SHIVANI DESAI SOPHIE LIANG JUSTIN PUNO

Graduation Speeches

At the 2022 Sycamore School commencement, three 8th Grade graduates were chosen to give a speech to parents, teachers, and friends in the audience. In addition, three students were chosen to give speeches during the 8th Grade Honor Convocation held the day before graduation. Here are excerpts from each of those speeches.

GRADUATION SPEECH

SHIVANI DESAI

Congratulations to all of us here today: We made it! Through all of the science labs, the research modules in language arts, the art of note taking in history, and the daily grind in math, we successfully navigated the Sycamore path. It is bittersweet. Part of me does not want this to end while another part is excited to start new. I can’t contain the excitement; I want to roll my car windows down and sing the lyrics of a Taylor Swift song with pure joy. “But I keep cruising. Can’t stop, won’t stop moving. It’s like I got this music in my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright.” Certainly, none of us want to shake off Sycamore. But her lyrics echo each of our paths as we have overcome so many challenges and learned to keep moving forward. Importantly, during this process, we had the unending support from our parents, family, coaches, friends, and our teachers. This whole Sycamore community grounded our aspirations, reminded us to soar, and helped us to translate our talents into a long list of accolades. First, and foremost, I want to recognize the incredible teachers and one of our major pillars at Sycamore. Reflecting on the past, I am in awe at what we have learned, accomplished, developed, and experienced through their efforts. They have passed on their knowledge and wisdom to each student. A few notables include: 1. The cadaver dissection with Mr. Schuth and Dr. Wendel in the seventh grade where many of us felt faint 2. When we were in awe at using a 3D printer with Mr. Lowell 3. Coaches Fink and French, for staying calm with us while we behaved like a circus show in PE 4. The anxiety-provoking court cases of 8th Grade history with Mr. Young 5. The discussions dissecting the depths of literature with Mrs. Simpson and

Mrs. Corcoran. 6. Trying to rush through math tests to be able to get to those challenging bonus problems provided by Mr. Keith and

Mrs. Miltenberger 7. Rehearsing and feeling the nerves for band concerts directed by Ms. Johnson and Mr. Buchholz 8. Profe’s limitless perseverance to help teach all of us that triptongos are illegal in Spanish Adding more fuel to this fire, beyond the school commitment, teachers showed their deep dedication even after school for our further enrichment with activities such as: 1. Highly competitive math team and

Mathcounts hosted by Mr. T- sometimes three times a week! And that’s not counting the thousands of contest and challenge problems he made for us over the past few years 2. Mrs. Simpson’s victorious debate team and her dedication as highlighted by hosting debate tournaments on

Saturdays 3. Mr. Keith’s blood and sweat to help

Sycamore students rank nationally in VEX. 4. Ms. Mihm and Mrs. Cummings’s

Spelling Bee initiatives and their national recognition

5. Mr. Young supervising Academic Bowl and Mr. Schuth, the Science Bowl 6. Mrs. Corcoran directing our first school play this year 7. Planning school events in Student

Leadership Council with Mrs. Molter and Mrs. Hayden 8. The wide breadth of after school sports available to us over the years—from tennis to track to volleyball to basketball! Many of us have shared extreme anxiety directly facing these rigorous academic challenges. An example of this discipline is further highlighted by some more words again from Taylor Swift that are relevant to Mr. Keith: “I’ve got a blank space, and I’ll write your name.” Well, maybe not so much. Rather than help put our names in the upper right corner because we forgot to write it during the 5th Grade, Mr. Keith would take a point off of our assignments as a policy. We learned that every detail matters in academics. We will also cherish the daily routine with our teachers. Things such as: 1. The daily hallway nods and chatter with Mr. Young 2. Translating the lyrics of Bachata en

Fukuoka—say that 5 times real fast— with Profe 3. And, finally, this list cannot be complete without reminding all of us of

Mr. Schuth and his random humming during class, especially while we are doing a lab, and trying to build a third class lever. The second pillar in our journey stems from our parents and family. First, thank you for investing in us - I am sure the post-tax income could have been spent for many other comforts. But, you trusted us with those hard-worked dollars and for that we will be eternally grateful. We hope to make you proud. You have given us love and bonds that anchor us and give us the confidence to build our unique and wonderful identities. You have taught the meaning of right and wrong when we were younger and patience as we got older. The path was not always so smooth, of course. I am reminded of yet another Taylor Swift song when I think of my own parents. Words I often heard, especially as we turned older into Middle School, were: “You need to calm down // you’re being too loud” And now, to the final pillar: my classmates and friends. I remember how wide-eyed and nervous we were in 5th Grade compared to the, then, 8th Graders. And now, reaching the top of the totem pole during 8th Grade felt great; we were the bosses. We all mean a great deal to each other, and we have grown with each other and helped each other jump through so many hurdles. The best representation of our relationship as a class was the paper chain we constructed in the 7th Grade. Each link of the paper chain was built from a small strip of loose-leaf paper that was glued onto another link. Each link had a signature of one person in our class, and the links were connected to one another, creating a circle chain. Like the chain, we will always be connected. Despite the multitude of challenges that we have faced together over the past few years, the one common thread we all shared was the unlimited opportunities provided to us by the Sycamore community. They have left our doors wide open and the sky truly is the limit for all of us! All of our potential is infinite and we have many people to thank. With that in mind, I want to close with some fabulous words from Grammywinning artist Eminem: You better lose yourself in the music, the moment // You own it, you better never let it go // You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow // This opportunity comes once in a lifetime. You better.

[ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ] 8TH GRADE HONORS CONVOCATION SPEECH HIGHLIGHTS

Kaitlyn Park

I’m not here to complain about the nerve-racking tests and the numerous hours of sleep and watching Netflix I have sacrificed just to see Mr. Schuth hand me back my test with a spectacular 78% on it while simultaneously giving the much needed comment, “Yikes, Park”, I must admit, I will miss Sycamore.

Kaia Starnino

In 2015, a young girl came to Sycamore. It was her 2nd Grade year. Although she had switched schools three times in five years, she had trouble making friends. But when she came to Sycamore, she learned what it was like to really be accepted. She learned how to make friends and slowly began to realize that people aren’t so scary. The people there were truly welcoming. Although our story at Sycamore has come to an end, we will never forget our time here. After all, “life brings tears, smiles, and memories. The tears dry, the smiles fade, but the memories last forever.”

GRADUATION SPEECH

SOPHIE LIANG

As I sat down to write a speech, after hours of thinking, the magnificent, profound idea that came to mind was: “Writing a graduation speech is no joke.” I mean seriously, this stuff is hard. Jampacking ten years of my life into mere minutes seemed like an impossible task. So, I tried to pinpoint my favorite thing about Sycamore. Shockingly enough, it wasn’t begging Mr. Schuth for extra credit when we collectively flunked his first physics tests; it wasn’t getting a good grade on that math test I spent all night studying for. It wasn’t even the exceptional education I received here at Sycamore. Instead, it was our relationships and memories. The connections we have made with each other, and the experiences, good and bad, that we have shared. Over our years here at Sycamore, our class has bonded and grown. There were some special moments that accelerated our grade from acquaintanceship to friendship. With each of these moments also came a lesson. Lesson #1: Sometimes you need to break things to build things. Literally. If you’re confused, let me backtrack a bit. Imagine 42 prepubescent, crazy kids, about to go on their very first entire-grade plane ride to the balmy, beautiful Florida Keys. Naturally, this slightly out-of-hand group drew many strange looks from onlookers at the airport. This still didn’t discourage us, however, from having the absolute time of our lives from the moment that we took off to the moment that our bus arrived on MarineLab grounds. For the next five days, we would create fantastic memories together. We played volleyball in the courtyard, saw many manatees, fought to get off the boats as fast as possible just to snag a shower, ran into some near-death experiences with jellyfish when someone agitated the ground with his flippers (I won’t name any names, Wesley), and had delicious food, which, to this day, I’m not sure whether or not was actually good, or whether we were just incredibly hungry. For those five days in paradise, it felt that any barriers that kept our class separate had been broken down. Lesson #2: Build your friendships like a paper chain. Our 7th Grade year was what I would like to call the “era of confinement” due to our being in the same room for the entire year. It’s safe to say that, from a proximity standpoint, our grade became much closer. It was during this time that a paper chain began to form in the band room cohort. With paper, scissors, and glue, link by link, our chain grew longer. What began as a fun pastime for just a few eventually grew into a class-wide phenomenon; soon enough, all of us were taking part in the paper chain. Whenever our precious chain broke, a collective gasp would be heard, quickly followed by chain medics armed with glue, scissors, and even more paper, ready to put the chain back together again. That chain was like our class’s friendship. All of us,

like the links in a chain, connect with each other to form what is our grade’s bond. Our teachers, while they may not be graduating with us, are just as much a part of our family as anyone else. Without their support, without them lifting us up when times were tough, we would never have arrived where we are today. Lesson #3: Walk up, don’t stand, on escalators. For three days on our class trip, we immersed ourselves in the history of our nation in Washington DC, and had fun while doing it. We had just arrived in Washington and were on our way out of the airport to meet our driver Curt at his bus. It was then, as we stood there on an escalator leading us to the exit, that we received some advice from Profe Fitzsimmons. “Those who stand on escalators wait for life to come to them. Those who walk up escalators take life by the horns.” While seemingly just a joke, these words rang quite true for me. So, as we journey into high school, I encourage you all to seize every opportunity that comes at you, and never stop running up life’s many escalators. Lesson #4: Sing like nobody’s listening. For any parents or teachers who have been on class trips with us, you probably know that “Sweet Caroline” is a staple of our class’s singing repertoire. At every campfire, every dance, every trip, you can hear our class belting “Sweet Caroline” at the top of our lungs. Sure, our singing definitely isn’t perfect, but it’s each individual voice, good or bad, that makes our song that much sweeter. Yes, it is a rare event for me to sing at the top of my lungs, and not worry about what people think of me, or imagine embarrassing stories may be spread the next day. Still, this safe environment that Sycamore offers has taught me to just be myself regardless of what others think. High school is a stressful environment, and it can be a judgmental one too, but, for the sake of your own happiness, I recommend that you do the following: No matter what other people say, stay true to who you are. Just keep on dancing like nobody’s watching, and belting “Sweet Caroline” like nobody’s listening. None of these lessons would have even been possible without our teachers. Thank you all for supporting us throughout our Sycamore journey. I’d like to extend many thanks to our parents. Thank you for supporting us through thick and thin, and playing a very smart move by enrolling us here at Sycamore. And finally, to the class of 2022. I will miss laughing with you and singing with you, crying with you and hurting with you. I will miss all of your unapologetic opinions and honesty. While the teachers may not miss it, I will miss our chatter in between classes, the way that we say thank you, the trips that we went on. But most of all, I will miss all of you. Winnie the Pooh once said that “a day without laughter is a day wasted.” Well, thanks to you guys, I haven’t had any wasted days.

[ CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ] SPEECH EXCERPT

Conner Kacena-Merrell

Middle School at Sycamore is the epitome of a wildfire. Your first few months of middle school are calm and peaceful and everybody is easing into the increased freedoms that come along with being an “old kid”. And then homework starts ramping up, responsibilities increase, and eventually you are putting out the daily homework fires. Sixth grade continues and now you are in the groove of Middle School. In the middle of the year you take a trip to Marine Lab and get to see all of what you learned in Mr. Lowell’s marine biology class. And then 7th grade comes in, igniting a raging backdraft. You have math tests every 2 weeks with multiple 15 line proofs, 250 point science tests, and Spanish tests over things you didn’t even know in English. You have learned more than you thought possible but also you wish that you could save at least some of your mental capacity for other things besides the minute details of prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. And then, COVID-19 arrived in Indiana. I missed school, my teachers, and my friends. I would like to thank each and every one of the teachers for all of their help throughout the years.

GRADUATION SPEECH

JUSTIN PUNO

I would like to thank my parents for guiding me all throughout my life. Even before I joined Sycamore in the 1st Grade, my parents had told me this school was going to be special, something new that I had never experienced before.It was only when I came to that first day of school in 2014 that I truly understood what they meant. I distinctly remember that first morning. My parents had held my hand all the way to the classroom as I wandered the halls of the place I would grow to call home for the next 8 years. I sat down at my desk, right beside the door, and was given a set of markers as my mom waved me goodbye. Looking around the room, I could see characters from Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, a tell-tale sign I was in Mrs. Stewart’s classroom. I examined the room. There was a stark contrast between the classroom I gazed at and the one of my old school in Greenwood. Pencils and markers were laid out at every table. Mrs. Stewart welcomed each kid with a bright smile. And my desk even had my very own name on it. From that moment I knew, this was where I belonged. That year, I changed from the “new kid” at school, someone scared to say hello, let alone do an activity with another classmate or play with them at recess, to being comfortable with everyone in my grade. Feeling like I belonged to a tight-knit community. I remember the tile cards Mrs. Hendry gave us in first grade, Mrs. Fulwider’s large posters of Wumbers on the wall, learning cursive with Mrs. McKay, and going on our first overnight field trip to Camp Tecumseh during our last year of Lower School. However, it wasn’t until the 2nd Graders sang “Happy Trails’’ to us during our last Lower School meeting that I realized how much I had grown. During my first four years here, Sycamore transformed from an unknown place, filled with uncertainty and obstacles, to a place that I was proud to call my school. As I headed into Middle School, that same type of fear that had plagued me in first grade reappeared. There would be new teachers, new classes, and new difficulties. But this time, something was different. This time, I had my friends with me. Every step of the way. I was in a new hallway, I had a locker, and our class had gone from the oldest kids in the hall to the youngest. Middle School presented new challenges, but also new opportunities. I was entranced by the math team. I would spend hours upon hours in Mr. T’s room after school, and, although I grew my mathematical abilities, it was the connections made with other students and how I developed as a person that were the true benefits of the time and effort. I became engrossed in many activities, both athletic and academic. These extracurriculars helped me to befriend many people and the bonds I made here will certainly outlast my time at Sycamore. Like Lower School, Middle School created a multitude of amazing memories, especially on our overnight class trips. But it was not only our class trips that created memories. I will never forget Mr. Lowell’s fun and unique coding challenges with his Spheros, Mrs. Miltenberger’s panda stickers that she gave out after tests, and how Ms. Mihm always saved Halloween for a viewing of Ichabod Crane. Theodore Geisel once said, “You will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” However, the truth is, I knew the value of the moments I had here at Sycamore. I just never believed that one day they would turn into memories. Congratulations, Class of 2022. No matter where we go or what we do, the memories we share will always bring us back together again. •