From Firsts to Lasts: Valedictorian Reflects on Crescent Journey

We are gathered today to celebrate the end of a challenging senior year but today also marks, for some, the end of a 10-year-long journey and, for the majority of these boys, a considerable portion of our memorable lives. No matter how long our journeys at Crescent were, today we all walk forward into the next chapter of our lives in unison, supported by each other and our tightly-knit brotherhood.

What comes next will not be easy. Don’t get me wrong, there is a lot to be excited about, but the world we are about to step into will be a far cry from the security and comfort of our Crescent bubbles. Today marks the first step in our long and winding paths to our respective futures and oftentimes the first steps are the hardest ones to take. We may get confused, we may feel lost,  and we may at times be unsure what the end goal even is. But I’m hoping that maybe I can help with that. You see, while scrolling through my email the other day, I noticed the most recent Crescent Connect had come out. I decided since my time here is almost over I’d actually read it for once. Turns out that was a good idea. You see in Mr. Fellin’s latest edition of “Open Mike”, he opened his message with a quote from Maya Angelou: “You can’t know where you are going until you know where you have been.” 

That’s what I’d like to share with you all today. Just as today is a day of excitement and looking forward to our bright futures, it is equally important that we take some time to reflect on our journeys to find the very guidance Ms. Angelou and Mr. Fellin were speaking of. To reflect on the milestone moments, the experiences, and memories, both good and bad which have formed our Crescent journeys but most importantly, the relationships and connections we have made here. For some, the journey may have begun on the very first day of the Crescent Class of 2024 back in 2014. For others, the journey may have begun only last year. No matter the length of our journeys at Crescent, we have experienced a lot together. Grade 12 alone, and the period of time it represents, is one that has come with a lot of change. For those of you who know me well, you know I am not exaggerating when I say that this was by far the most challenging year of my life and I don’t think I am alone in that sentiment. We aren’t kids anymore. This year, for the first time in many of our lives, we dealt with our first major defeats. Losing people, relationship challenges, and a multitude of other things unique to each of our lives. I can tell you this transition and maturation is one I struggled with. For a while, I felt so lost. I got turned around by new stresses, major life changes, and catastrophic events I had never faced before. But there was always one constant. In those periods of such severe uncertainty, there was one group of people I could always count on to lift me out of the lows and help me to soar through the highs. No matter what was happening in my life, I knew that these boys were here for me. 

The bond we have is truly special. It is one that can only be forged in the fire of going through the ups and downs of life together. All the milestones, whether it was the positives: first days, the first goals, the first performances, or the first “just be beauty” or the negatives: first detention, the first breakup, or maybe the first loss, no matter what it was we were going through, we went through it together. These shared experiences are what make our bonds so strong.

As we came to the end of our Crescent journeys, the experiences got bigger and more important as we moved away from the little “firsts” to our major “firsts” and, finally, our “lasts.” When the first goals became the first OFSAA wins or the last times suiting up for FNLs, or when the first supporting role in the play became the first lead or our last performances, or when we went from our first robots in Mr. Wotherspoon’s class to the first FRC build and your last trip to Worlds. I know, in my darkest hours, it was these boys who lifted me up, and during my greatest peaks, they were the very same boys I celebrated with. But the peaks and troughs only represent a fraction of our Crescent journeys. A lot of what makes us so close happened somewhere in between. The late-night conversations on camp trips, the long bus rides to games, chel in the grad lounge. Whatever the moments were, we spent so much time together that, even when we weren’t talking—maybe we were even yelling at each other—we helped each other through whatever was going on. As we moved through our lives together, Crescent became more and more ingrained in who we are as people and, in turn, this brotherhood became more and more important to us. I ask the boys on stage to think of their closest friends, how many of them wear this uniform? I ask you to think of your proudest moments, how many relate to this place? I think many of you will find that Crescent may have had more of an impact on your life than you realized. 

As we step into the next chapter of our lives, I hope that you can all find comfort in the fact that you are not taking this step alone. In your moments of uncertainty, when you don't know where to go, the guidance you must take away from your time here at Crescent is to depend on those you see around you today. This is our greatest achievement, our reason for celebrating today is the relationships created out of the vast experiences this place has brought us. On that note, I feel the necessity to thank all of the parents and staff whose sacrifice and commitment are the only reason we have had these experiences. We cannot begin to thank you enough.

To bring it back to a milestone I will forever remember, I’d like to circle back to the end of our Grade 6 year. That time in our lives was capped off by a ceremony eerily similar to today’s where many of you once again had the misfortune of hearing me speak. Since then I’ve gotten a bit taller and hopefully a bit smarter but judging by the amount of spelling mistakes I’ve noticed in my speech, I haven’t improved much in English since the days in Mr. Barton’s class, but that isn’t the only thing that hasn't changed. As I was writing my speech for today, I decided to read through my Grade 6 address, and I was honestly shocked. Everything I wanted to say today had been said six years ago by a younger me. There is one excerpt in particular that I wanted to read for you all today: 

The relationships we’ve made here have supported us through all we’ve been through, and I know for many of you boys, that has been a lot. So as we go forward, do not let go of these precious relationships. As we spread out into the corners of the world, it will become more and more challenging to keep in touch but what we have, what we’ve been through together, has created a powerful bond worth holding on to. So keep in touch and don't be afraid to reach out to your Crescent brothers when you need to—we will always be there. Whether you're all the way in a different country or at Western (also known as Crescent 2), you will always be a part of this brotherhood. This year, our motto has been “Cherish your Journey,” and, as Mr. Fellin showed us, the key to our future is understanding and appreciating our past. If there is one thing our time here has shown us, it is that no matter where we are or where we are going, this brotherhood we are a part of is something special. So, take advantage of it, hold on to it, and let it guide you forward. Remember what our school has been trying to tell us all along, that as we come to hours of darkness, there will be a light to guide our way. You are the light and, together, we are a glowing beacon of brotherhood headed towards some bright futures.