we will remember this time as the best we have had. So, as I said I have learned many things thanks to many people, and I have lived many experiences, I had the oportunity of study abroad, and thanks to this I have learned about this country, and I repeat I´m happy for that. So, tomorrow we will know that
whatever we have learned here will be useful for the future. And I would like this future, our future, to be very good. I wish you all a good tomorrow, God bless you. Thanks for your attention. Thank you.
By Juan David Acevedo
Good afternoon everyone!
At last, school has finished. Finally, the day has come. But, who am I kidding? I'm really frightened about it. Many people have spent more time here than at their homes, which is why this high school is such a special place. At Galileo Galilei high school, all of us have thousands stories to tell, from any corner of this building, which has been our home for many years. Experiences in which integrity, love, companionship and tolerance have always been with us. That is, values inculcated from childhood that have become evident in our daily lives by learning from our teachers, parents and friends. We could remember what a good time we had at the nursery. Times in which all that mattered was playing on the slide in the courtyard, playing with sand or with a ball. Days in which we watched films, we went on school trips or even, the Three Wise Men came from the Middle East to visit us. They were my best friends during those three years of preschool, along with my teachers. Since childhood, these people have tried to teach us not only our first steps into the academic world, but a personal lifestyle, the way to happiness. Three years in which I discovered the world surrounded
by my current friends, which has served to strengthen our friendship. It was already twelve years ago, concluding that stage with a pretty graduation in our correspondent schools. Once in Primary, the new classrooms would appear. Thereby, new parents and teachers would come into our lives and with them, a lot of birthdays in which there were presents, games, cakes and especially lots of laughs. In these years, we made our first Holy Communion, which taught us to see a new lifestyle. Teachers who excelled were Isabel and Luz, for teaching me since preschool. During those years, I noticed that the relationship between all of us was not only limited to the four walls of the school, but we formed a group which left a mark in the history of the school. Four walls in which we learnt a lot of important gestures like a hug or a smile. As the years passed we kept growing, forming an extensive network of friends in which we were all integrated. Then, the Secondary Education came. Upon arriving at high school, we would discover Ángel Sevillano, a person whose vocation for teaching made many of us to dream. Therefore, thanks Ángel. Later Diana Labajos would come. She transmitted us the desire of doing things right. Cristina Gómez, a model of simplicity and sympathy, achieved her goal: helping students to pass their exams. Pilar Rodríguez, who has helped us to make our own decisions. And
finally Briz and Asunción, whose most important task has been to help us to choose our degree as well as to help us to mature. I should be emphasized the recognition to the rest of teachers for their hard work, sacrifice and effort. We can't forget janitors or secretaries, who have put up with us. I also want to show my grattitude to Marisol and Rubén who have seen us grow and who have made this center the best in Madrid. Nevertheless, we wouldn't have achieved our goals without the effort that our parents made so that we could study at Galileo Galilei high school. Thanks to our families and our parents with whom we have shared good and bad moments, and thanks for leaving your tasks to come here, to a meeting or a play. In short, for worrying about us. Thank you for understanding who we are, for giving us all, for trusting and believing in us, but especially for supporting us. In these years we began to grow apart because we had to take our first steps and we have to decide what we would study later. As you noticed, we have been passing from class to class, from year to year. Throughout this time we began to believe in ourselves. In Bachillerato, despite having been two hard an confusing years, I have made important decisions like choosing my degree or the university where I want to go. I must admit that with you by my side, it has been much more bearable and it has gone
faster. Today we stop being Secondary students to become future university students and I think it's time to say goodbye. Our ways begin to separate. Today is our day: May 24 th 2012, day which symbolizes the closing of a part of our lives, but it also means the beginning of the second. We have been educated in a single high school. We graduated at the same time. We will become engineers, doctors, biologists, teachers....
Enjoy the way you choose to achieve your goal. Now we are ready to come into the world: a world that needs some changes, which we can solve. Dear partners, I will never forget this high school. Every time I remember Galileo Galilei high school, I will think of all of you with joy, enthusiasm and happiness. All of you belong to my life, so I don't want to forget. So I encourage you to dream, to make your wishes come true. I'm proud of you. Goodbye everyone!!
By Alejandro Sánchez
Today is a very special day for all of us, it is the night which we all dreamt about. Here ends this stage and starts a new one. It is a mixture of happiness and sadness. Happiness because we have achieved our personal goals through our efforts and sadness for all that we leave behind. When we went to high-school for the first time we asked ourselves who would be our new classmates, who you were going to spend the next six years with, those “who” now may be our best friends. We have had many experiences together. We have been to Andorra, to Paris, some of us have participated in the Commenius project and we have travelled to different countries like Lithuania in my case and that, we won't forget. This year, all of us, have been aware that these could be our last laughs together, but everything will always be with us. But today, we take different paths, the path that we walked together before, we'll take it separately. Most of us won't see one another anymore. But one day when we meet
someone in the
street we will think: He was in my high- school! And many memories will come to our minds.
I wanted to thank all the teachers because thanks to their efforts trying to teach us as well they can, thanks to their patience etc, we are what we are today. I would also like to thanks the family for all their continued support and faith in us.
Finally thank you to all my classmates who have always been there when I needed them. Finally congratulations to all of us. We did it, today we graduate.
By Irene Ortiz
Good afternoon friends, parents and teachers. I can’t believe I’m here so soon. It seems that it was yesterday when we were only three years old and we started school. Some of us have been together these fifteen years. It’s incredible how fast we have grown and matured and, at the same time, how many things have happened. When we finished school and started high school we changed from being the oldest to be the youngest. We were new and we felt threatened by the 2nd of Bachillerato’s students. And now, six years later, we have become the oldest again, and we are now those who threaten the 1st of ESO students when they see us in the horrible corridor where our classroom is. Anyway, we have changed and grown amazingly, and we’ve done it together. Everything has changed. And we haven’t noticed that even the way we spend our breaks has. Now we go to the park or we just stay talking in the schoolyard. But I can’t forget how we lived our breaks at school. We had a very competitive football competition, especially between “A” and “B” classes. We were the worst enemies, and the most important thing we had to do was beating them up or inventing a new insult starting with “A” or “B”, depending which our class was. And now we are all part of the same group and we
have got used to being together. But there is something I miss a lot. It was especially girls who did it. In my school there was always music playing and we would spend every break dancing. And now, when I listen to some songs, like “Bomba” or “Mayonesa”, I remember those fantastic breaks. We won’t forget everything we’ve lived during this time. The trips have been one of the best parts of these six years. We’ve lived a lot of experiences and we have a lot of anecdotes we won’t forget. We travelled to Andorra and Paris. We took part in the Comenius project and we went to Lithuania, Poland or Austria. We will always remember living with people from four different countries, it was fantastic. I want to thank the teachers for the effort they have made with us and the patience they have shown. They have tried to teach us as well as they could, even things we weren’t interested in or we didn’t like. Now, our ways are going to separate. Some of us are going to continue studying, and some are starting a new life experience trying to get a good job, which is not going to be easy in the current economic situation. There is a future waiting for us, and I hope our
futures meet some day and we can remember these years and share our life experiences. I hope we all have success in our lives. The things I’m going to remember all my life are the fantastic teachers I’ve had during these six years but, above all, I’ll never forget the great people I’ve met. Congratulations everyone for having arrived here. We did it!! By Sandra Perez
This is a very important moment for everybody here. Now one of the most important phases in every student’s life, the school, is ending. In this speech I would like to thank the efforts of my parents and teachers, who have taken me get my goal to the goal. They were with me from the beginning, starting Secondary Education and finishing with Bachillerato. Their presence was decisive in this difficult period. I remember the first time I went to school, not knowing any Spanish. Everything was new to me. It was hard at first, but after a year studying Spanish it became better. After that year I started to study Secondary Education. And this is where my studying phase began. My parents were always helping me, but sometimes it wasn’t enough. I have received help from my friends and teachers, who were always helpful. During the four years of Secondary Education. I have learned a lot of skills from my teachers and my classmates. Moreover, this time was sometimes funny, especially when we had some jokes with teachers. The school trips were a very good way to bring teachers closer to students, visits to museums, historic places and other kind of extracurricular activities may be the best memories that have remained after school. I liked some teachers
more than others because they gave us more amusing classes or simply they explained to us better. But, we have changed. We changed the way in which we used to look at ourselves and the way in which we used to perceive this world we live in. Today we are celebrating the first most important event of our lives, which marks the end of one phase and the beginning of another. We are here today to celebrate our accomplishments and achievements and to acknowledge the hard work and effort we have made to learn everything we know now. These accomplishments will help us to achieve our goals. The next phase that is expecting us is university. I think it will be completely different from the school, the relationship between teachers and students may be completely different, I don’t know. But we must continue our way, the way we have been doing all our life. I hope to find success in the future, because our teachers have taught us how to face the difficulties and problems we may have. I think that we are quite prepared to overcome most of the complications we will have to face. I want to conclude with a quote from Robert Kennedy, that says: "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." By Artem Hrytsay
The future, a thing that gives us hopes and terrifies us both. When I started to think about the future, I thought that I would be an astronaut or a prestigious researcher but life is often a lot of laps and we will not always become what we want to be, but the important thing about this is not what we are, but all the effort we put into it.
Although evening spent
this is our
last year, I
making wikis,
will
remember the
English central, the
wonderful compositions, assignments online, where the page hardly ever worked ... etc. Also at 4 th ESO I will remember our wonderful history’s teacher
Javier Ramiro, with his
comments:
“Señor
delegado, ¿Donde está el parte?” and of course Morato´s class with his: “A ver…”, “Pecador”, “Mal”, “Caballero”, “error”…. Etc. We have a lot of good memories, like Catalina’s classes and Chemistry examinations. And do not forget the great themes long units of biology this school year. It is true this course has been the greatest disaster in Bachilleratos in
terms
of grades
throughout the
history
of
this wonderful place; it is true that there have been strikes, that
retake
exams
in
some
subjects were
more difficult
than the
first exam. But I think this group of students is the only one that has been able to stick together and have a great fellowship.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to decide what we are going to do in the future, we have a heavy burden on our shoulders and that is to get this country back on its feet (which has gone down like the titanic or one aircraft). It’s time to divide and each one of us going to take charge of their own destiny and having said that I wish the best of luck not as classmates, but as friends.
About my future I think the school has influenced a lot on me and I thank all the teachers that despite knowing who I am, they have supported me. And of course I would like to thank the high
school chess
team for
having always
believed in
me
and supporting me in all the tournaments that I've played for this wonderful school.
Finally I would like to thank many of those present here for having helped with every one of my exams and when I failed an
exam. Thanks. Thank you very much for listening and good luck to all in life and I really hope that everyone gets what they want in this world.
By Raúl Pérez.
Hi everybody! Now I can see you how you are, relaxed and happy (some more than others…), because finally you have finished the exams!! Next year, all of you will be doing whatever you want. You will be studying for 4 more years, at least, a nice degree. But that won’t be all. When you have finished your degree you will find the job of your dreams. That was a joke, by then the word job won’t exist. But nothing of that matters, now we have to think about the summer. I hope you will enjoy this summer. You deserve it. You deserve it because some of you were studying while the rest of the people from high school were having fun with their friends in the streets. Now is the revenge, because your holiday has come, and those students continue studying (during these two long weeks). Now, I can see you on the beach playing volleyball with your friends, going out to the disco, meeting nice new girls and boys. Be careful about what you do! I also remember those beautiful and handsome teachers, who have given me the highest marks (the marks I deserve), and not seeing them makes me sad (I hope they are thinking the same about me. No… I know they are.). The same happens with my partners, I will miss you, every one of you. I don’t know what I’m going to do
when I want to argue with someone about an exam. I’ll miss you, seriously… That’s the end, my friends. I hope you enjoy your wished summer. I hope to see you again in twenty years and I will surely fake interest in your lives. See you and thank you for all! By Javier Miguel
Good morning everybody. We are here because we have finished our studies in secondary school. All the people that are sitting here today know that this is the end of a phase of our lives, secondary school has been very important because we have learnt education and a way of life too. And all these things wouldn’t have been possible without teachers, pupils, and without all the people that have helped us become what we are. When we came from the school to the high school we were afraid of everything, we thought that the last year students were very tall, very cool, secure, and clever and we were only children from our schools, we also thought we were worse than them. We have never thought that time flies, but voila!! We are here and I think that it is all and I want to ask you a question: Are we really cool, tall, and invincible? Or are we only older children that are still afraid of what is to? Well today is a day to remember all things that we have lived during the last six years. In this high school we have overcome ourselves. We have learnt to think, to argue, to lie, and to seek alternatives, to find the way to be better, to pass the difficult physics and chemistry exams, to be patient with biology… In this
time I think we have matured quite a lot, but not everything has been the studies, at the high school we have also met our friends, friends for the rest our lives. We have had a good time; here we had fun in the trips, during the classes, in the laboratory, in the bathrooms, in all places. I have to thank our teachers, because we have learnt that the teachers are people that believe in us, and not just people who fail us or fight us. Teachers have helped us every day; they always have supported us and have tried to take out our talent. Teachers are always very patient with us. Because we have to recognize we are sometimes, very unbearable. Today it is impossible not to think about the university entrance exam or about our future course, about our fears. In the future some of us will be studying an engineering degree, others some kind of philology, others arts… And most of us have a university entrance exam that we think it is very, very difficult. But I think that it is better not to think about it too much because the hardest part is now complete, we have managed to pass the last course. Now it is time to separate our lives but we don’t want it to be a sad moment, because we have had funny, sad, difficult, important and crazy moments together, and we have to remember all this time as a period, a good period. We will always have these memories in
our brain and now it is not important if we study arts, science, human degrees, the important thing now is that we have lived all things together and in the future we will be in touch because in my opinion all the people in this secondary school, Galileo Galilei, are like a family in more or less time. I cannot finish without giving thanks to First: friends, because they are the most important support in this part of our lives. Second: teachers “To educate a child is not to make him learn anything that he did not know, it is to do of him someone who did not exist “John Ruskin Third: family, because they are always here. Thank you very much for your time. By Fátima Arrogante
This is such an important moment in our lives, which will never be forgotten. Now it’s time to say goodbye, we´ve come to the journey’s end but I’m pretty sure there will be more journeys for all of us. In my speech I ´ll be talking about what this year has meant to me and what I´ve learnt from it, all the teachings I´ve got due to the teachers and the experiences I ´ve had. Of course, I shall mention all the difficulties my classmates and I have had. When I first came into class I felt kind of out of place since I didn’t know anyone at all. I remember the first day we had a substitute and during that class, the first three people who talked to me were Aaron, Sandra and Irene. They’ve helped me pretty much, and I am really thankful. I´ve shared my feelings, good and bad times with great people I´ve met during the time spent in class this year. Sandra, Irene and Aaron have been the people who have helped me the most and I´ve tried to do my best to help them back, not only in their studies but also psychologically. They´ve been really patient and they have been always there helping me along the way. It´s been a great experience having to change schools once more, normally in only one year time you don´t get to know people so deeply, but in my case, people is all I´m taking with me.
I´ve felt really overwhelmed this year, because all the time I’ve felt kind of observed but I recognise it’s a normal thing since it´s the teachers’ duty to make sure you get along with your tasks and it´s been really helpful as well. My parents have been supporting me all year long and they have been worried so much about my future that I’ve been feeling some pressure which sometimes It´s even been hard to overcome and move on. But now, guys, It´s over, it´s time for us to decide which path to walk by now. I´ve always been a hard guy to control, and I´d like to thank the effort the teachers have done with me, mainly Olga, Ana, Juliana and Briz. Because they´ve been really patient and they have been always there helping me along the way. I think we’re a really competitive group, of course we do lots of things wrong but that is supposed to be the way to learn from our mistakes, which sometimes teach us even better than teachers. I know It´s hard to deal with us but you, guys, are already used to it, and it has turned out to be funny, right? I’m looking forward to leaving school because I want to live different experiences and so do the rest. I don´t think leaving school is a bad thing, life is made of different stages and the end of this one has shown up.
Well, I have no idea of where my steps will take me, and I don´t really know what I want to do, I know I can make it, because I´ve learnt in school how to use my skills properly, but if I´m honest this year has made me have more doubts about my future, I´m a bit confused and bewildered in the sense that I don´t really know what my plans are, But to me is not a bad thing either, maybe I need more time to decide and find myself. What I know is that I want to help people in life and I´ll try to find a way to reach my goals, which is all I can say. But as people say: “Where life will take me, there will be my place” so that is my philosophy right now. Maybe it is just youth´s-thinking.
Before this year I was a bit less lost, I had some ideas on what to do in the future but now everything sounds useless to me. During this year I´ve tried to do my best and I´ve made a great effort to make it, but I know I´ve done lots of mistakes though. In the future, I´m sure I´ll know how to get the teachings from my failures and I´ll try to overcome them and move on. The school has taught me how to do things my way but properly, being competitive but also respectful and how to achieve my goals by being patient, hard-working and organised. I have to say that the year I spent in The Netherlands has helped me a lot, in the sense that I grew so much as a person that now I´m able to see
everything from a different perspective. When I came back I was much more mature than before and definitely more open minded, I met people from all over the world and I lived experiences that I´ll always take with me. That year taught me how to fight against pressure and how to plan myself, which both have been helpful during this last year in high school. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME, IT´S BEEN A PLEASURE By Daniel Perez
May 5th 2012