GRADUATION 2021
Class of 2021 Addresses
The Class of 2021 graduated on May 28, 2021! Click on the links below to see the speeches given by Mr. Chadwick Hamilton and Lucy Howell ’21.
It has been a challenging year for everyone, and for High School Math Teacher Chadwick Hamilton, there were periods of hopelessness. But at a certain point in the year, hope returned. In his address to the Class of 2021, he reflects, “I realized that hope had returned. That you were my hope. Because of you, I could hope for a better future. I could have hope for who my children could look up to and model their pursuits after. I could have hope for a community marked by empathy, love, and genuine care for others. I could hope that words would be life-giving; that music and art would thrive. I could hope that we could work together to solve complex problems and find beauty in that. I could even hope that in some small way, I had played a part in this….You are my hope. You are the hope of your parents and family, friends, and community. So as you leave, carry this with you. Not as a burden or pressure. Instead, may it be an anchor. May you change the world, knowing you have already changed mine.”
The standard question for seniors is, what do you want to accomplish in your last year of high school? Lucy Howell '21 had her own list of things to do, but as the months went on, she realised that the way to check off the items on her bucket list was to be present and appreciate the moment, and the people who helped her class get there: “...that is what makes this HKIS class of 2021 so special, because I know that even after we move those tassels to the left, and we all go our separate ways, we will continue to do just that. To appreciate. To be present. Class of 2021, let’s take it all in. Appreciate all of the amazing things you've done. Appreciate each other. And look forward to all the outstanding things we have ahead.”