EVELYN TABOR

// At the 2018 Sycamore School commencement, three 8th Grade graduates, Mary Kate Tanselle, Henley Lynch, and Evelyn Tabor, were chosen to give a speech to parents, teachers, and friends in the audience. Here are excerpts from each of their speeches.

In language arts class, we were asked to write about growing up. I wrote that “Growing up shapes your future. What you do as a child will impact you for the rest of your life.” Maybe it’s sentimental because I was just over a month away from graduating at the time, but I wrote this with Sycamore in mind, because Sycamore is where I grew up, and this building is my home, and the people sitting behind me are my family.

Incredible opportunities are the things that make it hard to leave Sycamore after nine years. It’s a mix of the little things, like seeing your friends waiting for you in the hall before band, every single morning. And the bigger things, like getting the chance to travel the country, that have shown me how truly special Sycamore is.

This school has left its mark on me in more

ways than I know. There are the visible ways, like the how I worked my way from simple addition and subtraction, to long division, and then to complex algebraic formulas. Or how I went from the “Handwriting Without Tears” books, to writing essays in English and Spanish. But then there are the things that lie below the surface, the skills that maybe aren’t immediately noticeable, but are present in myself, and all of my classmates. Sycamore has taught me to be respectful and kind, yet to also be proud of my accomplishments and have just the right amount of competitiveness. I have developed strong senses of leadership and independence that have carried me through middle school, and will continue to do so into the future.

But most importantly in my mind, Sycamore has given me the gift of confidence. The confidence to stand up here today and speak to you all. Confidence in my knowledge and ability to learn. And confidence in my accomplishments as a student, an athlete, a friend, and a member of the Sycamore community.

These things didn’t come on their own though. Whether it’s been from a friend, a teacher, a coach, an advisor, or someone who is all of those things, so many people have made my Sycamore experience what it is today. I can’t thank my teachers enough. You have all inspired in me a true love of learning, one of the best things a person can have. What you have taught me extends beyond what I learned in class, and the guidance and mentorship you have provided me with over the years is invaluable, something I will be forever grateful for. Finally, I have a few requests. To the current Sycamore students; take advantage of opportunities you have here, they will prepare you for your future in ways you can’t imagine yet. And don’t hesitate to ask any former students for advice. We would all love

to give you our tips on how to best take advantage of your time here.

To the teachers, keep doing what you’re doing. The education you have given me is the greatest tool I have, and I hope that more kids will get to experience what I have over the past years.

To all members of the Sycamore community, this has been the most incredible place to grow up and learn; please work to ensure that it stays that way, so that one day, one of the members of the Class of 2018 might send their student here.

Lastly, to my classmates, you are my family and words cannot express how much I will miss you all next year. But I want you all to keep working hard at everything you do, and stay in touch, because when one of you changes the world, which I’m confident will happen, I want to know, so I can say that I, too, was a member of the Sycamore Class of 2018. n