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Graduation 2004

Graduate Speaker

Janessa Hilliard

I'm standing here.    Delivering this speech as I look out on all of you gathered under the building that is the Middle School.    I know a great majority of you, or have had the pleasure of meeting you at least once. For those that I haven't met I feel like I know you, too.

That is part of what makes Khalsa a family.    While we may not know everyone there is an unbelievable force, a bond if you will, that connects us.    Whether you are a current or an ex-student, a sibling, a parent, a teacher, a friend or a family member we are all connected.    This school is not just an institution for learning, but a symbol of hope.    Of peace.    Of happiness.   Of comfort.    Of life.

I was not able to realize this until this past week really.    Even as I stand here, telling you all about what Khalsa means to me I cannot believe it.    That I am leaving.    I feel like I'm leaving a family. This school is so comforting, so full of love it seems like it may explode.

I've been here eight years.    And while on paper that may not seem like a lot, when you fathom all the changes that happen to a person in eight years, it is truly astounding.    I cannot even begin to imagine the type of person I would be today without Khalsa.    The teachers and even the students have taught me the meaning of respect.    Of honesty.    Of kindness and caring.    Of freedom.    Of love for one another.    It seems a bit silly, that one school can teach you so much.

Montessori teaches children in a hands-on way.    I cannot imagine having learned math, language or geography any other way.    Teachers make it so that learning really is fun, and gives the students something to connect with.    They encourage children to resolve their problems right away, in a civil matter, using "I Messages".    The teachers trust their students.    Honesty is a big part of the learning experience.    It may not seem like it, when you are experiencing it in the moment, but we experience so much freedom in our classrooms.    We learn responsibility at an early age, a trait that we use constantly in our everyday lives.

I have met so many people here, made so many friends, made so many memories, and had many teachers, become a part of so many different families.    Though high school is often referred to as "the best years of your life" nothing can compare to Khalsa for me.    It is the base of every thing I know now, everything I have learned and all the emotions I have experienced.