Salutatory Address

To our guest speaker of todays affair, Our Division Superintendent Mr. Rosalino P. Javier, sir, Our Principal Dr. Giovanni V. Velasco, sir, heads of the different departments, teachers, parents, fellow graduates and to all who are here to share this joyous moment with us, a heartwarming morning to all. On behalf of BATCH 2011, it is my honor and pleasure to welcome all of us to the Ilocos Sur National High School 95th Commencement Exercises. The journey has been boundless and tiring, which only makes this occasion a sweeter one to commemorate. We have been waiting for this moment to come, and so today is the time. The time to acknowledge the hard work we all poured in, it is the perfect time to recognize that we are only few steps in achieving our dreams. This is indeed one of our greatest accomplishments in our relatively young lives, but we must also bear in our minds that this is not ONLY our success. We were not alone in this journey, the people who had helped us and those who stood besides us also deserve as much recognition, if not more. We have here our families, especially our parents whom we owe much. The unending love and support they have rendered to us is where weve drawn strength to get to the top of the ladder of success. Like most parents who are here this morning, my parents sacrificed as much as most parents have. We have given our very best and made the most out of our stay here in this institution, and it is precisely because of this that we want the effort of all of our parents to be recognized. I know that all of us wanted to show our beloved parents that all their sacrifices and endeavors have borne fruitfor their outmost love and care has been our motivation. And so today, all of their efforts and hard work in providing us a better education so that we could become a better citizen is actually a testament to their success. We are not only indebted to our parents but also to our mentors. We, therefore, express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you, our dear teachers for recognizing our potentials and for opening new doors of opportunity for us to develop and to harness more of our hidden talents and capabilities. To our mentors, we owe you much for the selfless guidance youve endowed to us. May we carry on the responsibility of touching others life as you have shaped and molded us. Indeed, we are thankful to what you have contributed in transforming us into what we are now. Also, this recognition is extended to our friends, classmates and colleagues who in one way or the other made us able to reach the finish line. Thank you, for being there all the time, to lend a hand if we need help, to lean on to your shoulders when we are lost of control of our emotions and for the sharing the joy and pain of being a high school student. Thank you for showing us the world behind our walls and especially the intangibles, like the need to bond and forge friendships which have become priceless as we journeyed through this chapter of our lives. And of course, we would not forget the place where it had all startedOUR ALMA MATER the ILOCOS SUR NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL for equipping us with the values, ideals and principles needed to become a better citizen not only for our families or community but for the whole country and more importantly for helping us become the best of who we are and the best we can be. Remember that life is a book; we are only closing a chapter of it, not the whole book. Graduation does not mean that it is the end, it only points to a beginning of a new life, a new chapter. We are stepping into a whole new level, and may we continue to carry on and strive to live by the core values this institution had incurred us. Graduation is about breaking new grounds, for this new ground serves as our landmark when we step into a world that is much different from the one that is just about to end. I know that it is hard to let go of the people who became our constant companions. I know how it felt to bid them goodbye. Dont cry because high school lifes over, smile because things had happened. All our student lives, we have been hearing stories of what the real world is like, how difficult it is to keep up with the fast pace of life, to remain steadfast to our ideals and principles in an influenced environment. However, the time has come for us to stand at our own feet, the time for us to do it on our own. But with what weve had in this institution of learning and the knowledge that we had acquired for the past four years, I know we can all make it. We are already equipped with our battle gears; now, it is time for us to join and fight in the battlefield. My fellow graduate, life is one big road with lots of signs and paths. You are confused on which sign to follow, confused on what road to take. But forget the signs, diss the roads. There is a bare land filled with green grass, waiting for you to take its path. Do not follow a road; make one. Indeed, we can certainly hope in the years to come that we will make the right decisions and choices and plan the right actions to take. And so after today, we commencewe begin a more involved life. After today, new challenges unfold. To this extent, let me make this personal salutation on behalf of my fellow graduates that after today, we, the graduating class BATCH 2011 welcomes this next stage of our lives and we will make you proud! Once again, WELCOME to this graduation ceremony and good morning to all! Thank you!