Parting Thoughts
Seniors ranking in the top six scholastic positions at Osmond High School traditionally share memories of their school days, express hopes for the future and thank those who were a part of their life journey thus far. The 2024 senior speakers left graduation guests with these messages: –––––
Anna Kahny
Valedictorian
Good afternoon.
Seven years of elementary, two years of junior high, and four years of high school. The next year of our lives has always been planned out for us, and we’ve always done it together. As we graduate high school, we enter the first year of our lives that will not be planned out for us - the first year we won’t do it together.
These last 13 years we have spent preparing for right now, for when we get to choose what we want the rest of our lives to look like, for what the next year is going to be. For once, I don’t know exactly what the next year of my life will look like, and I have no idea what the next year of my classmates’ lives will look like either. We’ve been on a 13-year-long journey, and today marks its end.
Although a bittersweet time, it’s more exciting than anything else. I personally cannot wait to start the rest of my life, and although I won’t be with my class anymore, I can’t wait to see what the future holds for each of them.
The time we’ve spent here, togeth- er, learning, growing, and figuring out who we are, is irreplaceable. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that there are a million people we need to thank for helping us be here and for shaping us into the people we are today.
All of our teachers, coaches, faculty, staff, and administration have been a tremendous help, and I can’t thank you enough. The Class of 2024 has been blessed with this wonderful community of people who are so willing to help us out in countless ways.
I of course would like to thank my mom and dad, my sisters, my family, and my friends for everything they’ve done for me as well. God has truly placed each of you in my life and blessed me with an amazing circle of people. I would also like to thank our class sponsor, Mrs. Tunink. She happily goes above and beyond to help us seniors out in so many ways, and we love her.
So much of this has gone into getting us up here today, so much time and hard work. I never thought I would say this, but everyone was right. Thirteen years, and especially the last four, have flown by. It was not all easy, and I may not have loved every part of it, but I can confidently say that I love who I am because of it.
This school has taught me respect, responsibility, kindness, and so much more. The memories we have made here together are absolutely priceless and I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
My senior yearbook quote was Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Each of us seniors has a hope and a future ahead of us, brighter and filled with better things than we can imagine. God has a plan for each of us. He has gotten us this far, blessed us with a gym full of people who love us, and given us an amazing academic, athletic, and activity record to look back on. I can’t imagine what He has in store for each of us. All glory goes to God.
Thank you.
Erica Heiman
Salutatorian
Good afternoon and thank you for being here with us today as we celebrate the closing of our high school years and take the first steps toward our future. I am grateful to be standing before you today because for the first time ever, I can see everyone, all at once, who has been behind me, supporting, encouraging, guiding, and caring for me. Thank you for being there.
As I sit up here with my class, I feel so many different emotions. I’m nervous and sad, but I’m also really excited. It’s a crazy feeling letting something go that took up so much space in my life, but to also understand that it doesn’t even compare to the dreams I hold and the future I will face.
When I think about high school, I think about you, the ones in the audience, cheering us on right now. I remember all the times I came home frustrated and overwhelmed and you just made everything better. I remember the snacks that showed up just at the right time. I remember you and me having random movie nights and grocery runs. I remember laughing uncontrollably with you in sports practices. I remember going for slushies and how you always had my back, how I’ll always have yours. I might not remember every word said, but I’ll always remember the feeling of support from you.
You are our families, teachers, coaches, mentors, and best friends; the ones we love. Some of you kept us accountable, some of you taught us lessons, many of you learned right alongside us, and some of you might not even know that you influenced us with your good example, but all of you cared. Thank you for caring.
I know that we are ready for everything that is yet to come because you have helped us to create sturdy foundations. I am so proud to be a part of this graduating class, and I can’t wait to see what paths we each follow. I wish you all the best. Congratulations, Class of 2024, you’ve earned it.
Baylen Guenther
Third-Ranking
Good afternoon. I am not sure why they trusted me to be up here giving this speech, but here we are.
I want to start off by thanking God for this opportunity. None of us would be where we are today without Him.
Thank you Mom and Dad for everything you guys do and for keeping me in line. I know I don’t show it enough, but I greatly appreciate all you do. To my brothers, thank you for bullying me throughout my childhood and toughening me up. In all seriousness, I could not do what I am doing today without each one of you.
Mr. Jochum, you served as my third grandpa. From golfing to carrying bags of salt, to going fishing at the lake, I thank you for everything you have done for me. Coach Pahl, thank you for being my coach as well as my mentor for the past four years. I would not have become the man I am today without your advice and guidance.
Thank you to all the faculty and staff, the administration, teachers and coaches, and friends and family gathered here today. I know there are a lot of other things to do on a Saturday so thank you for choosing to support the Class of 2024. I think I speak on behalf of my entire class that we would not have the success we do without everything all of you do. There is so much behind-the-scenes work that takes place with graduation, so I would like to give a round of applause to everyone who helped.
When I was told that I needed to write a speech for graduation, I was excited, but I did not think about it too much. For those of you who know me, you know that I am an expert procrastinator. It did not set in that I needed to form a speech until the deadline was here. I binge-watched countless speeches on YouTube, but I realized that the factor that makes a speech good is the personal touch.
Well Class of 2024, we finally made it. I know we all thought that we had forever left in school and that this day would never come, but here we are.
I remember first coming to kin dergarten and being so happy and carefree. As elementary school progressed, it got more and more difficult but always fun and happy.
From going to having two recesses a day to a depressing ZERO. Then came middle school, where things got real and we realized we would be stuck here forever.
As these chapters closed, the big high school chapter opened. Becoming a freshman was a very daunting task, but it got easier as time went on. I never believed anyone who said that time would fly by, but now I know exactly what they were saying. These last 13 years have gone by in the blink of an eye, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Through these years, we have all developed personal qualities and memories. From academic and athletic achievements to blowing up a wall of outlets, to someone pulling the fire alarm to give us a breath of fresh air, countless memories have been made.
If I listed all the memories we have made throughout school, we would be here all day, so I’ll do you a favor and get a move on. It may be sad to know that these memories are coming to an end, but don’t be sad it’s over, but rather, happy it happened.
I could not have asked for a better class to grow up with. We are all tight-knit and we challenge ourselves academically and athletically every day. I am confident and proud to say that I feel we have been one of the best classes at Osmond Community School.
Another thing I want to speak about is the fact that life is full of many things, but one thing it should not be filled with is regrets. One thing that can ruin your future is being filled with regrets of what you wish you would have done.
My advice for the younger people, and everyone else here today is to become involved in anything and everything you have an interest in. If you do not like whatever it is, you do not have to continue, but you will not forever regret not trying it.
One of my biggest regrets from high school, and Mrs. Evans is gonna love me for this, is not joining FFA sooner. So all the underclassmen here, join FFA because it is a lot of fun and you are introduced to countless opportunities that will help you advance throughout life.
I want to end with a quote from Mark Twain. “The two most important days of your life are the day that you're born and the day that you find out why.”
Most of us, me for sure, may not know exactly why we’re here. Graduation certainly may not solve this mystery, but it does help us find out who we are and what we want to accomplish.
I know for a fact that every single one of us in this class will accomplish huge things. Especially certain people going to MIT for engineering, or something really smart, don’t forget your original class. Thank you, Class of 2024, for being an amazing class and until our future adventures. Thank you everyone, and thank you, God.
Callie Hoffman
Fourth Ranking
Today marks the end of this rollercoaster known as high school. This is the day we take our first steps into our adult lives — it’s also the day we make our moms cry.
Regardless of the ups and downs along our journeys, we have all become bright-minded, well-rounded individuals and I have no doubt that each of us will excel in whatever occupations we seek.
My classmates and I have been together since the beginning of high school and most since preschool. We have witnessed one another grow and shape into young adults. However, we would not be who we are today if it were not for our teachers, parents, grandparents, and other mentors.
For example, Mrs. Wiseley has prepared us for our futures by teaching us that if we do not pay our taxes, then we will go to jail. Mrs. Morfeld has taught us how to prove if a triangle is in fact a triangle — which she insists we will need some day.
Mrs. Wagner has taught us how to write flawlessly and to get our point across in any letter. This has actually proven useful as many of us have received scholarships based on our writing ability.
Mrs. Tunink has taught us to always look on the bright side and to keep moving forward. It is obvious that every teacher here in Osmond cares about us and wants us to succeed just as much as we do. Without their influ ence, I do not think any of us would be where we are today.
I want to thank each and every one of them for their dedication to helping us succeed and thank our parents for always supporting us in whatever we do.
Our class has, without a doubt, left its mark in Osmond High School history. Between our class scoring the highest combined ACT score in the state, having the first woman football player on the team, and being the only class to be given a junior skip day, I cannot wait to see what we all bring to the table in our future endeavors.
May faith guide you, always stay true to who you are, and your passion for life never ceases. I wish the best of luck to the graduates of 2024! And remember if all else fails Baja Blast is always there to pick you up!
Owen Severson
Fifth-Ranking
Good afternoon everyone.
It is my privilege to gladly welcome the administration, faculty members, friends, and parents to the graduation ceremony of the Class of 2024 here at Osmond High School.
Thank you for being here with us and I extend a warm welcome to each of you as we come together to mark this significant milestone in our lives.
The unwavering support of many of our friends and family is immensely appreciated as it has played a crucial role in our success and being here today.
And a shout out to the teachers for putting up with our class’s many shenanigans and to the janitors for always finding the root of some pretty awful smells throughout the school.
But today is an important day as many of us will take a large step in the journey of life, so let us not consider this as an end but rather as a stepping stone to greater heights.
And as we stand on the threshold of our futures, let’s build upon and carry forth the accomplishments and legacy we have created here.
To quote Winston Churchill, “Suc- cess is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”
Anabelle Vinson
Sixth-Ranking
Good afternoon. My class and I would just like to take a moment to thank everyone that has helped us get to this point in our lives.
We want to thank our teachers, coaches, bus-drivers, grandparents, and parents. Without them we would not have been able to pass our classes, get to events on time, or learn valuable life lessons (like when our parents say, what we did as a kid, you definitely should not do).
I personally would like to give a big shout out to my mom and dad. They have always been there for me through it all.
With that being said, congratulations Class of 2024. We did it!!!!
“It is not where you start but how high you aim that matters for success.”
— Nelson Mandela
